Chapter 22 - Analise

    "I miss you."

I glanced up from my burger, not expecting to be talked to. I was alone in a diner for a reason - well, as alone as I could get with Quincy's car trailing me for safety - and I thought my hoodie being up was enough to deter anyone coming to bother me. Apparently, it wasn't. I looked up to see Tommy's hopeful gaze, and I grunted in response, taking another bite of my burger. I wasn't in the mood.

He looked like shit, to put it nicely. His clothes were wrinkled and his jacket was haphazardly thrown on, one shoulder not even being covered by it. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was sticking up in all directions like he'd been running his fingers through it a little too much. His usually eccentric green eyes were dull and lifeless - he looked like he lost his best friend. And I guess in a way, he did. 

"Ana, I miss you."

"Good for you."

"Is this seat taken?" Tommy asked, making a noncommittal hand gesture in the direction of the seat.

I nodded, taking a big bite of my burger. "Yeah, it's taken by all my friends, as you see."

He took an uninvited seat in front of me, grabbing my hand. I glared at it, and I guess he got the point because he let go. "What happened to us, Ana? We were so close. We've been friends since we were kids."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Raelynn happened. Telling her I joined the gang was none of your business."

"I told her because she thought you were acting different. I thought she meant that way, not because of hick boy-"

I growled. "If you call him hick boy one more fucking time I'll-"

"You'll what?" Tommy snapped. "Stop talking to me? You already did that! Why do you fucking care so much?"

"He has a god damn name! I swear to God for people who get called shit all the time you'd think by now you'd learn to be decent fucking humans."

Tommy stayed quiet for a minute, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm worried about you, Ana. I told her because I'm worried."

"Well no one asked you to be! I didn't ask you to take it upon yourself to worry about me! And it wasn't your business to tell, regardless."

"Do you like him?"

I stared into his eyes, "Huh?"

"Do you like hic-"

"Will."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you like Will?"

I clasped my hands together. "I really don't think that's any of your business, either."

I couldn't be more tired of people trying to run my life. From my friends, to Drew, to practically everyone. The only person who doesn't try to change me and tell me what to do is Will, and I've got a lot of respect for him for that. He seems to enjoy my company, just how I am. And yeah, I like that.

And yeah, I might like Will.

But it's not Raelynn's business, it's not Colin's business, and it's certainly not Tommy's business. What I might feel for Will is between him and I, not anyone else.

"We all miss you," Tommy told me. "It's not the same without you. You don't smoke anymore. And you're changing. You're cussing less, it's like you're a whole different person."

I shook my head. "Wow, I'm getting rid of my bad traits. Being friends with Will is making me become a better person, how tragic."

"You apologized to Mallory, Ana! You apologized. When have you ever apologized?"

"I learned manners. Smite me."

Tommy looked like he was having an internal battle with himself. He stared at me, almost longingly, and I couldn't place the feelings. Assuming he was longing for my friendship back, I said, "If you can't accept Will, you can't accept me. I didn't plan it either, Tommy. I didn't plan to become his friend. Hell, a month ago I couldn't stand his guts. But he's grown on me. He's a decent guy, he's a good guy, and he treats me well."

Barely above a whisper, Tommy murmured, "I could treat you well."

I shook my head furiously. "You don't get it!"

"Then fucking explain it to me!" He shouted, slamming his hands on the table and gathering the attention of the nearby tables.

I took a deep breath, willing myself not to hit Tommy. I knew he wouldn't ever hit a girl first, but if a girl hit him, he would. And even though I could hold my own in a fight against him for a good while, I knew I probably couldn't finish it. The guy took karate classes as a kid.

"You know how I haven't had my first kiss?" I asked, wringing my hands together. Tommy nodded. "You know how everyone tries to be the one to take the unattainable Analise Loughty's first kiss?" With a growl, he nodded. "Will had a chance to be that guy, in the play."

"I was in that play, I saw it. He did kiss you."

I shook my head. "No, he didn't. He made it look like he did so it would go with the script, but he didn't. He kissed my cheek."

Tommy looked down, thoughtfully. "Well I-"

"You know why?"

He looked up, probably annoyed that I interrupted him but he just rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I told him how much it meant to me, for it to be special. And even though he probably wanted to kiss me, he didn't, because he didn't wanna ruin it for me. What a guy, right? For once, I found someone who doesn't judge me, who actually wants to hang out with me, and who respects my wishes, and my 'friends' can't even accept him as my friend. Now that's sad, really, truly sad."

"I'm in love with you."

His words were like a shot to the chest, and suddenly the table is the most interesting thing in the world. Did Tommy just say he was in love with me? How could that possibly be? I've never given him a reason to, and we've always been best friends. I didn't feel that way for him at all, not even a smidge.

He was an attractive guy, don't get me wrong. He had a plethora of followers at school, longing to even get a chance to be with him. With his black hair, good physique, and forrest green eyes, he was one of the cutest guys in school. But still, I couldn't help but think his eyes were the wrong color; they weren't blue.

What the hell is wrong with me? 

"Tommy-"

"Let me finish," he told me sadly. "I'm in love with you, Analise Loughty. I've been in love with you since I can remember. We've grown up together, and I know everything about you. From the time we were kids in elementary school, I've tried to get you to see me as more than a friend. Everything about you, Ana, I love it all so much and I deserve you and I want to be with you. Then that fucking Tennessee brat moves here and suddenly you're not the Ana I fell in love with anymore, but I still want to be with you. And if he thinks he can steal my girl-"

I put my hand up, effectively cutting him off mid sentence. "Tommy, I've only ever seen you as a friend, you don't know everything about me, and I am not your girl."

Tommy shook his head determinedly. "I'm not giving up, Ana. I want to be with you, and I deserve to. You and I are meant to be together, and I won't give up."

I smiled sadly at him. "Well I guess we can't be friends, then. I don't reciprocate the feelings, and if you can't respect that then there's nothing I can do."

He shrugged, getting up harshly causing the chair to fly backwards. That garnered us some looks from nosy diners, but I didn't spare them a glance; paying attention to who I thought was my best friend, but that guy had been replaced. He slammed the seat back towards the table, and even I flinched. "I won't give up, Ana." He declared before starting to stalk towards the front entrance of the diner.

"You're going to have to," I called to him, and I knew he heard me by the way he slammed the door. I sighed, getting up and throwing some money down for my half eaten food, no longer having an appetite. I waved a goodbye to the waitresses I loved here, before exiting and pulling my coat around me. The chilly October air nipped at my nose, and I rubbed the palm of my hand on it to create any friction I could muster.

I walked here, even though Drew was home and I could have easily taken the car. I had my license, but we were too poor to afford two cars so Drew always had access to the car so that if needed, he could get to work. I started my trek home, wrapping my arms around myself in hopes of getting more warmth. It was almost Halloween, and I wasn't a fan of the cold. I was more of a fan of the cold than summer, though - in my opinion, you can always add layers, but once you're naked you can't remove any more.

I felt like I was being watched, so I glanced over my shoulder to see a car trailing me. Looking into the drivers seat, I saw that it wasn't Quincy, but it was Nev. My eyes widened significantly, and I quickened my pace, still a couple miles from home. Where the hell was Quincy?

I dialed the familiar number, and it only rang twice before there was a frantic answer. "Ana?"

"Quincy, where the hell are you?"

"I lost you! I was watching you in the diner, but I guess I nodded off and didn't see you leave! Where are you? I'm so sorry, Ana, I-"

I heard the sound of his car starting up through the phone, and I shook my head in dismissal. "Just get here."

"Where are you?"

I looked for any street signs I could find, or any significant landmarks, and I almost came up empty. "I'm like two minutes away from the grocery store by the bridge."

"Got it. Stay safe."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Nev was closer, and there was another guy in his SUV. I groaned aloud, quickening my steps. Thank goodness I was usually pretty active, otherwise I would have given up already. A car honking stopped me from crossing the road, as a car came from a side street, and I just knew Nev was going to catch up.

I started running again when I had a clear, but a hand wrapped around my shoulder. I struggled to get out of it, elbowing Nev in the gut as hard as I could and successfully getting a groan in return.

"Crap, Annie."

My eyes widened and I spun around quickly, seeing Will in front of me. Nev was fighting with Quincy about a mile up the road, each of them still in their cars. I looked to Will, who was hunched over in pain from where I elbowed him. "I'm so sorry, Rando!"

Groaning and clutching his stomach, he coughed out, "My fault. Remind me to never sneak up on you again."

"Why did you?" I asked curiously, watching behind will as Nev sped off, squealing tires. Quincy gave me a thumbs up and a sheepish smile, and I returned his with a thankful one.

"I saw you running, so I wanted to make sure you were okay because you looked scared - even if you say you never get scared, you at least looked nervous. I was worried about you."

My heart warmed at the sentiment, and before I knew it, I was throwing my arms around Will's neck. It surprised us both, I'm sure, because Will stiffened. I sure wasn't expecting to do it, but I snuggled closer to him, whispering, "Thank you, Rando."

Will relaxed into my touch, wrapping his arms around my waist in response and placing his head on top of mine. It was our first hug. "Anytime, Annie."