~8~ I Can’t Take Back the Words I Never Said

(Angel’s POV)

Sometimes, there’s things in your life that honestly make you just stay quiet with your emotions and thoughts. Other times, you just wanna scream and break stuff.

Now that I run into Zac sometimes at the pool, those two feelings start to conflict. I know that I’ve had resent towards him since he went out with Lulu, but ever since he saved me, he’s changed.

NO. I’m not being like some “in love with the act” thing cuz he saved my life, but the buried interest from middle school was starting to resurface, despite the fact that I knew enough about him. Well, at least I thought I did from judging his behavior with Luke and his relationship with Lulu. I had never really talked to him one-on-one like I had recently.

Meaning, I hadn’t given him a chance. I just figured he was a bad person who made bad decisions, but maybe there’s something more to Zac Tyler. And that extra something is what I wanted to find out and pursue.

“Angel!” Lulu called. I had dazed off into space again. And if Lulu asked about what, I certainly wouldn’t tell her, because the answer was her ex boyfriend.

“What?” I asked.

“He’s right there,” she nudged. I looked over to the adjacent hallway in the mall to see Zac, Luke, and their other idiotic friends. Idiotic, being the main word.

“So what?” I asked. She quieted down. “Now can we get something to eat?”

“Sure,” she mumbled.

“So, tell me, what exactly are you and Zac now? He seemed serious at the hospital,” I started our conversation as soon as we sat down at a food court table with our food.

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Broken up for the most part. He doesn’t answer my calls, he avoids me…do you think his phone is off?”

Lie, lie, lie. Sh!t. I can’t.

 “No,” I answered truthfully . Only because I had seen him use it and I’ve talked to him over it.

“Why do you say that?” she asked with certain composure.

“Well I mean maybe he’s trying to forget you and you’re just being a nuisance in his eyes,” I shrugged.

“And why would you think that?!”

“Because you cheated on him and, he’s done a lot of messed up sh!t, but he never cheated on you,” I reasoned. She narrowed her eyes.

“And now you’re defending him,” she commented.

“I guess I am,” I responded, eating a fry.

“Hi,” someone greeted. I saw Lulu’s sparkling brown eyes look up to whoever it was and mutter a “hey” with a smile. I looked up and saw Zac, who was looking down at me, waiting for a greeting of some sort.

“Hi,” I said, unenthused. He pulled up a chair, sat on it backwards, and took one of my fries. I just rolled my eyes. “Where’s your idiots?”

“Probably trying to steal something,” he answered.

“And you’re not?” Lulu asked, getting a glare from him. But he somehow calmed down to answer her politely, which is probably the first charming thing I’ve ever seen him do towards her during one of their fights.

“No; I am,” he answered. I scoffed of disgust.

“What’d you steal?” Lulu asked, as if she encouraged it, with her finger twirling in her long hair. She had always been like this; up for whatever he was doing, just so they had things “in common”…if you could call it that. But I knew that anything is “in common” with them, and I wouldn’t understand why. Like this theft thing. I thought Lulu was okay with it until he muttered the two words as the description of what he was stealing.

“Angel’s heart,” he answered, making my heart flutter in either charm, or awkwardness between me and Lulu. His lips formed into a smirk that Lulu didn’t see, meaning he just wanted to see my reaction. To make it worse, he got up from his chair and kneeled to my side.

“Don’t press charges,” he winked as he grabbed my waist and then planted a kiss on my cheek that triggered anger, aggression, and maybe even disgust. With that, he stood and then ran off.

I looked to Lulu.

“Lu, he was just kidding—”

“Right,” she said, doubtful.

“You’re not seriously getting mad, are you?” I laughed once.

“Why would I? I just found out that my best friend and ex are into each other,” she used sarcasm.

“It’s not like that,” I laughed.

“Mhmm,” she hummed, unconvinced.

“Dude. He saved my life. It’s not like I can be all hostile towards him,” I reminded. “And if you have a problem with it, then you shouldn’t have cheated.”

“It doesn’t matter what I did because as my best friend, you’re not supposed to be into my ex,” she hissed.

“Who said I was!?” I yelled, frustrated. She was getting too serious about absolutely nothing.

“It’s obvious, Angel!”

“Oh really? How so?”

“I…I don’t know?! It just is!” she squealed. “How would you feel if Brian was interested in your best friend!?”

“That’s different,” I commented. “I didn’t call it off all because of a stupid cheating incident.”

“Oh right because he called it off because he didn’t deny that he was interested in someone else!” she yelled and everything got quiet between us. I looked down to the table as she started to whisper her apologies.

“At least we have the decency to learn how to have a clean break up,” I hissed before standing and leaving.

“Angel—” she called, but I shook my head.

***

“What are you doing here?” I asked when I stepped into my living room to see Zac talking to Devin. I dropped my bag at the door.

“If you had told me you needed a ride, you could’ve told me,” Zac said at first, noticing that my hair was wet from last minute decision of swimming.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t need one,” I assured. Why would he think that?

“Oh…” he whispered.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, yet again.

“I was just…”

“I invited him over,” Devin interrupted.

“What for?”

“You have friends, I have friends,” he figured. Wow…of all people…

I took off my jacket and hung it up on the bottom of the stairs’ railing. I watched TV as Devin and Zac had migrated to his room up until now. They were making their way down the long stairs as my phone rang from inside my jacket. I slowly walked over to retrieve it, but I shouldn’t have because Zac answered the phone instead.

“’Ello?” he asked in a British accent. “Angel? Well you just so happen to be talking to one…Oh, Angelique? I don’t know an Angeli—”

“Give me my phone, Zac,” I sighed before holding my hand out. He smiled like an immature child and then handed me my phone. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry about earlier; I didn’t mean it,” Lulu said.

“Mhmm,” I hummed.

“Look. I don’t want something like Zac to get in the way of our friendship and you were right earlier,” she added.

“Alright,” I nodded. Devin and Zac were gesturing to me, but I couldn’t understand. “Just say it!”

“We’re gonna go out to get pizza. We’ll be back,” Devin told.

“Do you want one?” Zac asked.

“Sure…” I said. D4mn pigs. Can’t we just share a pizza? Uh.

“Is that Zac?” Lulu asked. I sighed.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Can I come over later?” she asked.

“Lulu, you just said that you didn’t want him to come in between—”

“Exactly,” she interrupted. “I…needa do something and if he happens to be there then so be it.”

“Okay fine,” I allowed. I don’t know what she’s up to, but I have a feeling that I kinda wanna find out. But not at the price of our friendship.