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Chapter Forty One// Come In

"Go on, tell me you told me so," I cry with the tissue in my hand soaking up the river of tears streaming from my eyes. I flop down onto my bed and scrunch up my eyes as a barrier to stop any more tears from seeping out.

"What did I tell you?" asks Lacy after a moment of thought.

"You know," I sigh, straightening my back to sit cross legged. She comes and sits next to me on my duvet, the colour drained from her face as much as mine. I knew she didn't like to see me like this.

"I don't."

"You told be to get rid of Josh and go out with Nathan, you were right in what you said about following my heart and trying to do the right thing. I didn't do as you said and now I think I've lost him forever," I whimper regretfully into the palms of my hands, my hair glued to my moist cheeks.

"But your heart was in the right place," assured Lacy. "You risked a lot by putting yourself out there, just for Nathan," she says whilst pulling me into a much needed hug. I gather my breath then stand back up to my feet, uncreasing my shirt.

"If only he knew that," I mumble with downcast eyes. A pained expression spreads across Lacy's face, her eyes tearing up when she met my gaze. "Why are you crying?" I sniffle, questioning why my best friend looks as disheartened as I do.

"Because," she chokes, clearing her face from tears with the wipe of the back of her hand. "You love him too much to let him go," her words fade into mumbles as her voice strains by her tears. I gulp back a sob from her sentiment, touching my heart even though her words broke it.

"I wish I could get him back," I whisper, barely audible through the blanket of sobs calming me of my situation.

"Paige, promise me you won't give up on him," Lacy tells me dead in the eye.

Never give up on him, as he never gave up on loving you.

Mrs Johnson's words filter back to mind with a flash from my memory. Her words ring through my ears like a song that can't escape from my mind, revolving around my brain.

"Send him a thousand texts, don't stop calling him till he answers, stand outside his house with a flipping boom box- I don't know. Just don't forget about him. I care about you Paige. I want you to be happy."

"Thanks Lacy," we connect eyes and my lips creep into a smile, my eyes tearing up due to happiness of the fact I can't give up, and my best friend is here for me... she always has. "But how? Shall I just turn up to his house uninvited?"

"You've done it many of times before," states Lacy with a smile.

"True," and for the first time today, I laugh.

***

The following day I plan on day dreaming at the back of Nathan's head to script my words on how to persuade him I still care about him and prepare myself for admitting the feelings I have trapped inside my heart that I need to set free.

However with a disappointed empty seat and multiple crosses against his name on his attendance for the whole duration of the morning, I lose hope in seeing him that day.

"He's missed four classes," I inform Lacy in English, whispering across my desk to hers in front.

"So he's definitely not in," she says.

"Why do you think he's missing school? I thought he loved it."

"Maybe because of yesterday? If he doesn't agree to this fight Josh keeps demanding they have, everyone is going to turn on him," Lacy's eyes drop to the ground, mirroring mine. We endure a moment of thoughtful silence.