MARSHMALLOWING OUR WAYS

CHAPTER 17: WESLEY

The next few weeks have gone by fast and happily. Cassie has started to be happy more and is being her bright self. She sometimes comes to help at the counter to improve her social skills. I am not hiding my true self anymore. I have started to keep a book with myself without any shame.
Elena and James are seriously dating now, so Paul visits us quite a lot, with or without Kat.
We- Cassie, Kat, Paul and I have been enjoying the summer together. We went to some beaches and all.
All in all, it's a great summer going on.
I enter the shop and immediately spot Cassie on the counter. She's wearing one of those hoodies we bought together. Ahh, she really does look like a marshmallow!
I was going to call out to her, when I noticed that she is not alone.
There's someone, a guy, standing next to her with a smile as big as sun. And she is blushing hard.
The guy has red hair, olive skin, little but noticeable freckles and sharp features.
He's wearing a white tank top with black slacks and sneakers. His voice, I noticed, is deep but smooth.
Cassie is there, smiling and blushing and may I add drooling all over Pretty Face. She is trying to twirl her pixie-cut hair around her fingers but obviously failing miserably as they are too short.
They seem to be flirting. I should be happy that Cassie is having fun. That she is finally being social with someone her age and not the regular eighty-year old costumers. But I'm not. There's a sudden pang in my stomach and it feels like my throat is being squeezed real tight. I can't breathe and I can't see. I can only feel. And I can only feel anger and sadness.
Why?
I turn around, ripping my eyes from the couple, and leave. I call my mom. I tell her I'm sick and that I won't work today. She says to take care. I reply I will. I end the call.
I go into some park nearby. I sit on a bench. I put my head in my hands and sigh.
I still can't breathe so I try to do so. I decide I need to run and not think.
I stand up and I sprint. I sprint and sprint and sprint. I tell myself not to think, not to think, not to think. And I don't.
I don't feel good. Like, I'm perfect physically but emotionally? Not so much. There's this pain in my body with its source undetectable. There's this ache in my heart. Why? Unknown. There's this energy in my body even though I'm exhausted. There's this feeling I'm having but what I don't know.
Oh wait. I do. I'm angry.
I'm sad.
In short, I'm jealous.
Why am I jealous? That guy wasn't going to snatch my best-friendship with Cassie. But maybe that's not all she is to me. Maybe, just maybe, I like her.
I like like her.
And why won't I?
Maybe we could be together. Maybe she likes me too. And why won't she?
I'm handsome and smart and playful.
She is beautiful and understanding and cool. She has seen my geeky side and she doesn't care. But what if that's it?
I mean, what if she just doesn't care? Care like I do for her?
Ugh. Why is life with her such a big what if?
I need to vent. Like yeah, I won't vent about Cassie, obviously but I need to talk to someone.
Ooh. I can talk to Liza. She doesnt care who I like or dislike. She just cares that I like her. I can go to her. She won't ask anything and we'll just hangout for a while.
Yes. That's it.
I head over to Liza's  house and knock at her door. Mrs. Matthews opens the door and greets me. I ask her about Liza's whereabouts. She gives me a confused look and says that Liza went over to meet me at the shop. I tell her  that I'm on a leave but I'll go and meet her there. She agrees. I thank her and I head out towards the shop.
As I enter the shop, I'm embraced in a bone crushing hug. I smell the person and immediately know that it's Liza.
"Lizz. Hey!",I exclaim.
"Leyyyyy!" Yeah, she calls me that. And I'm ashamed of it.
"Please don't call me that!", I beg through gritted teeth.
"Aww. Don't be a baby! That name makes you look hot!"
"Totally… "I mumble." I was just at your house. You wanna hangout? Like, now?",I ask her.
She takes one look at me and says,"Obviously, babe!"
She hooks her arm through mine and leads the way. I look behind my shoulder and wave at Cassie, who by the way is red and has a tight lipped smile on her. She waves me back.
As we get into the car, Liza starts, "That Cassie girl. Oooooohhhh. She's hot, bruh!"
"I know, right?" I say without thinking.
Liza looks at me from the corner of her eye and smirks.
Oof.  I'm in trouble.