Always

thirty-nine

A I D E N
"I'm not a saint.
But at least I'm not a fake."

An impatient sigh left my lips as I clicked open my phone, checking the time to see how school got off twenty minutes ago yet neither one of those idiots had shown up yet. I was damn near ready to turn around and abandon them here at school when the sound of familiar laughter came from the exit and I sighed in relief.

The glare on my face immediately softened as my eyes fell on the pair and I had to fight the small smile curling on my lips. The last thing I wanted was for Kyler to see that ridiculous grin on my face and pester me about it for the next ten years of my life.

But seeing how happy and content he looked with the girl of his dreams, I just couldn't help it.

I've known this guy for years now. I've seen him at his worst and I've been with him at his best. It's not hard to see how much crap he had to put up not just for all of his childhood but in his entire high school experience as well. And I envy him for how strong he is for holding on for so long without ever thinking of giving up.

Kyler was a tough one to crack—always really quiet and composed and kept to himself. Maybe because he never wanted to bother anyone else with his issues but now, watching him laughing along with this girl, I realised that maybe he never really found someone who managed to pull him out of his shell as quickly as Luna did.

And it truly warmed my heart knowing that he had found someone who cared for him just as much as he cared for her. It felt good knowing that Kyler was in safe hands because for some reason, I knew that Luna would never hurt him the way Madison did.

But you could never be too sure.

Shaking the thought away, I looked back over at the couple and this time I let myself smile as I saw Kyler lean down with a huge grin on his face. I looked away just as their lips connected because not only was it gross but I also felt like I was invading their moment.

Finally, after what felt like forever, my eyes snapped back up as I heard someone call my name and the annoyed expression was back of my face as Kyler began jogging over to where I stood beside my car.

"About damn time." I grumbled, turning around to unlock the car before getting in and cranking up the heater. "Where's Sam?"

"She's going home with Eli, I think." He sighed, getting in the passenger's side and throwing his back roughly in the backseat. I didn't even care to glare at him for that small action because my thoughts were instantly occupied with the thought of Sam and her on-off boyfriend.

My jaw instantly clenched at the thought and I hated the way such a thing could make me so pissed.

I wasn't even going to try to deny the affection I felt for my best friend but I also wasn't going to deny the fact that her and I would never happen. Mainly because she already had a boyfriend and I was nowhere near 'her type' or whatever. And as much as it killed me, I wasn't going to beat myself over it.

It's not like she knew I had feelings for her. She couldn't possibly know, seeing as how hidden I kept my affection and never even tried to drop any hints. And I preferred it this way. It was best for everyone if we simply stayed friends because the chances of losing her because of these feelings were far too high and I couldn't afford the risk.