ONE MONTH LATER - Gem’s POV
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It’s been about a month or so since Niro and I really started talking and hanging out. Nowadays, we’re always going to the park to hang out-- that’s basically the spot now. Every chance he gets, he takes me to the park, the movies, out to eat-- just because. I’m not really sure why he feels the need to do all this, but I’m not necessarily complaining about it either. Every time I’m with him I learn a little more and more about his life. Turns out, he’s actually struggling in a lot of ways since his aunt doesn’t really provide for him. As soon as he turned 18, she kicked him out saying that “the disappointment of the James family is old enough to support himself like he did before he came to live with her.”
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I couldn’t believe she said that to him and meant it. Since then, he basically crashes at Murphy’s place, doing his best to pay the rent and somehow afford school now that the little money he had in his mom’s trust fund had been snatched before he got to the 11th grade. I really try to be there with an open ear because he seems like he just really needs someone to talk to, which is fine to me because I need the same thing. But I can’t lie, something about him makes my heart flutter and I’m not sure what to make of the feeling.
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Josie has still been acting as though she has a stick up her ass. Ever since our argument, she temporarily moved out of our room to stay with Murphy til things cool down. I’m not even sure why she did that when SHE was the one starting problems, but it’s beyond me at this point. I love her dearly, but I gotta be able to make decisions for myself for once. Hell, I’m 19 years old-- not 9. I spent too long in a place where I can’t be myself, I can’t do that again, not for Josie or anyone. I just hope she doesn’t come back crying that she’s pregnant or some shit because that would be a whole other situation within itself.
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As for Caleb, I haven’t spoken to him in about a month either. Not since that day. It seems in one fell swoop, I lost both of my friends and gained another before I had time to even study for finals. The stress was getting to me and I really didn’t know how I was handling it, let alone how I was going to solve whatever the hell was going on with Caleb. I’ve been so caught up with Niro and his everyday antics that I haven’t really had time to sit down and process what Caleb said to me. He’s really cool and fun to be around, but I’m not sure if I can ever see him the way he sees me. He feels more like a brother than anything else but I’m not really sure how I should tell him that without hurting his feelings more than I think I already have. But, on the other hand, we’re adults so he should be able to get over it.
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As my memories flood my senses, I think back to when I last talked to Caleb, about a week after he confessed to me.
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FLASHBACK
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*Knock* *Knock* *Knock* “Who is it,” I ask, getting up from the bed. “Uh.. it’s Caleb.” Hearing the voice behind the door, I freeze with my hand barely touching the doorknob. ‘Why? Why? Why?! I’m not mentally prepared for this, I still gotta find something to eat for dinner.’ As my thoughts roam, Caleb speaks again. “Uh.. Gem, are you in there? I just want to talk if that’s okay. “Umm- Oh yeah, yeah sorry,” I say quickly, twisting the knob revealing the boy on the other side. He looked tired as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep lately or something. We just finished up midterms so I just chalked it up to that and continued to look at him as he began to talk. Or rather, I looked past him at the wall because I was too scared to look him in the eye.
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“Do you hate me?...” He said after a long period of silence. This was the most awkward situation I had ever been in in my entire life. “No?” I questioned before continuing, “I care about you, why would I ever hate you?” He gave me a small smile before frowning again, You care about me… but, as a friend…” I nodded as I leaned against the door. “Getting to know you these past few weeks has meant a lot to me. I’ve never had a guy friend before- EVER! Like I told you, people halfway pay attention to me as is.” An uncomfortable air or silence settled between the two as they quietly followed each other with their eyes. The tall figure hesitantly reaches out his hand to grab hers, “You deserve the world. Why can’t you let me be that for you-” I cut him off before he’s really able to finish, “Why can’t you just be my friend?!”
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Now that I think about it, I’ve never met someone who’s claimed to like me and was actually telling the truth. And the thing is, it’s not like there’s anything wrong with him or anything. I just feel like my priorities are… elsewhere. “Like Niro,” he muttered. “What?” “Niro. What’s so great about him when I’m with you all the time? I make you smile and laugh. I know what makes you tick; that you think singing is the best way to relieve stress even though you wouldn’t dare do it in front of people because you think you sound back. You’ve been avoiding my texts and calls since that day and I’m starting to wonder if you do care.” I crossed my arms and scoffed.
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“Caleb, you can’t be serious. You don’t just confess to someone out of the blue and then expect everything to still be normal between us. It’s true that you and I have a special connection because we clicked so fast when we first met but that doesn’t mean I have romantic feelings for you. If anything, I’m not even sure what those feelings even feel like,” I exclaimed. I furrowed my brows, I was started to get irritated from all this and frankly a headache to follow. By this point, Caleb had released my hand and started scratching at the back of his head. “Maybe you just need time, you don’t have to count me out now, do you?” I rolled my eyes, “It’s not that simple. I don’t understand why you’re even being like this, maybe you should just go.”
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Lowering his head towards his feet, the boy fell silent before a small snicker could be heard. “Nah, I get it. I’m just not good enough, not mysterious or bad enough for you huh? That’s cool,” his head rose slowly to meet with my own and I swallowed hard. Then he spoke again, “I’ll see you later Gemma. I see where we stand now.”141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9crTO30hEJ
***
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Since then, I’ve only really hung out with Niro, who seems to be the source of my misfortunes lately. Seeing as he’s the only person who’s really talking to me right now anyway. But no matter what Josie or Caleb says, there’s just something about me that attracts me to him like a magnet. He’s a little rough around the edges and has had a hard life that he’s worked to get together in his own way but, he’s also sweet in a beast from Disney sort of way. Even now, on top of everything else going on in my life, I can’t stop thinking about the last time we hung out.
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FLASHBACK
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“Hey GG,” Niro smiled once I got in the car. “I told you to stop calling me that Stupid,” I rolled my eyes. Today, Niro and I were going to Rocko’s Pizza Factory for his little cousin’s birthday. He had called me randomly the Monday to see if I’d be busy today and when I said no he practically jumped at the chance to invite me with him. Although, I’m not quite sure what to make of his invitation, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
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When we were halfway there, I took in the cool air blowing in through the open windows and hummed quietly to the music blasting. I turned my head to take in the sight of Niro as he drove, which I noticed myself doing a lot. Before I realized it, we came to a red light and he smirked giving away that he could feel my eyes on him. I turned my head quickly before hearing him say, “See something you like GG?” My cheeks flushed slightly, “Keep dreaming James.” “You know, I won’t tell if you like me, it’ll be our little secret from everyone,” he laughed. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” We went back and forth about this the rest of the way before pulling into the parking lot that was lined with red and yellow stones.
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Getting out of the car, I finally decided to ask the question that had been burning on the back of my mind for hours now. “Niro?” “Hm,” he raised an eyebrow. “Why did you bring me with you to this?” After saying that, he looked up at the sky as we walked towards the building, losing himself in his thoughts. Then he shrugged his shoulders, “I felt like this is something you would like to go to and I figured it would be fun for us.” I simply nodded my head as we had been approaching his family thinking to myself. ‘Why do I feel like I was expecting him to say more?’
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“GG, catch,” Niro yelled, throwing the ball my way as we bounced on the trampolines beneath us. We decided to play basketball to work off some of the food we’d eaten. Much to my surprise, I actually had a really good time at the party. Sure, it was filled with a bunch of 10-year-olds running and screaming every five seconds but it was nice. I could tell from the way his family reacted to our arrival that they weren’t very happy to see us, least of all me. Every once in a while, I’d catch his aunt staring holes into me as if I was some sort of insect that’s slowly crawling up a wall. But, despite all of that, not once did she say anything to us-- nobody really did. We were given small, flat greetings but nobody actually sat and talked to us which proved just how messed up his family really was.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVK7gDqXIX
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When we left, we said our goodbyes and walked through the electronic doors talking and laughing about the day’s events. Excitedly, I grabbed Niro’s hand and smiled up at him, “Thank you for bringing me here. That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” “Ugh seriously? I am hurt, you don’t have fun with me alone,” he gasped. I laughed and shook my head, “No no, I always have fun with you. You’re like the coolest person I know.” Realizing how cheesy that sounded, we laughed out loud as we reached the car. Before I got in, Niro smiled gingerly before inching closer to me. “Thank you for being here, it meant more than you know,” he said, carefully leaning in, placing his lips on mine. I stood there trying to register everything before reciprocating. ‘What is happening right now?!”141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IC5dS5Y5T
***
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TO BE CONTINUED...141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnhNnRfY4X
I'm back! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to more in the future. Feel free to let me know what you want to see happen in this story. Season Finale is coming up so be on the lookout for that! Bye~141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTweyTfnXT
