Gio

I catch a glimpse of the back of her head and tread through the crowd after her. She passes the bathroom signs in the hall and continues until she leaves the building.

Where the hell is she going? Is she going home? Is she okay? She turns left from the parking lot and enters a narrow alley. A group of five guys are there, about her age or a little older.

"Hey..." I hear her murmur to one of the guys who bends down and hugs her.

And when I say hug, I mean put his fucking hands on her lower back and hold a little too fucking long. Who the fuck is this guy? What is she doing?

"How have you been?" she asks. Some people walk past me and I flinch, worried of her catching me. I hide behind the wall at a safe distance, but no longer hear anything.

They talk for a minute, both smiling. The guy is tall but skinny, a toothpick in his mouth. He's in his young twenties. Cocky posture, crotch swaying back and forth a little. Fucking prick.

Then something worse happens. Something that makes me feel sick. It's the sight of Celia standing on her tip-toes and putting her hand on his arm, reaching to whisper something.

That's our fucking thing. That's mine. What the fuck is she doing?

He nods at something she says and then she pulls back. They shake hands and she turns on her heel, heading in my direction. She doesn't notice me, she's too busy grinning at the ground.

I block her way as she's about to pass me. She gasps and clutches her chest.

"Gio!" she exhales. "Jesus Christ, I nearly got a heart attack."

"Care to explain yourself?" I say in a very low, calm voice. I need to hear her before I explode.

"Uh, he's, he's my classmate," she says softly, looking at me like she's scared. "You have nothing to worry about. I promise."

"You promise?" I raise my eyebrow and step closer. "You call his hands all over you a promise?"

"It didn't mean anything," she blinks, voice panicked. "You're completely misunderstanding the situation."

"What situation? That you're two-timing me? No, that was pretty clear with that demonstration."

"No," she chokes out a dry laugh, then rubs her forehead, looking down.

"Is this funny to you?" I put my hands in the pockets of my jacket and clench them, forcing myself to not walk away right now.

She looks over her shoulder to make sure no one's listening and leans in, whispering. "His roommate runs cannabis conventions across the nation. I just sold him our weed."

I stare at her blankly, trying to put the words together. She's smiling at me as if this is supposed to make me happy.

"What?" I stretch my neck down, tilting my head. "I'm asking you why was he touching you?"

"Who cares, so he has a crush on me. I let him flirt a little so we could make connections!" She beams and grabs my hand in both of hers. "Don't you understand? If he likes our products, it'll fix all our problems!"

"I don't fucking care," I grimace, pulling my hand away. Her arms drop by her sides in surprise. I scoff, smiling a little. "You really don't fucking get it, do you?"

"Get what?" she snaps, hurt in her voice. "You're being a caveman. What's the big deal? You think guys don't hit on me all the time? How can you let your emotions interfere with business. We have to prioritize every objective for profit—"

"Stop," I chuckle, my voice pathetic.

"What? What don't you understand?" She raises her voice, getting angry. "You're being possessive!"

My eyes harden as I stare at her. Rejection soils the moments we had today. Me pulling her on my lap, lighting her first joint. Us kissing, her smiling at me. Leaning on my arm in the theater, giggling and biting.

Tainted. Unpleasant. Ruined with this image of her all over someone else. And indifferent about it. Is she doing this to shut herself? Because we both fucking know she likes me. She almost killed Chanel.

"We'll talk about this later," I tell her with a final tone. "Let's go."

The ride back home is awkward, silent. Chase and Oscar realize we're in a fight and distract Ari with conversations. I'm getting more pissed about the fact that I can't pretend. That's how much she affects me.

A nineteen-year-old, reckless brat has me sulking like a fucking loser. Over what? Over a hug. A hug.

"Ya'll should talk about whatever's going on before you come in," Chase and Oscar turn to me the instant we enter the living room.

Celia just locked herself in the bedroom and Ari went to play with Luna in her room.

I sigh, rubbing my neck. "Tomorrow."

"No. Tonight," Oscar says with a stern tone, frowning. "Nothing good ever comes out from carrying today's fight to another day. Don't go to bed angry."

"I disagree with the last sentence, if you know what I mean," Chase pops his head between us and winks. "Not the time? Okay."

"We're not married, Oscar." I give him a gentle smile for trying to help. "We're... we have issues."

"Siri, play 'Issues' by Julia Michaels," Chase whispers into his phone, then puts it down. "Sorry, that's it. I'm done."

Oscar sighs in frustration. "Hello? If it weren't for you, I'd never get with her. My dad bullied me so much, I was too scared to even look at girls. Trust me," Oscar laughs, nodding. "I got issues."

I frown, not really sure what to say. Maybe I'm just worse. Maybe I can't deal with our issues.

Oscar keeps his eyes on me and unzips his fanny pack. Chase groans with exasperation, begging him not to give me candy.

Oscar pulls out his phone instead and unlocks it. "The reason I take so many pictures and videos..." He turns the screen towards me. A picture of Celia and me before laser tag, eating burgers. We're both smiling.

He slides to the next picture, which we took in the waiting room before the game. Celia and Ari are holding their guns and snarling into the camera. I'm smirking at them with a raised eyebrow. "We need memories to remind us that people who makes us the happiest, are sometimes the ones who scare us the most," Oscar says softly.

He flips to the next photo, and the next. And the next. Celia and I sitting in church. Her in a blue skirt with red lipstick on, the day we went to the lake. Nights around the dining table, playing poker with Marilyn. In the hammock, with Luna on the grass. Celia reading a book and me lying on the grass, with my eyes closed. Movie nights on the couch with snacks and Ari's toys.

"We forget all this," Oscar says and shows one final picture of Celia and me that I don't remember. It's us sleeping on the couch. My legs are stretched over the coffee table and she's curled on my chest. I can't remember this night. But we look so peaceful. Our foreheads lean on each other and my arms are crossed around her, holding her close.

"Go talk to her," Oscar pulls his phone away and smiles at me. "If you guys can share so many happy moments, then you have to share the painful ones too. Together."

"And by pain, he means spanking!" Chase bounces, smirking between me and Oscar. "No? Tough room."

I roll my eyes and chuckle, looking at Oscar. "Thanks, man." I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm really lucky to know you. You're a great friend."

Oscar's bottom lip almost quivers and he gives me puppy-dog eyes. I drop my hand and deadpan. "Don't fucking cry, man. I'll kick you."

He throws his arms around me, crying.

"Eh, what the hell." Chase joins the hug, one arm on me and the other on Oscar. "You guys are the baddest bitches in town."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Can you for once, in your damn existence, be quiet?"

We pull back. I take a deep breath and point at Oscar's phone in his hand. "Send me those pictures. Can you guys stay with Ari while Celia and I talk?"

"Of course," Chase nods. "Cartoon marathon, here we go."

"I'll get the snacks," Oscar turns to the kitchen. Chase turns the TV on and settles on the couch.

I take a moment, staring at them. "I appreciate you guys."

"Keep your bullshit romance for Celia, nobody cares," Chase says, not taking his eyes off the screen.

I laugh. "Fuck you."

"Fuck you too," he turns his head and grins at me, winking.

I shake my head, then go check on Ari, telling her Celia and I will be out for a while. When I know for certain she'll be okay, I kiss her head and take her to the living room. She cuddles between Chase and Oscar, with their feet on the coffee table.

I turn back to the hallway and walk down to my room, knocking on the door.

Celia opens in her sweater and yoga pants, frowning. "What?"

Seeing her face brings back the image again of her with that guy. The taste in my mouth makes me want to spit. I almost turn around.

"What, Gio?" Celia asks softly, looking up at me. There's that fear in her eyes again. The one that makes me feel like I mean something. That I'm something she's afraid to lose.

The pictures Oscar showed me play in my head. We have something. It's special. And I'm not going to let that slip out of my hand.

"Let's go for a ride."

A/N
Ehehehe. Eheheeheheheheehehhe. (I might be losing it).

Also, how nice is their friendship?! Goals... *cries to herself*