I Am Unstoppable (Book 2)

Chapter Nineteen: S is for Secrets and Other Stuff

After I lifted the veil of my bride, I instantly woke up, shocked that I actually just dreamt that. She did look beautiful.

Her bright blue eyes sparkled, her smile glistened white, and her cheeks were a little red. I've never pictured her being more beautiful.

It was Alia.

I rubbed my eyes with my hands. My heart was practically pounding out of my chest. As I sat up in my bed, I wondered to myself, Was the dream accurate?

It sure as hell was. It's not everyday you dream about marrying some girl you met three months ago.

I couldn't stop picturing Alia in the wedding dress. I thought I was going insane, knowing that I'm only fifteen and I'm already thinking about marriage. 

I do not want to get married... yet.

I guess this really means I like Alia... a lot. For goodness sake, I pictured us getting married, which is something I never thought about when it came to Becca. I truly loved her (at least, I thought I did). I never thought I would fall in love with someone else.

Life sure as hell can be surprising.

I stood up, getting out of bed. I checked the time on the clock located on my nightstand, reading "4:21". It didn't seem like that long of a dream. I was asleep for about an hour.

As I pulled my phone out of my pocket, it vibrated. I instantly thought it would be Alia reminding me that I still haven't answered her question.

Ha, I was wrong. It was Becca.

Hey Richard, just wanted to know if I could come over so we can talk about what's been going on between us lately. Get back to me when you can. ☺

I instantly responded.

You can come over now. There's something I need to tell you.

I gently tossed my phone onto my bed, sighing loudly. I should probably tell her about my feelings for Alia, so hopefully, no secrets are kept from each other.

My bedroom door opened a few minutes later. In walked Becca, face beat red, eyes watery, clutching phone in hand. She closed the door behind her.

"Richard," she softly said, approaching me, "I love you."

I tried to refrain from responding to her statement to avoid making things even more awkward than they already are. 

"Richard, I know we've been really shaky around each other lately. We both screwed up, and that's the truth. I don't want to be strangers, though." She grabbed my hand, holding it tightly. "Can we at least be friends?"

Without even thinking, I said, "Of course."

She beamed. "Great. Now that we're alone, what's going on between you and Alia?"

How did I know that was coming?

I giggled, looking down at the floor. "We kind of like each other."

It felt great talking about this to Becca. At first it was a little awkward, since we just broke up and we already found someone new (well, at least I did). Now, however, I feel perfectly comfortable.

"Duh!" she hollered, resting her head on my shoulder. "You guys are such flirts. Honestly, Richie, I'm really happy for you."

Hmm. "Richie".

I didn't answer. I was too busy worrying about why she called me "Richie". She probably called me that because of a habit, not for other reasons.

Then again, you never know.

I glanced at her. "You are?"

She rolled her eyes, trying to hold back a laugh. "Of course, Richard. I don't want to watch you suffer." Becca released my hand. "I still care about you."

Aww, she still cares about me.

I felt like asking her about Brandon, but at the same time, I wasn't ready to. I didn't want to upset her if he was mad at her and was just taking his anger out on everyone. I still want to be his friend, but after what happened between him and I, I think our friendship would never be the same. 

After debating on whether or not to say it, I came up with my decision. I cleared my throat and queried, "Becca, is Brandon mad at me?"

Right away, she glanced at me, biting her lip. "Um, well, I can tell you that he isn't happy with you."

"Why?"

She sighed, making me feel a little nervous. "He told me that he thinks you're a dick."

Ha, like I haven't heard that one before.

"I didn't like what he did to me, so yeah, I was going to be a little bit of a dick to him for doing that."

She giggled and pulled out her phone, checking the time. I looked too. It was 4:36. The sun was starting to set and the sky was a bright orange-pink color. The clouds were dissipating, due to the bright sunshine. "Richie, I wouldn't worry about it. He's kind of a jerk to begin with. He hasn't mentioned you lately, so he might not be as pissed off at you. You and I both know Brandon can hold a grudge, right?" She winked.

She does have a point there. He hated me for five years before we became friends again in eighth grade.

Did anyone else notice how she called me "Richie" again?

Goddammit, Rebecca.

Let me be honest—I am almost one-hundred percent positive that Becca still likes me. Come on, she kept on calling me "Richie"—my pet name. I only like Becca a tiny bit—like, five percent. The other ninety-five percent is all for Alia.

Zero percent is for Brandon.

I smiled. "You're right, Becca. Everything will be fine. Everything will get back to normal."

Little did I know, nothing would ever be the same.