My Best Friend From Childhood

Chapter Eight

She wasn’t wrong, Luke texted me the minute I got home. We ended up hanging out at the park. He asked me to hang out two days later again;, we went roller skating in the neighboring town. Then a day later, he asked me out again to go see a movie. In the span of two weeks, we ended up hanging out almost every afternoon; he’d pick me up, we’d do whatever plans we have planned, meet up with his friends to finish last-minute homework, and do some studies, then he’d drop me back home.

We flirted here and there but never done anything more than that. We didn’t hold hands; we didn’t kiss, and we didn’t even tell each other how we felt. We were taking it slow by all means.

Kyle and I weren’t on the best terms during those two weeks. When I’d wake up, he'd already been on his way to school. I walk to school alone most of the time, sit in the back of the class while he sat with his football friends, during lunch I’d sit alone on the empty bleachers eating while watching the school band practice, and then I’d walk home on my own.

By his actions, Kyle made it clear that he won’t ever talk to me again unless I stop seeing Luke. I wasn’t trying to purposely lose him, but I wasn’t about to give up my right of whom to date to him again. I can’t keep putting my life on pause because he wanted me too. At some point, if he still wants to be my best friend, he will have to get over it like I did with him and his player habits.

I know that he started getting into more trouble at school and at home. He almost got expelled for fighting on school grounds, coach was being hard on him because his mind wasn’t in the game anymore, and he was caught coming home twice drunk by his mum. It wasn’t his first time getting drunk though, it was the fact that he was drunk and out past 3 A.M. and did not text or call his mum back after the 20 messages she sent him and 34 missed calls. At the point, the only thing that she could do was to ground him for two weeks, and even at that point, he didn’t really care; he was more than happy to stay home and lock himself in.

When I got home, I went up to my room and changed. I decided that today was a good day to dress up, it was Pizza Friday after all. On Fridays, we would sit down and finish our homework in Luke’s basement, or as they like to call it ‘Man Cave’, then we’d play video games and have pizza for dinner and followed by a drive to get Ice Creams from Willows down the street. At the end of the night, which would be around 11, Luke would drive me back home and I’d go straight to sleep.

I ended up dressing in an oversized white sweater paired with light wash mum jeans and white sneakers. Makeup was nonexistence, and my hair was tied back and away from my face using a red hair ribbon.

While I waited for Luck, I sat in the kitchen eating my prepared lunch and watching YouTube videos on my phone. It was something I eventually got used to doing since Kyle was either out with his friends or locked in his room.

“Hey” Mrs. Anderson said as she watched into the kitchen “Going somewhere today?”

I nodded “It’s Friday” I reminded her “I’mHanging with Chloe and everyone else”

She gave me a nod as she opened her fridge “Is Kyle home?” She asked.

“He’s up in his room” I told her “He’s grounded after all”

“From growing out, not from eating” she said then groaned in frustration “This boy is wasting the food I’m cooking him”

She then took out a plate and placed it in the microwave “Could you take this up to him? He’s not a really big fan of me right now and he listens to you more than me”

I chuckled “Not really the biggest fan of me either” I pointed out “Plus, I highly doubt that he would even want to see me since he hasn’t spoken a word to me in two weeks”

“Someone eventually needs to tell me what that is about” she said.

“Honestly?” I asked.

She nodded as she leaned against the counter.

“He doesn’t like me dating Luke and will not talk to me until I end things with him. He thinks that Luke is out to get him since they are enemies and all”

“My son can be extra like that” she said “But have you thought that he scared of losing you to him”

“He’s not going to lose me” I said “He can never lose me, we’ve been friends for as long as I remember and I’m not about to throw our friendship out of the door for a boy I like”

“To him, it seems like it” she pointed out “You’ve barely been home for three hours straight without being asleep in your room”

“He doesn’t want me around him anymore” I defended myself “He’s shutting me out”

“And what do you do when your best friend shuts you out?” She asked “You always push back and hold onto your friendship when things go to s**t. Your mum and I been through this many times; it might’ve not been for the same reason, but we fought a lot”

“Okay, fine” I gave up “I will stay at home more, and I will push back as much as I can”

“Good” she smiled before taking the food out of the microwave “Now can you be a dear and take this up to him”

I locked my phone before walking up the stairs with the plate in my hand. When I reached his room, I pushed knocked then pushed the slightly open door wider. The lights we off, and so we the curtains, the only light that was in the room was coming from the open door.

I placed the try on the bedside table, then took a seat at the edge of the table. I pulled the cover away from him to reveal a shirtless Kyle lying on his stomach with his hands tucked under his head and facing the other side.

I nudged his shoulder “Get up” I told him.

He didn’t flinch once when I did, he just continued pretending that he was asleep. I know because he never sleeps with his arms like that, it gives him shoulders pain.

“Going on a hunger strike won’t change anything” I told him “And not talking to me won’t get me to stop talking to people that you don’t like”

He didn’t say anything “I know that you don’t like them at all, but I do and I care about them more that you know” I told him “No matter how much I care about them, I would never leave you for them. I would never leave you, but if you keep acting like this, you might lose me in the process”

I brushed my hands through his hair “You know, I will always love you” I told him “We’ve been friends for as long as I remember and intend on keeping you in my life for the rest of it”

When he didn’t reply or move, I kissed the side of his head before getting up “If you don’t want to talk to me, fine, but don’t punish your mum by worrying her about you like this”

Luke was a the door when I walked back downstairs, so I grabbed my phone and just grabbed my phone and left. Luke greeted me with a smile then followed by a side hug.

We did our usual thing, we talked about school on the way to his house then we talked about movies and college. When we got to his house, we went straight to the basement where everyone was. They were already sitting there with their books open. Chloe was sitting next to Rio on the floor, and Issac was sitting on the couch next to his girlfriend.

I sat my bags on the floor before taking a seat next to Chloe. She gave me a side hug before I opened my books and started to do my own homework.

“Do you guys want to spice things up for dinner?” Issac asked “We can have something new for dinner”

“It’s pizza Friday though” Rio said “It’s a ritual”

Isaac rolled his eyes “I know it’s a ritual, that why I asked you if you wanted to spice things up tonight” he said “Maybe we can do something new”

“How about Sushi?” Chloe suggested.

“I don’t like sushi” Ally said “I don’t do raw fish”

Rio ignored her “I like the sound of that” he said “Hands up for whoever agrees on sushi for dinner”

Everyone except for Ally put their hand up in an agreement.

Ally rolled her eyes annoyed “We’re already leaving. Right, Issac?” Ally said as she held eye contact with Chloe.

Issac sighed “We’ve talked about this, Ally, Friday nights are my nights with my boys. We can go to the mall another day, just not today, alright. I’m not really in the mood for that”

Isaac smiled at Ally before he stocked her cheek and kissed her “I promise”

“What did you get for this question?” I asked Chloe as I came into her view of Isaac to distract her.

With a thankful smile, she opened her math notebook. Luke rubbed my back before he placed a kiss on the side of my forehead, then pulled me closer to him.

**

Everyone was sitting by the lake skipping rocks, or attempting to skip rocks. Luke and I ending up sitting on the grass watching them as we ate Ice Cream in silence.

“How are things going between you and Kyle?” He asked “Still not talking?”

“I talked to him this morning” I said “No response”

“As much as I hate saying this, if we are ruining your friendship with someone that you knew all of your life, maybe it's best for you not to be around us. The last thing I would want to do is to get between you too”

I put my ice cream down and reach out to his hand. Once his hands were between my hands that were placed on my lap, I gave leaned on his shoulder.

“I would never want that” I told him “I said this once, and I will say this again, I’m not about to abandon the boy I like because my best friend is being selfish and unreasonable”

Before I could let the words that I said sink in, I was greeted by Luke’s lips on mine. I felt knots form themselves in my stomach and tingles in my chest as he moved his lips against mine after he placed his balm against my cheek.

When he pulled away, I buried my face into my arms as I blushed.

“Uh” he said awkwardly “I should’ve asked you to be my girlfriend before I just kissed you now”

I peaked at him from under my arm.

“Is it too late to ask now though?” He asked.

I shook my head.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend then?” He asked with a small smile playing on his lips.

I nodded with a smile.

He ruffled my hair then nudged me with his shoulder “I like you too, a lot” he said.

A few moments later, I got a text from Kyle.

‘Can I pick you up instead of him driving you home? I want to take you somewhere’ -Kyle.

“You don’t mind if Kyle picks me up from here, yeah?” I asked Luke.

“Is that even a question, Kimberly?” He smirked “Just because I’m your boyfriend, doesn’t mean you have to ask me for permission when it comes to Kyle”

I nudged him with my shoulder with a chuckle.

‘Sure, I’m at the park’ -Kim.

I leaned into Luke’s shoulder and smiled at him “So boyfriends and girlfriend, huh?”

I nodded “Girlfriend and boyfriend”