Fake Bully, True Crush

Chapter Four: Confrontation

The morning began as the feathered kisses aroused me from my light sleep. I was met by the three-year-old boy that was Mia’s adorable brother, Luca Young, I sat up on the couch as I repeatedly kissed him while holding him tightly on my chest, he didn’t have school since it was Saturday, and it was the weekend. I was sheltering myself in the kisses I made all over Luca’s face as his giggles increased.

Mia came into the living room announcing that breakfast was ready, hungry Luca raced ahead of us as we laughed at the cheeky little boy. The kitchen table had all kinds of food from turkey rolls to vegetables on a plate, Luca eyed his cereal before he dug in messily, my stomach grumbled at the deliciousness in front of me the second we sat down.

I ate like I hadn’t eaten my entire life; I took in each bite before I swallowed them thoroughly, Mia did the exact opposite as she timed her bites. That girl was wife material, she was the epitome of a neat freak. She cleaned off the mess Luca made before she went back to her seat.

She leaned on my side to whisper in my ear. “Emma, we need to talk about what happened later.” I solemnly nodded as Luca concentrated on his superman designed bowl. A part of me was afraid to tell her about the past events, but she deserved to know the reason behind my texts. She was the only I could trust around here, and it was essential to me to vent it out.

After we finished breakfast, she sat Luca down on the carpet in the living room to watch cartoon, so we could talk to each other.

The subject weighed a lot on me when we took a seat on the comfortable couch in her room. My throat constricted as I reminisced the earlier happenings with aggravation, Mia was concerned for me as she took my hand for me to start.

“Noah approached me yesterday to talk to me about something,” I inhaled and exhaled slowly to continue in a battle with my erratic heart, I told Mia all the details about what happened.

Taking a big breath, Mia squeezed my hand as my tears cascaded down my cheeks, “that was when I texted you and then Noah came claiming that he rescued me when they both planned this out, I didn’t believe him one bit, they are both hostile towards me and I didn’t like it.” I wiped them quickly, as if I was ashamed to cry.

Mia hugged me passionately. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you earlier; I was called by Luca’s teacher.” She sheepishly clarified.

“It’s okay, you’ve always been my best friend, you always will be.” I took her in for another hug to consolidate the guilt she felt for not being there when I needed her. I was appreciative of how caring she was to me; she was like my personal teddy bear to hold on to.

“Why didn’t you report it to the school board, though?” she inquired with her eyebrows knitted together in pure contemplation.

“Because Ava’s dad is an honorary trustee of the school, I wouldn’t stand a single chance against her, the final verdict will be on her favour,” I sighed after I told her the main reason, I crossed my arms, “also, I don’t want mom to spend more money and time for her work to pay for another boarding school, she could barely make ends meet with her small restaurant,” I added as Mia’s lips parted in recognition.

“So, what are you thinking of doing?” she probed as she attentively listened to what I had to say. That was one of the qualities I liked about her as a best friend.

“My plan is to apply for the California State University with my experience from school, I bet Noah would choose the top Harvard University and run into politics. Since Ava is practically his fiancée, she will go along with him, and the problem would be solved by their separation from me.” What I plotted out seemed like music to my ears, and Mia’s smile seemed to encourage me even more. That was why I had enough patience to bear the obstacles the bullies hurled at me.

Ironically, Noah was as cute as Luca back when we were old childhood best friends, only to become my known bully in high school. I couldn’t pinpoint what changed exactly in our connection, we were always in different social classes, I was the poor girl, and he was the rich guy, Noah had simply grown up and chose his own way to return to his old class as the arrogant, affluent kid with an unpleasant attitude. I couldn’t fathom why he had negativity surrounding his life, it could be from his parents’ expectations or the fact that he had to stick with Ava Winston’s hopes and dreams.

“That’s a great plan. I’m glad you didn’t go for bullying them back.” She sported a motivating grin, and I matched her cheerful persona as we both took in each other, the noon light shone between us through the balcony. Mia was right though, I couldn’t just hurl myself into the dark winds of retaliation, because I couldn’t afford to be one, I would put my mom on the line for stuck up stars.

Mia noticed the jacket from before, and her eyes went alight with recognition as she connected the dots, “So, the jacket belongs to Noah, your bully,” she exclaimed.

I nodded solemnly.

“What a trouble!” she spoke my thoughts aloud.

“It definitely is!” I could not agree more.