Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
PEPPER HAS FALLEN ASLEEP in the waiting area.I placed her head against my shoulder for her own comfort.Mason's parents are still camping out inside his room while a nurse has come and gone several times. I glance down at Pepper. Slumbering breaths escape her lips and curly hair falls over her face. Seeing her so distraught, soul shattered, it broke something inside me. Without warning, I was dragged back into the old days. Days when she was going through rough times and I was there for her. She'd cry on me while I held her and comforted her.
I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be her friend, to not be the guy who wants her, but the guy who supports her.
Even if I don't want her to be with Mason, her happiness means the world to me. Her suffering is one with mine, and right now, that pain is coming from a boy she loves more than me. We haven't even had a chance to see how it would feel if we were dating. Instead, everything has gone to shit ever since we slept together.
The door to Mason's room creaks open and his parents slip out. I straighten up and watch as they head toward a different hallway. They don't see Pepper and I sitting across the lobby. I breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing down at my phone shows that it's nearly nine. Maybe they're going to the cafeteria to grab something to eat?
Pepper stirs on my shoulder and lifts her head slightly.
"Hey," I whisper and brush my fingers along her cheek. "They left. I'm going to go talk to him, okay?"
She jerks away as if my touch burned her, then pauses as if realizing her reaction was off. A slow nod follows and she rubs her tired eyes. "Th-thank you."
"Of course." I press my lips against her forehead before rising from my seat. I spare a quick glance down the hall where his parent's disappeared before sliding into his room.
Mason looks up abruptly while resting in his bed. His hands freeze around the strings of his hospital gown and confusion morphs his expression. "Lucas? What are you doing here?"
"Hey..." I scratch my head and pull my lips up into a tight line. "Pepper was worried about you so..."
Dark eyes shift behind me. "Is she still out there?"
I nod. "I'm just checking on you for her peace of mind. Apparently, your parents banned you from seeing her again?"
"Yeah." He falls back into his bed and drags his eyes away from me. "I know you're happy about that."
Anxious fingers tap my pockets and I inch a step closer to his bed. "Look...I know we've kind of been...on different pages about this whole situation."
"You mean how you want to be with the girl I love? Yes, we're definitely on different pages," he grumbles, letting bitterness shape his tone.
"There is one thing we're on the same page about..."
