Fell In Love With My Best Friend

Chapter 14

It’s been three months since Erica has been talking to her sister about her feelings about Liam. The first month was a disaster and involved tissues, but things were getting better. It was the middle of June, and Erica had stopped her cutting last month. Her cuts were slowly healing, but she had faith in that part of herself. She was back to wearing her normal clothes during the day. She’s wearing jean shorts and a dark blue tank top since today is a warmer day, and she’s back on her normal eating schedule. 
Anne and Erica were going to the park today, and Erica was excited. She brushed out her long blonde hair out and put mascara on to make her bright green eyes pop out. She loved getting help from her sister because she learned some things about her sister. Her sister’s boyfriend from 8th and 9th grade moved away to Illinois too, but she found out a year later that he committed suicide because of getting cheated on by a girl he was with after her. Anne was heartbroken, but she got over it somehow. Anne was so strong when it comes to stuff like this, and it amazed Erica. Anne was now going into the 12th grade, so she had time to move on from her late ex-boyfriend.
Erica felt better because she knew that she would see Liam again someday. She knew that, but she needed to live her life now instead of sitting in her room waiting for Liam to walk back through the door. After Erica finished getting ready, she met up with her sister so they could head to the park. 
“Hey Anne, are we meeting up with your friends up here?” Erica asked her as they reached the big field where kids played soccer.
“Yeah, they should be here soon. How do you feel about going to high school with me next year?”
“Good, but a little nervous. This is your last year of high school!”
Anne laughed and shrugged. “I’m glad too, but I’m going to college for another 4 or more years. Don’t worry, I’m not done with school yet.”
“College? I’m going to be in school forever!”
Anne laughed and yelled to her friends. “You’re going to love these guys.”
Erica shrugged as she saw a few guys and girls walk up until she noticed that one of them was only a freshman. This person she knew… Luke! It was Luke with his brother. “Anne? You’re friends with Ted Paisley?”
“Yeah, why?” she asked confused.
“I know his brother…”
“Oh. Is that okay?”
“I guess so, I haven’t talked to him in awhile,” Erica said as she watched Luke approach them with the rest of the group. Suddenly, Erica got a weird feeling in her stomach. Luke was walking with his brother, and he was tanner than Erica remembered. Another thing was that his shirt was off, and he was only wearing basketball shorts. He had a 6-pack of abs, and this was what made her so uneasy.
She gulped and took an unnoticeable step back as she bit her lip. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair and batted her green eyes hoping he would notice. Am I really showing feelings for Luke? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she noticed him looking at her, and it was starting to give her butterflies and nervousness. Just then, he flipped his black hair as he was in front of her. 
“Wow, Erica. You’re not wearing PJ’s!” he teased her as he smirked.
She crossed her arms and shrugged. “I guess I thought it would be too hot for those today.”
“Fair enough. I never knew that Anne Blake was your sister. I thought she was way too pretty to be your sister.”
“Dude, calm it down,” Ted warned him. 
“That’s what I thought when I found out that you were Ted’s brother,” Erica spat back. 
Anne giggled and looked at Ted. “Aren’t they so cute together?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around Ted. 
“Are you guys dating?” Erica asked confused.
“About 2 months,” Ted said proudly which caused Anne to smile. Anne looked almost exactly like Erica, but they were different in height and weight. Erica was a bit skinnier than her sister, but they both had long blonde hair, green eyes and beautiful faces. 
“Congrats,” Erica said awkwardly. “How come I just found out now?”
Anne and Ted exchanged glances before replying. “I guess we didn’t announce it to everyone. It just happened, you know?” Anne said, shrugging.
“She’s right,” Ted agreed. “We didn’t really want to make a big deal out of it even if it was a big deal to me. I’ve been crushing on your sister for awhile.”
“Really?” Erica asked.
“Well, yeah. I’ve liked her since Freshman year, but she was in a relationship. I wanted to wait until she was over him and ready.”
“Is that why you dated Eleanor and Briana? Were they, like, distractions?”
Anne looked at Ted. “You never told me about them.”
Ted cleared his throat. “Eleanor was a short lived relationship. I “cheated” on her because I was a stupid boy. I didn’t really know what a relationship was. And, for Briana…. I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, she was three years younger than me for crying out loud.”
“Three years?” Anna asked, pulling away from him. “Couldn’t you not find a girl your age?”
“Anne...It was a mistake. She came on to me and wanted to prove that she could be in mature relationship but that wasn’t true…”
“Oh my God..”
“Anne, all the girls I’ve been with doesn’t matter. They’re nothing compared to you. All these years...I’ve wanted you. Why do you think none of my relationships worked out?”
Anne looked at him, shrugging. “I don’t know.”
Ted looked at Erica and Luke. “Hey guys, could you give us some time?”
Before Erica could react, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. “That’s good timing because I wanted to speak to Erica alone. Can I speak to you alone?” Luke asked Erica.
Erica was hesitant for a second, but she nodded and let him take her to the swings. When they were seated, Luke looked at her and smiled. 
“How are you feeling? You have to be feeling better right since you’re dressing better and gaining your weight back?”
“Weight? Is that a bad thing?”
“No, I mean...You were boneless before, but now you’re getting your normal figure back.”
Erica smiled and shrugged. “I don’t want to feel miserable anymore. I’ve realized that I have to experience a new relationship with someone else since Liam is obviously out of my life for a little bit. I can’t sulk for 4 more years until he can come back.”
Luke nodded and looked at the ground. “New relationship? Like with who?”
“With anyone really.”
“How about with me?”  
Erica looked at him, who had somehow moved closer, and Erica smiled. “Sure. I’m willing to do that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Awesome. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this!”
“Luke..”
“Yeah,” he replied, looking at her.
“If we’re going to date, you can’t act like a girl,” Erica said punching him in the shoulder and walking away. No problem, Luke thought to himself as he ran after Erica, tackling her to the ground.