Chapter 10
I was at Lola’s house, stretched out on her couch, trying to act normal even though my mind had been running circles for days. I didn’t want her to notice anything was off. I didn’t want her asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
So, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Hey babe, I was thinking… maybe we could go meet up with a couple of my friends. I want to introduce you to them. Let you get to know them.”
She smiled, soft, and warm. “I’d love to. When did you want to go meet them?”
“Possibly later today, if that’s okay with you?”
I waited, hoping she’d say yes. But she hesitated.
“Um… maybe another time. Since this was last minute.”
I nodded like it didn’t bother me. “That’s fine with me.”
I pulled out my phone and typed into the group chat: She said not today, but another time she’ll join us and you can get to know her.
Sent. Phone down.
She looked over at me. “What are their names? I don’t want to pretend I know who’s who when I meet them. Asking on the spot feels embarrassing.”
“They’re not going to get offended by that,” I said.
She scoffed. “Yeah, right. I think it’s kind of rude.”
I thought about it. She wasn’t wrong. “That’s true. You’re right.” Then I added, “Their names are Jacob, Finn, and Nicholas.”
“How do you know them?”
“High school,” I said. “From the beginning until I graduated. We’re still close.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Same for me.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s cool.”
I checked my phone again. The guys had replied:
No worries.
That’s fair — we planned this already and invited her last minute. Looking forward to meeting her next time.
All good, man.
They also confirmed we were still meeting up later.
I glanced at the time. 3 p.m. Thursday.
I stood and grabbed my things. “Hey, I’m going to start heading out to meet the guys. I’ll text you later.”
She looked a little disappointed, but she didn’t say anything. “Oh… okay. Tell them, I said hi. And I’ll text you later. Be safe.”
She kissed me, and I kissed her back before heading out the door. I walked down the driveway toward the bus stop, hearing the door close behind me.
I texted the guys: On my way.
Then I put my phone away and kept walking.
An hour later, I finally reached them. I waved dramatically. “HEY! I have finally arrived.”
They laughed, and I joined them.
“Where do you guys want to go?” Finn asked.
We all thought for a second until Nicholas said, “Arcade’s close. We can head there.”
“Yeah, that works,” Jacob and I said at the same time.
We walked over, got tokens, and split up to do our own thing.
Hours passed. It was 6:30 p.m. when I finally thought about checking in with Lola.
Me: Hey babe, how are you? I miss you.
Lola: I’m doing good, just relaxing and watching a movie. I miss you, too. How’s it going with you?
I typed back:
Me: It’s going alright so far. Just hanging out with one of my friends here at my house.
I put my phone away before I could think too hard about why I said that. It wasn’t a lie exactly — just not the full truth. I didn’t want her asking questions. I didn’t want her worrying. I didn’t want to explain anything I wasn’t ready to explain.
So, I stayed with the guys until the night wound down.
Later, when I finally got home and collapsed onto my bed, I opened my phone again. That photo of me and Lola outside the theater was still up. And so was the comment.
The comment.
From the girl I talked to before, Lola.
I should’ve said something. I should’ve shut it down. I should’ve defended Lola. But I didn’t. I just let it sit there like it meant nothing.
And now I can’t stop thinking about it.
I knew Lola probably saw it. I knew she probably thought the worst. And honestly? I couldn’t blame her.
I shouldn’t still be friends with that girl. I shouldn’t have ignored the comment. I shouldn’t have brushed it off like it didn’t matter.
But I did.
And now it was too late to take it back.
I sighed, set my phone aside, and stared at the ceiling.
It was getting late. I needed to sleep.
But sleep wasn’t coming easy tonight.