Just Friends: A Noah Beck Story

74- Losing Friends

You sneak back inside and grab a towel from the downstairs bathroom and dry off best you can. You change back into your pajamas and throw Nick's shirt into the dryer before tiptoeing back upstairs. When you creep into your room, you're surprised to see Dixie up packing her things.

You: "What are you doing?"

Dixie: "I'm going home."

You: "It's 4am? Why?"

Dixie: "I saw you, Y/N."

You are absolutely horrified and scramble to think of an excuse but can't find a single reason to justify something that you knew was wrong. That is why you'd hurried back home after all... because you knew it was wrong.

Dixie: "I know we aren't dating. We aren't anything so I have no right to be mad. But I am Y/N. You knew how I felt about him."

Before you can say another word, she zipped her bag and disappeared.

Winter break is over and you dread even going back. Indiana is the only person you've spoken to the rest of the entire break. Your mom figured you were sad about Noah leaving and was trying to give you space, Dixie wasn't speaking to you, and you hadn't had the energy to reach out to Addison. Nick had tried to text you a few times after the night in the hottub, but eventually he stopped trying. You try to convince your mom to let you stay home, but she knows you're just avoiding going to school without Noah so she pushes you to go anyway. You come downstairs wearing a hoodie and sweats and your mom is obviously flustered.

Mom: "Can you change out of your pajamas please? I'm driving you and I don't have much time."

You: "These aren't my pajama sweats, I put on clean ones."

She looks at you one last time and gives up grabbing her keys and rushing you out to the car.

You're alone at lunch. Bryce and Addison are sitting together in a corner in their own little world happy and in love. You have no idea where Indy is. Nick surprises you by coming over and sitting across from you. He doesn't say anything, just smiles and digs into his lunch. Indy comes up behind you and leans over to rest her chin on the top of your head. She steals one of your chips and asks how you're doing.

You: "I've been better. Where's Blake?"

Indiana: "He's getting me food."

Dixie passes by not even looking at you, but turns at the last second and shouts:

"Indiana... are you coming or not?"

You: "Dixie... can we please talk."

Dixie: "I have nothing to say to you."

Nick: "Dixie... she didn't do anything wrong."

Dixie: "I can promise I have even less to say to you."

You: "I don't understand why you're so mad at me?"

Dixie: *shouting for everyone to hear*

"You literally snuck out from a sleepover with me to go hookup with the dude you KNEW I liked! Are you kidding me??"

Nick: "We didn't hook up. We were just talking."

You couldn't bear to wait for her response or for the reaction of the hundreds of students who'd watched the explosion so you turned and ran out of the cafeteria in tears.

Dixie: "I saw you kiss her, Nick."

Nick: "You're right. I did... and she stopped it from going any further than that. We've never been anything more than friends. I just misread one situation so be mad at me not her."

Dixie: "Trust me, I have enough anger for the both of you!"

Indiana: "He's right, Dixie. She stopped it for YOU."

Dixie: *still yelling at Nick*
"What was the purpose of all the time you wasted with me if you obviously want her? Why pretend to like me too?"

Nick: "I was just confused. I had liked her for a long time and had accepted that I was never going to have a chance and really thought I'd moved on. But then she was there in front of me and it just happened. But I did like you! I still like you. I just got caught up in what ifs and I'm sorry."

Indiana: "Dixie, let's go find Y/N. She's going through a lot right now and if there's even a chance you can get past this... now is the time."