Miss Grande

Chapter 46: That's My Trent

"That was a little rough," Trent sighed as we put our bags in the back of his Jeep.

   We got into the car before getting our seatbelts buckled and pulling out of the driveway. I sat silently, looking out the window and watching the trees, houses, and other cars fly by.

   I was trying to process what has just taken place between me and my best friends.

   How could they get mad at me when they were doing the same thing? If anything, what they were doing was worse. At least they didn't really know Ariana, but they were my best friends for majority of my life. I told them everything, and I thought they would afford me the same respect.

   "Are you going to say anything?" Trent asked, looking over while we were stopped at a red light.

   "I'm not even sure what to say."

   "I think you're still taking it in- absorbing what happened. When you want to talk about it, I'm here."

   "Thanks," I mumbled and smiled at him half heartedly.

   "Do you want to get food? You only got a few bites of dinner. I know how much you were looking forward to Miss Mary's cooking."

   "No thanks. I've lost my appetite. If you could just drop me off at home, that would be perfect."

   "Yeah, of course." He continued in the direction of my house.

"I would invite you in, but today is really not the day," I explained as we pulled to a stop in front of my house.

"I get it. I wouldn't really want to be around anybody if I was in your situation."

I gave a sad smile and nodded. "I'll see you at school."

"Of course. I'll pick you up again in the morning, and we'll get breakfast before school again."

   True to his word, Trent showed up at my house at 6. I had worried myself to sleep early enough the night before, but it did little to keep me well rested.

   Despite my several hours of sleep, I was still tired. I was awake enough to move around, but I was still asleep enough to tumble into Trent's Jeep as he held the door open for me.

   He quickly swooped in and saved me from falling on my face.

   "Hopefully some coffee will fix that," he joked before carefully closing the door and walking around to the driver's side.

   I rode silently as we drove to the diner. He got us a round booth and let me remain silent until we ordered our drinks and the waiter walked away. I felt bad that I hadn't even been paying enough attention to catch his name when he had said it.

   "So... how are you feeling?"

   I shot him a look that said 'really?'

   "In words?" He pressed.

   I let out a heavy breath. "I'm still processing it. I'm not even mad that they are dating or even that they didn't tell me. They can go through that at their own pace. I'm still just so upset that they were mad at me when they were doing the same thing. Regardless of if they were reflecting or not. It just isn't fair."

   He sighed and nodded. "You're right.  It isn't fair, but what does being upset over it help?"

   "It helps me feel better," I pouted.

   He laughed at patted my back. "Don't hate them over it. Process it and talk to them again when you're ready."

   I let a quick smile slip onto my face before pouting again. "I hate that you can cheer me up so easily. It's really annoying."

   "I think it's a nice quality to have," he teased.

   "Go choke," I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Speaking of secrets that were kept..."

"Whatever you're about to say- don't."

"I just figured since we're getting breakfast at the diner, it's like tradition to talk about it."

I rolled my eyes and shot him a very dirty look, realizing that he was right. The last time we had come to the diner was specifically to talk about Ariana "Talking about it the one other time we came here does not make it tradition."

"Well we're basically already talking about it again, so two for two. It's tradition now."

"You're insufferable."

"You love me."

"Oh yes, the best of the best when it comes to boyfriends. That's my Trent."

"Thank you."

"I was being sarcastic," I emphasized.

"I wasn't." He smiled which made me push him away.

   The waiter returned with our drinks, and we made small talk while we waiting on our food.

   Despite not wanting to actually talk about the situation, I couldn't get Ariana off of my mind. It was weird; she was respecting my personal boundaries and keeping our relationship strictly professional, as it always should have been. In a way, it made me want her more. My standards were ridiculously low, I'm aware, but it felt different.

   I still liked her, more than I ever had if I was being honest, but I wasn't going to push for anything. I wanted more, and probably always would, but everything was balanced perfectly now, like this was how it was always meant to be.

   Who was I to tip the scale?