Chapter 5: Awkward

I was standing in the bathroom, getting ready to go to McDonalds with Phoenix when I decided that I might as well shower. I closed my bathroom door slightly, knowing that if I close it all the way, the bathroom would become a freezing abyss. The heater in my room makes its way in here and allows some heat to circulate. But I guess that's what I get for taking the room with the en suite bathroom.

I finished my shower in about fifteen minutes flat. I wrapped my body in a towel as I turned off my music, preparing to get out of the shower. Catching me completely off guard, the door shoved opened and Phoenix appeared. "Can you hurry—?" he spoke but stopped when my eyes widened.

"Get out!" I shrieked and he immediately slammed the door, leaving me to stand there in my towel with a horrified look on my face. I scrambled out of the tub and locked the bathroom door, hurriedly getting dressed in fear of another awkward walk-in.

Once I was completely ready, I walked downstairs and saw my brother on the couch beside Phoenix, who was sitting as stiff as a board. Earlier, I had been contemplating on whether or not I should still go. I figured, I showered for this and I got dressed for this. And like Phoenix said, it's free McDonalds. I cleared my throat and Phoenix looked at me before looking away. He stood up and I realized that my brother was looking at me.

"A wild Grace appears," Leo noted and I glared at him.

"Can we go?" I muttered to Phoenix.

"Yeah," Phoenix replied quietly.

"Don't forget my fries!" my brother called as we walked towards the front door. I ignored him as I led the way out of the house.

"Look, I didn't mean to walk in—," Phoenix began once the door to the house closed.

"Don't mention it...ever," I insisted as I yanked open the door to his car.

"Fair enough," he grunted.

+ + +

We ordered our food and I expected us to come right home, but Phoenix had other things in mind. Instead of driving in the direction of my house, he drove towards a park. He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car, turning it off and getting out. When he saw me sitting there, he motioned for me to get out of the vehicle. I opened the door. "Why are we here?" I asked him as I looked around. We used to come here as kids. This was the park where Phoenix pushed me off of the edge of the slide; I bruised my arm so badly that I couldn't sleep on it for a week.

"Because you haven't had fresh air in two days," he told me, earning a glare in response. I inhaled deeply.

"Ah, that's enough fresh air. Now get in the car and take me home," I told him. He held the McDonalds bag in his hand.

"Get out of the car, Grace," he insisted. He slowly began opening the bag. "I'm going to eat your food if you don't."

With a grunt, I grabbed our drinks, got out of the car, and followed him to a picnic table. I glared at the small children playing on the playground nearby. "We're just going to go to McDonalds," I mocked him. "And then we'll come straight home."

"I also said I was going to leave you alone forever. You didn't actually believe that, did you?" he responded as he plopped down on the bench across from me. I snatched the bag from him, watching as he checked to see which drink was his. After taking his soda, he placed mine in front of me. Meanwhile, I took my food and gave the bag back to him.

"I hoped," I muttered.

"So how are you?" he asked, earning a flat look from me.

"You know, for a supposedly silent trip, there's been a whole lot of talking," I responded.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I mean, I'm tired because of football conditioning. Speaking of conditioning, Aaron was there," he blurted. I immediately stiffened.

"I don't understand why you couldn't have attempted to pressure me into speaking to you in the car," I told him.

"You could've hit me in the car. In public, someone would call the cops," he responded. "So what happened on Friday?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I bluntly informed him.

"Did he try anything?" Phoenix asked.

"No," I responded curtly.

"Then what happened?" he continued to question me.

"What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' don't you understand?" I retorted.

"The entire thing," Phoenix explained. "I mean, you don't run out of a house crying because he complimented you. Something bad happened."

"Why does it matter?" I replied.

"It just does," he told me.

"Well, for one thing, you were right. He's a jerk," I retorted.

"What did he do?" Phoenix asked.

I stared at my food and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm over it."

"You consider staying in your room for two whole days being over it?" Phoenix asked.

"I honestly do not see why it's bothering you so much," I responded.

"Tell me what he did and I'll stop bothering you about it," he assured me.

"Let's just say that I didn't have a chance to begin with," I told him as I began to gather my food. My face was red and I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier. Embarrassment was coursing through me, too. Why am I telling Phoenix, of all people, about my highly anticipated rejection?

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked as I stood up. "Grace? Don't just walk away! What's that supposed to mean?"

"He liked Avery!" I responded, growing frustrated at his incessant nagging.

"Oh," Phoenix blurted.

"Yeah, oh," I nodded. "Now can we go home?"

He stared at me with furrowed eyebrows. I could feel his large green eyes staring at me as I held my food close to my chest. After a few seconds, he walked over to the car and opened the door for me. We didn't say much on the way home.

+ + +

By Monday morning, I was aware of two things. One of those things was that my sister had found out what Aaron had done; and she had told Phoenix that Aaron knew about my crush on him. The other thing was that I had to try and dodge Aaron today, because I'm definitely not going to let him sit next to me.

By the time my fourth period class, Chemistry, came around, I was a nervous wreck. I managed to dodge Aaron in the hallways when he'd approach. I'd hide out in the bathroom or quickly dive behind Camryn and Alice, who had gotten used to it after second period. However, this is the first class I have with him, and he usually sits next to me since the time I practically shoved Phoenix out of the seat for my ex crush. I have a feeling that Aaron's going to bring up the fact that my sister hasn't texted him yet, and I don't feel up to answering that question.

I sat awkwardly in class with a nervous look on my face, struggling to think of an excuse to give Aaron as to why I can't speak to him. Alice told me to just ask him to move when he sits down, or, better yet, put my bag on the seat beside me and make sure that it isn't moved. Camryn, on the other hand, told me to slap him across the face and stomp him. Though I'd love to take Camryn's advice, I did what Alice told me to and placed my bag on the seat before putting my head down.

I heard shuffling and a thump before someone settled in the seat beside me. I sighed quietly, slowing lifting my head to look at whoever it was beside me. When my eyes fell upon the person, I felt a sense of relief course through me. It shocked me, because I've never been relieved to see Phoenix. "Are you okay?" he asked curiously as I rubbed my temples.

"Yeah," I nodded, watching as Aaron unloaded his book bag in the back of the class. "I'm fine."

"You didn't want that jerk to sit next to you again, did you?" Phoenix asked with a wrinkled nose and a voice of disgust.

I shook my head. "No, not at all," I answered. "But that doesn't mean I want you sitting there," I felt the need to retort.

The stupid smirk that I hated found its way to his face as he leaned forward with slightly narrowed eyes. "Well, that's too bad, because I'm not moving." Reaching his hand out, he plucked my nose, earning a glare in response. But I still couldn't shake the feeling of relief that he was the one who sat next to me instead of Aaron.

We were halfway through the class when a packet was passed out to us. Ms. Edwards briefly explained that we could either work independently or we could work with the person beside us, but we were not allowed to move around or make noise. I decided to work alone, but it seemed as if Phoenix had other things in mind. While I started on the packet, he turned around and looked at me. I continued to write, waiting for him to say something stupid, but he didn't.

"What?" I asked after a moment of discomfort. He was just staring at me, and he didn't even bother to pretend like he wasn't.

"Why didn't you tell me that Aaron knew?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes.

With a scoff, I looked at him. "Sorry, Phoenix, that I don't report every occurrence of my life to you. Sometimes I forget that we're best friends," I sardonically retorted.

He ignored my sarcasm and continued to question me. "So he knew you liked him, yet he asked you to hook him up with Avery?"

I began to draw small circles on the desk with my finger. "Yeah, that's what happened."

"Remind me again, why did you like him?" he asked.

"Remind me again, why do you think I need to explain myself to you?" I responded.

"Look, I'm just trying to understand his thought process," Phoenix explained.

"I don't know, and I don't want to talk about it anymore, especially not with you," I responded.

+ + +

Somehow, some way, I managed to make it through the day. I put my bag on the seat beside me in the last classes that I shared with Aaron, praying that he didn't move them. Lucky enough, he didn't. Because my brother has football practice with Phoenix, Avery and I are going to be alone in the car ride home. He's catching a ride with his best friend, seeing as the idiot lives a few doors down.

"You okay?" Avery asked me curiously.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," I told my older sister.

"How was today?" she inquired. I knew she wasn't asking me about the work I received in my classes.

"I managed to avoid him," I responded.

"Why didn't you tell me what he did?" she continued to question as she drove towards our house.

"I was embarrassed," I shrugged.

"Why?" she asked.

"The guy I liked was only talking to me because he wanted to get with my older sister," I responded. "I don't know about you, but I find that pretty embarrassing."

"Aaron is a jerk. We all know that," my sister informed me. "And if you want me to, I will crush him like the worthless lowlife that he is."

I stared at my sister, slightly alarmed at the malice in her voice. "No, it's fine."

"You sure?" my sister asked.

"Yeah, I don't want him to know that I'm upset about it," I told her. "I don't want to give him that satisfaction."

My sister slowed to a stop in front of our house. "Okay, just know that if he tries to talk to me, I'm not going to hold back."

I sighed as I got out of the car, following her up the steps to our house. "Okay, Avery."

"What are you going to do when I graduate?" my sister exhaled as she wrapped her arm around my neck. Because she was a good four inches shorter than me, she yanked me down slightly.

"Maybe I'll be able to find a guy who isn't only talking to me for you," I replied as I shook her arm off, opening the door for her.

"Trust me, he'll come around," my sister winked.

+ + +

I was sitting on my bed, writing in my diary when the door to my room flew open. I immediately tossed my diary on the floor, thinking that the intruder was Phoenix. After practice, my brother and his friend come home and scavenge in our fridge for food. It seems about the time they usually arrive. I looked up to see my sister, who was standing in the doorway. "You've got to come see this," she announced.

"See what?" I inquired as I got off of my bed. She didn't bother to say anything; she simply ran out of my room, jogging down the steps. I followed after her, entering the kitchen where I saw the familiar lanky figure sitting at the island. My mother was standing above him with her first aid kit on the table beside him. He was occasionally grunting and wincing, cringing away from my mom's healing hands. My mother practically scolded him while she continued bandaging him up.

I rounded the table, furrowing my eyebrows when I set my eyes on Phoenix's face. A large bruise was forming on his cheek, starting at his cheekbone and stopping at his mouth. Speaking of his mouth, there was a split in his lip, which was dripping blood. His nose had a bit of dried blood around it and he looked as if he'd been slammed against a wall. "What's wrong with your face?" I blurted.

"Gracelyn!" my mother hissed. "Don't be so rude!"

"Sorry," I muttered. "What happened?" I rephrased.

"Grace," he grinned before wincing slightly, which caused my mother to reprimand him for moving. "Glad to see you care."

"I don't," I retorted before realizing that my mother would make another comment. "I mean, I don't think...that...you're— just tell me what happened."

"I got into a fight," Phoenix explained, arching his back slightly as my mother dabbed at his lip with a medicine wipe.

"Stop moving," my mother told him as she held his face in her hand.

"You explain," Phoenix uttered to my brother, who was basically inhaling a bag of chips.

"Some things were said in the locker room after practice. Before I could do something, Phoenix attacked," my brother said through a mouthful of food.

"Attacked who?" I inquired.

"Aaron," my brother muttered.

"What?" I asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Aaron," Phoenix spoke. My mother was now packing away her first aid kit.

"Are you serious?" I asked him with wide eyes. He nodded. "Why would you do that?" I asked as I ran my hands through my hair.

"Because he's a d—jerk, that's why," my brother halted when he realized my mother was still in the vicinity. Her footsteps faded as she walked upstairs. I had a feeling she already scolded them, and she was probably on her way to call Phoenix's mother.

"But that doesn't give you the right to fight him!" I responded.

"He said some things that would make you want to fight him, too," my brother noted.

"Yeah, like what?" I asked with my hands on my hips. My brother ducked his head and Phoenix looked away. "Like what?" I pressed.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Phoenix expressed. "It's handled."

"Yeah, you obviously did a good job at handling it," I retorted. He scoffed, looking at my brother with a grin.

"Yeah, if you think this is bad, you should see what I did to him," Phoenix nodded in triumph.

"What's the punishment?" Avery piped from beside our brother.

"Well, I managed to get out of suspension," Phoenix explained.

"Barely," my brother laughed.

"How'd you do that?" Avery asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"By having a few kind members of the team vouch for me that Aaron started it," Phoenix replied. "I have detention for the rest of this week and next week, but it was worth it."

I rolled my eyes as I stare at him. With crossed arms, I scoffed. "You're unbelievable."

And as I was walking up the stairs, I felt my hard demeanor begin to wear off. What could Aaron have possibly said to make Phoenix fight him?