Episode Two, The Worst Kind of Pain

My first thought was to avoid him, but then I realize that wouldn’t work. We had at least five classes together, our lockers were right on top of each other and we sat at the same table in the morning and at lunch… This was going to be difficult. Should I come right out and tell him or should Addy and I keep it a secret? The first would make the pain come quicker, but I was afraid of that pain… The second may have given us a few days at most, but the pain would still come and maybe even last for longer. I was definitely not one for conflict.

Addy and I had stayed at the rock for at least another hour after sunset and had talked about different things, including the Lucas situation. It turned out they had been in a relationship before we had met and become friends. The thing was, she had broken it off and had no idea that her old boyfriend was still not over her. Of course I told her all the details and was surprised to see that she was not at all shocked. We then came up with a plan of sorts. We would avoid each other the next morning until Lucas showed up, then I would tell him and take it from their. It only seemed right that he would be the first to know. The problem was, how in the world was I going to bring myself to tell him?

So there I sat at the rounded table in an uncomfortably plastic chair, waiting for my life to come to an end. I was quivering slightly and had sweat running down my back. I was oblivious to everything happening around me. That was, until I saw his bus arrive. I waited until I saw him step off and disappear behind the wall. There were only seconds left until my fate would be decided…

I got up to leave the cafeteria before I had the chance to decide otherwise. This was much harder than I had expected. Why couldn’t I just face him? Probably because I knew what I had done was wrong. But was it? Lucas was hoping for a miracle that would, frankly, never transpire. Now it was my chance and if he was my friend then he would accept that. But I still couldn’t help but feel as if something was going to go horribly wrong…

I was stopped just beyond the exit of the cafeteria, contemplating my next move, when I felt his hand come down on my shoulder. I couldn’t help myself, I jumped about five feet into the air after shrieking for the whole world to hear. Okay, so maybe five feet is an exaggeration, but the rest is not. I had just made a complete fool of myself. It looked like my friend karma had shown up at last.

I turned to see him laughing at my spectacle. But that didn’t last long; he must have noticed the look of dread plastered across my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely worried.

Why did he have to be so nice to me! Why couldn’t he be like every other human being who was now whispering to their friend and starting rumors about me?

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Come on,” he said quietly. “You can tell me.”

I could feel it moving up from my diaphragm. The word vomit that had gotten me into trouble countless times, was now going to ruin my friendship. I tried to keep my mouth closed tight, but I knew from experience that all my attempts to suppress it only made it worse. “I kissed her,” I practically mouthed.

“What?” Lucas asked?

Great, was he going to make me repeat it! “I kissed her,” I said a little louder, so only he could hear.

“Who?” he questioned, still not getting the point.

“Addy.”

I looked up quickly to see his reaction. A blank look had spread across his face and I could only imagine the thoughts that were racing through his head. He took a step back and shifted his gaze so he looked directly into my eyes. If looks could kill, I would have been a puddle on the floor.

He turned quickly and stood with his back to me for a second. I wanted to say, ‘I‘m sorry!’ but once again, no words came out of my mouth.

Then he left, without a backwards glance. I took a step after him, but realized it would be pointless. If anything, it was probably best for him to be alone.

I stumbled backwards until my back hit a wall and I collapsed as the enormity of the situation became reality.

***

Lucas avoided me for the next few days. He sat as far away from me in every class and never once glanced in my direction. Every time I tried to talk to him he’d walk away without a word. I guess this was what they call the silent treatment, and let me tell you, it sucked.

In the meantime me and Addy were only getting closer. I had never really had a deep conversation with her since we had known each other, but now it was the only thing we did. Everyday we would go up to the outlook and talk, among other things… It was the one thing that got me through the day. Addy kept telling me Luc would get over himself and realize he was being petty. I, however, felt he deserved to hate me for the rest of my life. In my eyes, I didn’t deserve a friend as good as him.

Right away Addy suggested I get myself a cell phone. “How are we gonna keep in touch when we’re away from each other?” she had asked the second time we had gone to the outlook.

I had responded, “I rather not think about that.”

“You need a cell phone,” she had suggested without a moments thought.

So there I was, spending my Saturday cell phone shopping. I had begged Addy to tag along for moral support, but she had plans to visit her family. My first stop had been Wal-Mart, but I might as well of gone to the super market and asked to purchase an automobile. The man with the lazy eye and the smoker’s voice had suggested I try the Verizon shop at the local mall. It turns out, if I actually wanted to be able to use my cell phone to call someone, I would have to stay away from AT&T.

The Verizon store was small, and had over a hundred phones displayed throughout. By the time I was asked if I needed help I had circled the store four times and was pretty sure I had drool running down the front of my face.

“What are you looking for?” a woman who reeked of hair spray and cheap perfume asked me. She had on ten cent lipstick which was beginning to run. I had smelt her coming from a mile away.

It took me a moment to stop staring, but I finally said, “A cell phone.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” the women seemed to be annoyed. Wasn’t it her job to answer questions and be polite to customers? Well, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it. “What features are you looking for?” she added after a few moments of the most awkward silence of my life.

“Well, I need to be able to call people on it.”

“Is that all?”

“What else is there?”

The woman’s mouth was hanging agape by this point and I could smell that she had eaten one to many breath mints. I coughed once to clear my throat and the woman replied, “Well, that narrows it down to every single phone we have in stock. Let’s make this quick, are you looking for something simple or something fancy?”

“Well, I only have two hundred bucks,” I pointed out.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” she laughed. “Follow me.”

She lead me to a display rack that had a few flip phones and a few that looked like the slid open. I really didn’t want to spend anymore time with this lady, so I blinked quickly and picked the first one that my eye was drawn to. It was hot pink and had purple hearts all over it. My glance automatically moved to the one next to it, which was definitely more my style. It was a dark blue and looked like it was one of the ones that slid instead of flipped. “How much for that one?” I asked, pointing.

“One-oh-nine, ninety-nine,” the lady answered.

“I’ll take it.”

She went out back through a door and reappeared carrying a tiny box. I followed her to a checkout counter and we talked about setting up a plan. My mom came over to talk specifics and I stood to the side, answering questions whenever they were asked. I paid for the phone and the contract, and had nothing left over. My parents had said they would pay for a simple plan if I kept my grades up. That wouldn’t be a problem, considering I was second in my class.

When I got home I realized I had forgotten to get Addy’s number, guess I would have to wait for Monday. I enjoyed that part off my life, because there was always something to look forward to. I, however, was also dreading Monday, for it meant another day I had to face Lucas’ death glare. By now the whole school knew of my betrayal, which made it that much harder to get through the day.

***

Monday morning came and I sat at my normal table in the cafeteria. Lucas would show up anytime and walk on by, flaunting his “I could care less about you” look, which would make me feel that much worse.

That’s why I wasn’t expecting it when he turned and sat down at the table across from me. Two of our friends, Mike and Tim, got up from the table, claiming they had somewhere else to be. I wasn’t paying any attention to them. My eyes were locked on Lucas’, who wouldn’t look away. His face didn’t show any anger, but instead signs of regret. “I’m sorry,” he said before I had the chance.

Great, there he goes again, being the best friend anyone could ever hope for. “I’m sorry,” I managed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said quietly. “I was a jerk and an even worse friend.”

“But, what about-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he cut me off. “I’ve been thinking. If it’s what you both want, I’m okay with it. Anyways, I really don’t have any other choice.”

I was speechless and it seemed like Lucas understood why. I was astounded by him and his ability to forgive so easily. I had no idea what I had done to deserve such a good friend.

Now that everything was right in the world, it seemed like my adventures could truly begin.

*Look forward to episode three, a Halloween Special.*