Sunshiny Things (Original)

Ch. 22 Finger In Finger

Freya

"Just talk to him, Frey," Becca says to me as she opens up the schools glass front door for us to walk through. I let out a long sigh before pushing the strap of my book bag up my shoulder.

"What am I even supposed to say? Hey Dace, sorry for snapping at you and completely running out on us hanging out. I suffer from chronic panic disorder, and have a highly fear of people trouncing me. Would you like to still be friends?" I harshly swing open my locker door and grab my books for English class out with a huff.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Becca says with a tiny laugh, and I glare at her from the other side of my locker door. Becca woke up around 3am last night. Which is around the time Coles party came to a close as well. Me being me, of course, I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried. Everything that happened yesterday was weighing on me and I could barely breathe let alone sleep. So after Becca woke up and took her pain meds, we stayed up until school talking about everything. That's probably why we have bags under our eyes and I basically look homeless. I can't say the same for Becca though. She's always looks perfect. But me on the other hand, I'm wearing a giant baggy red socks sweatshirt that was my dads, baggy jeans, dirty converse, and my hair is in a tangled knot inside my tiny, low bun. Becca slightly tucked in the front my sweatshirt into my jeans to give it a more "hipster look" apparently. At least that's what her, the fashionista says. But I don't think anything can save my appearance at this point.

"Come on, Frey," Becca pleads. "I can tell how much you like him, and you'll regret it if you don't. What do I always say bestie—."

"Knows best," I finish the sentence for her with a sigh, the song from Tangled instantly popping into my head, before shutting my locker door.

"Exactly," Becca exclaims with a way too proud look on her face. I roll my eyes at her and start to walk down the semi-crowded hallway. I scrunch up my nose, to get the glasses to move up my freckled face with ease.

"Oh look!" Becca exclaims as she rushes up next to me and aggressively pokes me on the arm. "There he is!" I look up from my feet and immediately stop in my tracks once I see him, causing Becca to bump into my shoulder from the unexpected halt. Dace, a guy named Josh I think, Kyle, Sophie, And...Cole are all standing next to a set of lockers to the upper right side at the end of the hallway. Why is Cole there? I thought him and Dace despised each other.

"I can't go, there's too many people," I tell Becca as I gesture my hand towards the group. "And anyways, Cole is over there." Events of last night start to replay in my mind, and my heart instantly begins to race. I think Becca can tell cause I feel her grab onto my my sweatshirt but just enough so she's not actually touching me. She's just gripping onto the red material. 

"Screw Cole," Becca tells me, and I look at her with wide eyes. Becca rolls her eyes back at my reaction before saying, "Not like that."  I let a tiny embarrassment coaxed laugh before turning my attention back on the group.

"Yeah, I knew that," I say and I hear Becca give a tiny Mhm.

"Just ignore Cole and you'll be fine. Pinky." I look over at Becca again, who is already holding up her pinky finger and I sigh before doing the same.

"Promise." Becca and I put away our fingers and I let out a deep, long breath as I try to get my confidence levels up as much as I can, before I start walking toward him. I hear Becca say "You got this" from behind me, but I just keep my eyes on the mission at hand.

"Dace," I say from behind him, as he laughs his perfect laugh at something that Josh says. Dace quickly turns around, and I see his smile fade a little but the gleam in his eyes doesn't. "Can...um, can I talk to you, please?" I try to say to him with my sweetest and most confident smile, but I know it's probably not fooling anyone. I can feel the panic start to rise with every second.