Set Free

Set Free Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

I still wasn't back to normal by the party on Sunday. I was really hoping that no one would notice how sad and depressed I looked, but I doubted I would have my way. I knew Nick would almost definitely notice it.

Everything about the party was set up now, and all the guests had arrived. Justice and her friends were already here, and I'd met the other two, Mandy and Abigail. Abigail actually seemed really nice, but Mandy seemed just as fake as Justice seemed. But still, maybe I was just reading too much into thing....I've been wrong before, so I could be wrong again, right? Right? I hope so.

The guests were all hiding, behind my couch and on different places against the wall, where they would be unseen by Nick when I answered the door. I know it's cliche for all of us to hide and yell surpirse, but I wasn't creative to come up with anything better to do. I just hoped he liked the surprise. I still hadn't known him for long, and I had yet to know whether he was a person who liked surpirses or hated them. No one else seemed to know when I had asked them, either. But tonight, I would find out.

The door rang, and my heart beat fast.

Oh my gosh, he's here! I thought.

I quickly made my way to the door, pausing and taking a deep breath before I opened it with force.

"Hey." He said while smiling at me. Then his smile fell and his eyebrows crinkled together in what I guessed looked like confusion

Uh oh.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Mhm, fine. C'mon, come in!" I tried to fake happiness.

"Okay..." He looked at me warily before deciding to come in finally.

"SURPRISE!!!!" Everyone screamed at him.

A gigantic smile lit up Nick's features.

Thank goodness, I thought. He likes it.

He looked over at me, his face filled with incredulity.

I smiled what I hoped would look like an honest smile back to him. But inside I was still filled with turmoil and guilt.

Luckily, after the party had really begun, I didn't have to be around Nick much. I mostly just stayed off to the side, trying to avoid anyone who would be able to recognize that something was off with me tonight. But since everyone there but Nick only barely knew me, that wasn't much of a problem. Except once, when Abigail came up to me and asked if I was okay. I didn't tell her anything, and I just told her I was fine, but I don't think she believed me. Maybe if I ever feel like I could trust her I might be able to talk to her about things. Things I can't even talk to Nick about. Maybe.

It seemed like forever before the party finally ended, and everyone but Nick left my house.

Now I had something to be even more nervous about, which was Nick's birthday present from me to him. I'd pondered about what to get him for a really long time, and then I'd finally just settled on asking him what he wanted at the end of the party and then putting my all into whatever that was. I had thought it was a really good idea at the time, but now I wasn't sure what it would lead to. I was almost sure he would do something like make me tell him why I was acting weird. And I was hoping desperately that that wouldn't be it, because I couldn't tell him. He interpret from that that I liked him. Which I don't.

 When we were almost finished cleaning up, which, by the way, was how I had gotten him to stay long enough to allow to me to get the courage up to ask him about what he wanted, I finally asked him.