No Filter

Chapter XX (20)

This the last chapter before I post weekly instead of twice a week. Anyways, enjoy the chapter.

I park by the curb at Ally's house. It's been a while since I've been here. I kind of missed it.

I kill the engine and put the keys in my pocket. I exit the car and walk to the front porch. I knock on the door and waited a while. But eventually, no one opened it. I turn and look at the driveway and garage. Ally's car was present, but her father's wasn't, which wasn't a surprise. But there was also another car present near her house. I suspected that it might be her neighbor's, but she could have a visitor.

I knock once more before I just decided to turn the knob, and to my surprise, it was unlock. I enter the room and notice a new pair of shoes aligned with Ally's. I carefully walk through the kitchen and begin to hear giggles from Ally. And another male voice.

"Stop! Stop!" Ally exclaims between chuckles.

"No stopping right now," the guy said.

I follow the voices and approach the living room. I hear a thud on the ground, causing Ally to yelp, and then everything fell silent. My heart races as I enter the living room. My brows furrow as I see the living room floor filled with small puddles of water. Water guns dropped on the floor. And so was Ally and this other guy that was on top of her. I could almost recognize him.

I swallowed hard, looking at them and their lips connecting. Ally set her hands on his back. They roll around, where Ally got on top of him, which made me stomach fell a little queasy. I shake my head slowly and clear my throat. I turn around, a little puzzled. A part of me grew fearful. But should I be? I clench my teeth and held my fist, channeling the rage that was rising inside of me.

I hear Ally gasps. I turn back and look at her - now sitting on her feet - and only her. "Liam," she said, a bit surprise. "I didn't know you were coming."

"It's my fault," I said. "I should have called or texted."

She glances back at the guy, and I recognize him from my birthday party. He was the guy Ally kissed over me. Not that I'm salty, but the bottle was clearly pointing towards me, and she just went and kissed him as if it wasn't.

She pulls herself off the ground and stands up. She ties her hair back into a ponytail. "What makes you stop by?" she asks.

"Actually, my mom wanted me to ask you something," I reply. "Can we talk? Privately?" She nods her head.

She takes a moment and turns to the guy. She holds out her hand, and he takes it. With both of their help, the guy stands up on his, and she talks to him while I turn away. I walk into the kitchen to give them some privacy. I sit down at the dining table and glance at my watch a couple of times.

Soon, the guy leaves the house, and Ally joins me at the table. She sits right across from me. I look at her and notice something was different. She looked better and happier, I should say, than before.

"What?" She smiles.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I lower my eyes, nervous. I wet my lips. Her smile and energy was contagious, and I wanted to smile back, but I had more important issues roaming inside my head. "Do you..." I begin, not knowing how to ask this, "Are you," I lift my head and meet eyes with hers, "and that guy..."

"Troy," she corrects.

I nod my head and continue, "...dating?"

She nods her head. "Yes, we are," she answers.

"How long?" I ask.

"Two weeks now," she says. "He asked me out a while ago, and I took my time to think about it. I eventually said yes because I wanted to give him a chance, and he's not wasting it, which makes me not regret that decision. He took me to an arcade on our very first date. You would think an arcade wasn't a romantic place, but it was. The way it went and the people we met made it romantic."

I was happy for her, but I didn't smile. It was like a force prevented me from being fully happy for her, and I didn't know why. At least now I can assume that our relationship status is one of the reasons why we don't communicate anymore.

"I'm happy for you," I said. "That's great now. Maybe we should double date next time. I'll bring Cheryl, and you can bring Troy," I chuckle, but it sounded more awkward than I intended it to be.

"We should," she agrees. "That sounds really fun. I'll get to know Cheryl a little more, and you'll get to know Troy a little more."

"Exactly," I said.

She clears her throat and changes the subject. "Anyways," she begins, "what did your mom wanted you to ask me?"

"She knows how much you've been working and studying for school. And she wants to help you out—"

"Wait," she interrupted, "Is this about the money she offered me?"

I shake my head. "No. She knows that you like to work for the money, so instead of giving you the money, she offered you a job at the farm. Temporarily. If you accept."

"What will I be doing?"

I shrug. "I don't know, but if you need any help, I will be there to help."

She took a moment to think. She seemed puzzled at first, but I really hoped she would accept it. Ally swallows slowly and nods her head slightly. She answers, "Yes, but the only time I can do it is during Thanksgiving break."

"Then we can go work there when that time comes," I said.

Her eyes shot up as she gasps, remembering, "What about my mom? I can't leave her."

"We'll figure something out. Maybe she can come with us," I suggested.

"Maybe," she thought.

And I thought that maybe during this, we can catch up on each other's lives. And maybe things will go back to how they used to be. It's sad to see us drift apart, and I couldn't think of how life would be without Ally.