Always a Friend

Chapter 24

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I took a deep breath, turned my car off, and grabbed my book bag from the passenger seat. I had no idea why I was so nervous. It's not like I was a brand-new student in school. I got out of my car and started walking to the front of the school. Numerous eyes were on me as I walked through the parking lot. 

"Wow...Look at you!" Chloe whistled, walking up to the right of me. "Who are we trying to impress today?" She raised her eyebrows, assessing my outfit. 

"No one," I said, looking down at my skater dress. 

"Okay..."

"Oh, my god, Gem! You look amazing!" Ava gushed, walking up the steps to the school. "Who's the guy?" She leaned forward, glancing at me, then over at Chloe. 

"There's no guy." I swapped glances between the both of them. "Why can't I dress up without the both of you thinking there's a guy?" They looked at one another, then at me, and giggled. I shook my head and picked up the stride of my walk, leaving them a few steps behind so they could talk and laugh about how they thought I was dressing up for whoever they thought it was. 

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The morning classes went by at a snail's pace. Ashton even had to comment on the way I looked. It's not like I changed my style overnight. I changed it last week and got away from the leggings and oversized T-shirts. True, I hadn't worn many dresses, but it shouldn't shock my friends this bad. English wasn't much better either. I had to be in there with Jude and Hannah. They managed to talk Ms. Clark into trading seats with other kids so they could sit by one another. So, I had to sit there and be reminded that he had ditched me on our date for her. It was a little easier to be in the same class with them when they weren't sitting practically on top of one another. It wasn't like I could ignore them because they were in front of me, off to the right. No matter how hard I tried to keep my eyes focused on the board or Ms. Clark, they wandered over to Jude and Hannah as they stole longing glances at each other. It was enough to make a person sick. Well...Not any one person in particular. 

The free period was filled with too much time to think about Noah and how I fell for his lies. I made myself a promise that I wasn't going to fall for another guy like him. The first sign that he's a player, I'm leaving his ass. I won't be played for a fool again. I even tried to study, hoping it would take my mind off Noah and his hands all over Olivia. 

"Gem, you okay?" Chloe asked, nudging me with her pencil across the library table. 

"Huh?" 

"I would take that as a...No," Ava said. Ava raised her eyebrow, then returned to copying notes for this week's English test. Out of the three of them, Ava wasn't the best at giving advice. She left that up to Chloe and Sarah. Chloe glanced over at Ava, rolled her eyes, and shook her head from side to side in disbelief. 

Chloe motioned me to sit next to her so that we could talk easier. I slid my books across the table next to Chloe, got up, and moved to the chair beside her. "What's wrong, Gem?" She asked the second I sat down. 

"I was thinking about how Noah got me to fall for his lies. Ashton tried to warn me about him." I fidgeted with my pencil. "How could I have been so stupid?" I whispered. 

"Gemma, don't be so hard on yourself. He's a player. He knew all the right things to say to make you fall for him. He's a dick. And therefore, he isn't worth your thoughts. We need to have a movie night here soon. Too bad we can't have it tonight." She frowned, glancing at the English notes. 

I was about to say something when I caught someone walking into the library and over to the desk. He was tall, with brown hair and a chiseled jawline. I could tell by his arms that he worked out a lot. They weren't big bulky muscles like bodybuilders, but lean and sculpted. The back of him was just as fine. 

"Who is that?" Chloe asked, following my gaze.

"You've got a boyfriend." I reminded her, not taking my eyes off the hot guy. 

"Yeah, but I can still admire a hot guy when I see one." She shook her head, "Mmm..." She stared at him as he talked to the media aide assistant at the desk. Ava even turned around in her chair a few times to see what Chloe was staring at and even commented on his hot ass, then went back to writing her notes for English. Girls walking into the library would stop dead in their tracks the second they saw him. He wouldn't acknowledge them, though. It was like he didn't even know a small group of girls was standing there, staring while they drooled on the floor. Okay... The drooling part was a bit excessive. The girls rushed off when Claudia strolled in behind them. 

"Great..." I rolled my eyes. 

Claudia stopped and admired the hot guy, whispered to her friends, then that's when her bitch radar zoomed in on me across the room. I turned toward Chloe and acted like we were talking. I whispered if Claudia was headed our way. Chloe told me bitch was indeed headed our way and to brace for impact in less than ten seconds. 

"Someone told me I'd find you in here."

"What do you want? I'm trying to study for an English test." I pointed my pencil down to my books. 

"Whatever...I'm here to tell you to stay away from my boyfriend or else. I heard about your little kiss. There's no way Ashton would ever break up with me for someone like you. Stay away from him, or you'll be sorry." She pressed her lips together, glaring down at me. She motioned her friends to follow her as she turned, whipping her head in true bitch fashion. 

"Um...Bitch does realize that Ashton kissed you and not the other way around, right?" Chloe said. "She's got some serious issues." 

I glanced over at her, tilting my head to the side. She raised her eyebrows, shrugging her shoulders. "What? Like you weren't thinking the same thing." Chloe turned back toward the desk and told me the hot mystery guy was gone. She perused the library and didn't see him anywhere around the room. I was kinda relieved because deep down, I knew there was no way I'd ever be able to get a guy like that, and if I did, he'd end up being a player just like Jude and Noah. I didn't need another player. Two was my limit. One should've been my limit, but I was stupid and refused to listen. By the way, Claudia was looking at him; she had plans of her own, and if that were the case, I definitely had no chance. 

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The rest of the day was quiet and drama-free, which made me uneasy. No drama meant there would be double the drama later in the week. We never saw the hot guy again, either. It was like he vanished in thin air. Maybe...we were imagining him? I was surprised by how many compliments I got throughout the day on my outfit. Most of them were from girls about how cute my dress was or how they loved my hair. Guys just stared at me while I walked to my car, making me uncomfortable. I probably wouldn't have been creeped out if they talked to me or smiled, but they just stared at me. How can they think girls like to be stared at? We don't. It makes us uneasy, and then we want to take off running in the opposite direction. So, no, we don't like to be stared at from a distance. 

I took a quick detour on the way home for coffee, hoping Ashton wouldn't get home before I did because I forgot to close my curtains this morning. I didn't feel like walking into my room to witness a porno being made in Ashton's bedroom. The mere thought made my stomach twist into knots. I exhaled when I pulled into my driveway and saw his car was still gone. I grabbed my book bag, purse, and coffee, then ran to my room and closed the curtains before Ashton came home.