Bitter Affectionate

Chapter 13

The events of that night were spread around town after that. Well, the part about the crash, at least. People knew, and I received the story second hand from a Snapchat story of a girl I couldn't pick out of a lineup if I had to.

Hally and Piper had crashed into a truck. It was the only other vehicle on the road at the time. Hally broke her leg. Piper broke her wrist, but she also had to get her stomach pumped due to alcohol poisoning. 

Brents guilt only increased when he found that out.

"I bought her drinks," He recalled in horror. "I didn't think anything of it. She looked fine to me."

Maybe that was true. I thought she looked like shit as the night went on, but Brent wasn't very perceptive. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for me to notice something he didn't.

I began dodging messages from Calvin, though I did feel guilty for it. I didn't fully understand why. I told myself it was because Brent needed my full attention, but that wasn't it. I knew it wasn't, deep down.

I did spend all my time with Brent, though. On New Years Eve, we spent the day in front of the televsion, controllers in both of our hands. When he was upset, he didn't talk much. That was something we had in common. So, it was the quietest New Years Eve of my life.

Around 11:50 pm, we pushed the couch until it was facing the window that looked out to the front of the house. We usually went and watched the fireworks in person one community over from his, in the park. This year, he wasn't really in the mood. Honestly, I wasn't either. So we sat in front of the window and waited, distant music playing from the game we left on pause.

"Do you have a New Years resolution?" He asked, still staring out the window with a blank expression.

"Nope," I said. I never did. People always quit their resolutions by February, so I never thought it was worth it. I didn't need a special occasion to make false promises to myself. I did that all the time on my own. "Do you?"

"Yeah. I want to look out for myself more. If the last couple days have taught me anything, it's that life's tough, and I've got to be tougher."

I nodded. That sounded like a good resolution. One that was definitely doable, too.

"I like that," I told him. And for the first time in days, he gave me a genuine smile. Then, the fireworks started.

...

When school started again, Brent had recovered almost completely. It was over a week since their breakup, and the only mention he made of it on our first day of school was that he couldn't bare to see her. I understood that completely.

He was constantly glancing over his shoulder during the day. He was antsy, and anxious to leave. He didn't have much to say to me, but I could tell he wanted me around, so I didn't stray from his side until the last twenty minutes of lunch.

Brent finally broke away from my side to go talk to some guys in the gym, so I roamed the hallway on my own until I found Joseph.

He was lying on his back on a bench in the hallway, his phone held up above his face. I smiled against myself, not exactly knowing why.

He must have heard my footsteps, as he dipped his head back until it was upside down off the side of the bench and made eye contact with me. He smiled and chuckled at himself as he sat up.

"Hey," He said. He looked stressed and tired, but he acted as if he wasn't. I was more perceptive than that, though. "How was your winter break?"

"Shit," I said. Somewhere along the way, everything good that happened over the break didn't matter. Any fun time I spent fooling around with Brent, or indulging in the freedom or being around Calvin didn't matter. All I could think about was Piper and Hally in the hospital, and my best friend crying, and Cassandra. But, if I'm honest, it was mostly Cassandra and the fact that I couldn't shake the feeling of her breath against my face. "Yours?"

"About the same," He replied with a sigh. He scooted over, so I sat beside him. "Who would've thought being away from school could be worse than being in school?"

I chuckled, but I didn't really know how to reply. So I didn't.

"You okay?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I'm surviving," I told him, only half kidding. He smiled sympathetically and I shook my head at him. "Don't give me that look. What happened to our humorous, frenemy relationship?"

He laughed, shaking his head incredulously at me. "We were never frenemies."

"We definitely were! I wanted to be your friend, and you thought I was an asshole. That's frenemies."

"I didn't think you were an asshole."

I gave him a look and he rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, I thought you were a bit of a total asshole."

"That's what I thought."

He smiled at me, and I felt like I could take a deep, calming breath for the first time in a while.

The moment was over too quickly. Brent reappeared and called my name from across the hall, and I didn't say a proper goodbye before I got up and ran toward him. He put his arm over my shoulders and began to steer me toward our lockers. He seemed a tad better, and I wondered who he was talking to while I was talking to Joseph.

Recalling Joseph, I glanced over my shoulder to... (I don't know. Look at him? That just sounds creepy if you ask me, but don't act like you haven't done it with before) but he wasn't there. I only caught a glimpse of his back as he turned a corner and disappeared.

...

When our day of educational torture had finally ended, Brent was no where to be found. We were separated last period, and while I was waiting in the foyer for him, I received a text saying he was talking to coach, and that he would meet me in the truck. 

I left the school alone, planning on sitting in my truck and laying my head down on the steering wheel. I didn't feel well. All I wanted to do was sleep.

My plan was interrupted before it even began when I looked up from my shoes. 

Leaning against my truck in the school parking lot was Calvin. And he looked pissed.

(A/N: OH MY GOD IT FEELS SO WEIRD TO WRITE ON HERE AGAIN??? IT'S BEEN SO LONG??? Thank you all for your patience. I've got a lot going on at the moment. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. Love you all!!!!)