The Two Middles

Chapter 32: You Would've Passed For A Strawberry

What the hell's He doing with him, and why does he look so happy, and why is He calling out to me, and why am I not doing anything but looking as if there's a hundred volts of electricity passing through me?

Explain this shit, someone!   

"Aubrey!" 

What. The. Hell is happening?

This can't be right. This cannot be true. 

I glanced at Jaden as I passed him. He looked so goddamned good, it wasn't even funny. His brown hair was a mess, and his hazel eyes - god, those mesmerizing hazel eyes - were filled with so much determination, I feared it might fall out in the form of tears. But all of that determination slowly poured out of his face once I didn't respond to his plea. 

Now look, it wasn't like I didn't want to talk to him or anything, despite anything I might've said in the past. It was just that I got too overwhelmed by him finally wanting to speak to me about something, I forgot to stop walking. Yeah, that happens, don't judge. I also had to remind myself to blink.

I walked right past the two of them, and didn't stop even when I realized what I was doing. I set my thoughts straight as I walked. Jaden called me. Jaden wanted to speak to me. Jaden, one of my closest friends, also, my love interest for the past two months, wanted to speak to me. Jaden, who had ignored me for the past month, wanted to speak to me.

So I was happy. I wanted to speak to him, of course. I wanted an explanation. I wanted it to be a good one.

Alas, I'd already walked swiftly away from him. So, I figured I'd finally use the stupid walk we made. Without once looking behind, but hoping and praying that Jaden was still watching me, I extended one foot out sidewards. Then I brought it back in, touching it to the other leg, and then doing the same thing with it. I walked two steps or so to let him catch onto what I was doing.

If he's watching, he'll come. 

What if he isn't? You'll be walking through the school hallways like a drunkard for nothing.

Meh. It's not like I've got much of a reputation to lose anyway. Plus, it's kinda fun walking like this. 

That, it is. 

I walked some more before I head someone running towards me. I almost put my head in my hands and sighed in content. I grinned, then bit my lip and put on a neutral expression. Someone came up to me and started to walk with, and it was getting really hard to not smile. That, though, didn't mean I wasn't still annoyed.

"Hey," he breathed.

"Hey," I said. The awkwardness was going to make me explode.

"What's up?" he said, and I almost snapped at him.

"What's up? What's up? You don't talk to me for a month. A freaking month, during which I tried calling and texting and messaging you on Facebook, and you didn't reply. I'll tell you what's up! I freaking decided to give you space but you didn't talk to me once! Then you go and break my freaking guitar. My life, my only escape. You go and break it. Smashed to freaking pieces, just because you made eye-contact with me! Then when I try to convince myself that I'm forgetting all about you, you go and pick me up from the freaking street because it's raining. I'm not a damsel in distress you need to rescue from walking in the rain! You never once showed you cared! Not when I cried on the roof, not anytime. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get you off my head?! I almost kissed a Greek God, but I turned him down for you! All I could think of when my high-school ex-crush/mega hottie was going to kiss me was YOU! I was so freaking sad all the time! One freaking month! We were supposed to stick around for a long time! GOD! You frustrate me so much! It's so difficult to stop thinking about you! And after one whole month, you finally come up to me and say WHAT'S UP?! What the hell's wrong with you?"