Between Two

Chapter 32

"Oooo, you know who else is hot? Me, I'm pretty hot." I rolled my eyes at Tara, smiling when she walked a little faster to keep my pace, her keychains on her backpack making a clinking sound.

The school day was over and Tara offered to give me a ride today since my dad couldn't. Halfway across the parking lot, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Jonah talking to his ex, Emma. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused since she didn't go here. I remember him saying that she went to some private school. So why was she here?

Tara stopped talking, following my gaze to where Jonah was. I bit my lip, watching the two talk while Tara muttered something under her breath. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as Tara grabbed my hand, leading me to her parked car. I could still see Jonah and Emma, so I focused my attention on them. My gaze didn't waver until Jonah pulled her into a kiss and that's when I tore my gaze away from them. Hurt swelled up in my chest as I pulled open the door to Tara's car. I took my backpack off, setting it down on the floor before getting in.

"Are you okay?" I nodded, pulling on the seatbelt.

I didn't want this to bother me, but it did. We weren't together and we won't ever be together because I could never do that to Chris. As much as it this hurt me, I just have to suck it up and act like it doesn't faze me.

"I can run his ass over if you want and we'll call it an 'accident'." She wiggled her eyebrows at me, revving the engine of her car which in turn made me laugh.

"Hey, I can run them both over! You know what they say, cars have the right of way! So, vroom vroom, bitch!" I stared at her for a long minute before shaking my head at her.

"You are very... unique." She smiled, backing out of the parking space.

"Oh, I know. Also, you don't need Jonah because Chris is still an option." I rolled my eyes, leaning my head against the window.

"Actually, no, he isn't because I told them I just wanted to stay friends." Tara made a face, a slight confused smile playing on her lips.

"Well, good for you then." She drove out of the parking lot, drumming her finger against the steering wheel.

I studied her, noting her mannerisms and I immediately knew she was hiding something from me. "Is something wrong, Tara?" An awkward laugh escaped her and she shook her head, making a popping sound with her mouth.

"So, um... since Chris and Jonah aren't going to be options for you..." I slowly nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She blew out a breath, keeping her gaze forward, "What about Matthew?" My brows furrowed, immediately recognizing that name.

"Your cousin... Matthew?" I asked, although I knew the answer since that was the only Matthew we've known.

"Well, yeah, he's moving back here and I know you used to have a thing for him. He liked you too. Just think about it." She offered me a smile before focusing her eyes on the road again.

It was hard to think about since I haven't seen Matthew in years. We were close, all three of us were, but that's because he was her cousin. I mean, we did spend some time alone without her and all– just not all the time. He's never crossed my mind since he moved away and that thought alone makes me feel terrible. I never even asked Tara how he was doing and I never reached out to him. I just sort of forgot he existed. Now that I think about it, it really makes me seem like a fucked up person.

"When is he coming back?" A small smile formed on her face as she turned the corner onto her street.

"Today, actually. In fact, he's over at my house right now." She winked at me and the color drained from my face as I looked down at my attire.

Today I didn't even bother with my outfit—well, it's not like I ever do—and the fact that she never told me he was back made me really nervous. In fact, I'm not even that worried about my attire anymore. I'm way more worried if he hates me or not since I never bothered to reach out to him. God, what if he does hate me?

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"Who the fuck cares, Avi? Hurry up and get out." I sighed heavily, hauling my backpack over my shoulder before slamming the door shut to her car.

I trudged after her, my nerves getting the best of me. Tara practically dragged me into her house, telling me I shouldn't be nervous, but I couldn't help myself. I inhaled a ragged breath, following her into the kitchen.

"Matthew!" Tara squealed and I covered my ears because of how loud it was.

His back was turned towards us, but he jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around. My eyes widened at the sight of him. He was no longer the short, scrawny, pale kid I once knew in middle school. Instead, he was taller with some muscle on him along with tan skin.

"What the fuck happened to him?" I murmured it causing Tara to jab me in the side.

"It's called puberty, dumb ass." She muttered back, opening her arms, indicating she wanted a hug.

He smiled brightly, gone were the braces and crooked teeth. What replaced that was now a perfect pair of pearly white teeth. Dammit, was I the only one who didn't have a glow up? Fuck, puberty must of skipped me or something.

I watched as Tara and Matthew hugged, the happiness clear on Tara's face since she hasn't seen her cousin for years. Feeling like I was intruding on their small reunion, I set my backpack down on the floor next to the kitchen island before grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. The moment I turned around, Matthew and Tara had stopped hugging, his bright blue eyes now on me.

"Hey, Aviana, it's been a while." I nodded, awkwardly passing the water bottle back and forth between my hands.

My gaze moved to his dirty blonde hair which used to be a lot lighter than it was now. He walked towards me then placed his hands on my shoulders.

"You look different." Tara coughed as I stared at him with my mouth agape, not sure if I should be offended or flattered.

"Uh.. is that good or bad?" I asked, pulling out of his grasp.

I unscrewed the cap off the water bottle, waiting for his reply before taking a drink. "It's good... what I mean is, you look beautiful. Well, you always did, it's just... you're even more beautiful now." I choked on the water, quickly pulling the bottle away from my lips as I coughed.

I smacked my chest a couple of times, already feeling my cheeks heat up. Tara snickered, smacking my back while Matthew stared at me in concern.

"Are you okay?" I cleared my throat, swiftly setting the bottle down on the counter.

"Yeah, I just didn't expect you to say that." He offered me a small, shy smile before leaning against the counter.

Tara clasped her hands in excitement, her smile both happy and mischievous. "So, when are you asking her out?!" Matthew's cheeks turned a faint pink while I clenched my jaw, embarrassed.

There were some moments that I absolutely adored Tara and other moments where I felt like strangling her. This was one of those moments, more accurately, I wanted to strangle her for what she just said.