Where Life Takes Us

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

A V E R Y

I never thought that I would discover how much I truly cared about Walden Bradley until that day in October.

Since the day that Wade told me Crystal had feelings for him, I noticed how Wade and Crystal began frequently spending time together more often. Sometimes, Wade would no longer be present at our regular lunch table with friends.

        The first time I realized it, I was bewildered. I couldn't think of where he could be, until I glanced across the room and found him seated with Crystal, joking around with her friends.

I had to keep telling myself that Wade and Crystal weren't a couple. I knew that he would immediately tell us, his friends, to confirm anything.

        However, my meaningless reasonings weren't enough to ease my conscious. I had to admit; it hurt whenever I saw the both of them together and aware of their feelings for each other.

As much as I hated to admit to myself, I had a deep feeling inside that Wade and Crystal would officially be together soon enough.

There was no point in lying to myself. I always observed the way that they both glanced over at each other, the way that Wade gave up having lunch with us to have lunch with Crystal, and the way that Crystal easily made Wade erupt into laughter after cracking a joke.

"Where's Rebecca and Natalie?" Willow questioned, snapping me out of my thoughts. Willow, Ellie, and I walked side by side together, dissolving into the crowd of students in the school hallways.

"No idea," Ellie admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't really heard from either of them today."

Following other students into the school cafeteria, my friends and I made our way to the line-up to receive our lunches.

"Hey, isn't that Natalie and Rebecca over there?" I questioned Willow and Ellie, as we all glanced across the room. Surprisingly, we found the two of them standing alone in an corner and quietly talking to Michelle.

"I don't know, that's weird," Ellie admitted, as we all reached the end of the line and handed the lunch lady our money to pay. "Those two don't like Michelle Sterling."

"Why don't they like her?" I asked Ellie, as the three of us headed back towards our lunch table with our lunch trays in hand.

Ellie snorted, shaking her head while we passed by lunch tables where others were preoccupied with eating their lunches or rowdily socializing. "Same reason others don't like her: she starts unnecessary drama by dragging others into her own problem of wanting to be the most popular girl at school."

"Why am I not that surprised?" Willow snickered, giving an amused sigh.

"Michelle likes picking on newbies at school," Ellie explained, as if it was nothing new. "Rebecca and Natalie were here their freshman year, Michelle publicly humiliated them by calling their outfits 'uncivilized.'"

"I'm not that surprised that she did that," Willow answered, shrugging her shoulders. "That's the only reason why Michelle's well-known around school, which is by making fun of others to add to her never-ending ego."

Willow and Ellie began making their way to sit down at our regular lunch table, while I placed my lunch tray on the table's surface where I was planning to sit across from them. For some reason there was no sign of any of the boys at the lunch table, including Wade. It made me wonder where everyone was and what they were up to.

"Honestly, you're lucky that you're not going to homecoming, even if I wished you were," Willow admitted, changing the subject.

Aunt Jackie helped Noah and I plan a day to visit Mel, who was an official college girl a little far away from where we were. The actual date was decided a while back, which was coincidentally on the same day that the homecoming dance would be held on.