Pretend (55 page)

             
"Yup," he said with a confused look on his face.

             
"Thanks."

             
"Why did she text you?" He asked as he continued to stare at me.
I took a quick bite of the sandwich and smiled to myself. It tasted so good.

             
"She wants me to go and talk to Kyle, he's really cut up after last night," I said as I continued to eat.

             
"Well that's not really your problem," he said in a slightly annoyed tone.

             
"I know but I feel guilty."

             
"
For what?
He left you, remember?"

             
"Yeah but regardless, he still didn't deserve that, neither of us did. It hurt me and I can only imagine what it must be doing to him right now," I said as I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach preventing me from eating anymore of the sandwich.

             
"April
,
sometimes you're too nice, you can't be there for everyone. Sometimes you have to learn to be selfish," he said.

             
"Well I can't do that, I'm trying to do the right thing. I would do the same if it was you Aiden, I don't think that you're being fair," I said in an annoyed tone.

             
"Yeah well it isn't me is it because I would have never cheated on you," he said in an angry voice.

             
"Yeah well thanks for that reminder, as if I don't already kn
ow how stupid I've been
and if I didn't then I've had lots of reminders from Kyle, Jake and now even you!" I said as the anger filled my body.

             
"You'd put me in the same category as them?" He said in a hurt tone.

             
"Right now?
Yeah," I said without even looking at him.

             
"Fine," he said as he stormed out of the kitchen and headed towards the living room.

             
Great! What a day this is turning out to be!

* * *

             
The rest of the morning was spent in silence with the exception of a few doors being slammed and the odd grunt here and there.

             
"Let's go," Aiden finally said before I followed him out to his car.

             
I got in, did up my seatbelt and stared out of the window.

I wanted to make up with him, I honestly did but he was so stubborn sometimes and he had upset me with the way that he had handled the situation earlier.
I also knew Aiden well enough to realise that he felt quite guilty by now.

             
After about five minutes into the journey he pulled the car over outside
of
a row of shops and finally broke the silence.

             
"I'm sorry."

             
"It's ok," I said as I smiled at him.

             
"I'm sorry too."

             
"You've got nothing to be sorry for, I overreacted and that was wrong. I just don't want people to take advantage of you," he said in a soft voice.

             
"I know you don't but just trust me on this one. I know what Kyle did but I also remember feeling so empty when I found out about the baby and I don't think that an
yone deserves to feel that way."

             
"I understand. I never want to upset you though, I'm sorry," he said as he stroked the side of my cheek.

             
"I know, it's ok," I said before he leaned over the handbrake and kissed me gently.

             
"You're so beautiful," he whispered as we slowly parted.
I threw him a little smile and then watched as he started up the engine and drove towards school.

*
*
*

             
When the bell rang
,
signifying the end of the day I almost jumped with joy. I wasn't in the best mood today and being here wasn't really helping to be honest.

             
Kyle text
me
earlier, during calculus to say that he wasn't ready to talk which made me feel a little better but I still knew that the time would come.

             
"Hey," Crystal said as she ran towards me with a smile on her face.

             
"Why are you so happy?" I asked as I smiled back at her.

             
"Cameron wants us to come to the mall with him and some of the guys," she said.

             
"He wants us or you?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at her.

             
"I want you to come so who cares. Please say you'll come?
Pleaseeeeee
," she said as she pushed her lips out, faking sadness.

             
"Ok, ok as
long as you put your lip back in your head," I said as we both began laughing.

             
"Great! Come on he's waiting to give us a ride," she said as she dragged my arm and pulled me towards Cameron's car.

             
"Hey," he said as he nodded his head at me and opened the car door for us.

             
"Hi," I said
,
nervously as I spotted
Mckenzie
and Milo already sat in the car staring at me.

             
I knew
Mckenzie
because he was in my chemistry class much to my dismay. I had seen Milo around a few times but didn't really know him all too well.

             
"Great," I mumbled to myself as I watched Crystal slip into the passenger
’
s seat as she and Cameron exchanged flirty looks.
I would
rather be with Aiden right now but he had practice so I guess this would have to do.

             
"Hey beautiful,"
Mckenzie
said as he watched me slip in the seat next to him.

             
"I told you a thousand times
Mckenzie
my name is not beautiful, it's April," I said as I made a sarcastic face at him.

             
"You know that feisty ladies are very sexy to me right?" He said as he began to smirk.

             
"And you know guys that try to be funny and fail are revolting to me, right?" I said in a sarcastic tone.

             
"One day sugar, one day you're going to want all of this and when you do I'll be taken and it'll be too late," he said with a smile on his face.

             
"Remind me of that date again, I'll pencil it in my diary," I said as Cameron, Milo and Crystal all burst out laughing.

             
This was not how I usually behaved but
Mckenzie
brought out a more sarcastic side to my personality, probably because he thought that he could get any girl
just
by clicking his fingers.

             
"Ha ha she just made you look like a fool dude!" Milo said as he burst out laughing.

             
"Yeah she got some lines," Cameron said as he began laughing.

             
"She's just fighting it man,"
Mckenzie
said as he winked at me, forcing me to start laughing too.

             
He was a player who thought that he could get all the ladies but there was no denying that he was a little bit funny at times.

             
"So
, where
are
we going to eat because I'm hungry?" Milo asked.

             
"I don't mind, where do you want to eat baby?" Cameron said as he looked at Crystal.

             
"
Erm
...W
hat about subway?"
She asked as she turned and looked at me, Milo and
Mckenzie
.

             
"Yeah, ok," I said as both Milo and
Mckenzie
shook their head in agreement.

             
"Subway it is," Cameron said as I watched him gently rub Crystal's leg before continuing to drive.
He really liked her, I could tell.

             
"Let's go," Cameron said when we finally pulled up at the mall.

We all got out the car.
Mckenzi
e
chose to exit the same side as
me of course.

             
"So
,
what am I getting you?" He asked as he walked beside me.

             
"Pardon?"

             
"What am I getting you?
My treat," he said as he smiled at me.

             
"I'm ok, I have money," I said as I caught up with Crystal.

             
"Can you please stop
leaving me alone with
tweedledum
?" I said as we both burst out laughing.

             
"Sorry but it was so funny to watch, he's got it bad,"
s
he said as she began to giggle.

             
"Yeah well I haven
't," I said as I glanced back at
Mckenzie
who was smiling at me.

             
"You and Cameron
looked
very
loved up," I said as I smiled at her.

             
"I really like him you know," she said as she looked at me.
There was something about what she said that sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than tell me but I decided not to mention it. Cameron was lovely and I believe that Crystal likes him but she usually goes for guys that are more of a challenge and I’m not sure that Cameron is that guy. Maybe I’m wrong though.

             
"
I
think he really likes you too."

             
"I hope so," she replied.

             
"So what about you?"

             
"Me?" I asked in confusion.

             
"Well you get lots of guys liking you and you just turn them all down are you telling me that you're not ready to move on from Kyle?"

             
"No
,
I'm over Kyle, it's just
that
I'm not interested," I said as I tried to avoid her gaze.

             
"Why?"

             
"I'm just not," I said as I cleared my throat.

             
"Oh come on there must be someone," she said as she stared at me for a few seconds.

             
"Oh
my gosh
there so is, isn't there?" She said as she beamed with excitement.

             
"Tell me now," she demanded.

             
"Crystal I-"

             
"What? What's wrong?" She asked as her she began to look concerned.

             
"Nothing, I just wanted
to tell you in a different way."

             
"Tell me what?"

             
"It's Ai-"

             
"What are you ladies
talking about?" Cameron interru
pted.

             
"Oh nothing," Crystal replied.

             
"We'll talk later," she mouthed to me before turning around to face Cameron.

             
Later, great! I'm not looking forward to that.

* * *

             
Twenty minutes later and we were all sat in subway tearing into out delis. I had a BLT, dressed in
bbq
and sweet onion sauce, my favourite.
As we all sat around talking, I felt a vibration in my bag, letting me know that I had a call.

             
"Hello," I said as I took another bite of my sandwich.

             
"April," A familiar voice said, causing me to freeze.