A few days later...
Friday...
At school...
Eleanor's POV...
It's been three days since the funeral, and till now I still often see Joey being alone at all time. Even at lunch, he refused to eat with anybody. Even Tim didn't offer to hangout with him, knowing that he's still deeply broken. I just hope he will feel better eventually, since looking at him being sad also makes me sad.
As I walk through the hallway, I noticed Taylor standing next to Tim near his locker. Wait, what? Taylor standing next to him without actually getting annoyed? Ok, that's new. But speaking of Tim, I noticed he hasn't been so annoying these days. Almost like he just got struck by a lightning. It's hard to believe that he's still the same old Tim Anderson with a different behaviour.
*Ring*
The sound of a notification rings through my phone. I pull out my phone from my pocket and see that I got a new message from Fred. I open the message as I continue to walk.
"Hey, El! I was wondering if you happen to be free tonight? I want to invite you out for dinner at this restaurant in town." - Fred.
"Hi, Fred! I have no plans actually, so yeah, I'm free." - Eleanor.
"Great! So I'll pick you up at 7 PM? What do you think?" - Fred.
"Ok. Sounds good." - Eleanor.
"Ok, see you tonight!" - Fred.
"See ya!" - Eleanor.
I put my phone back in my pocket as I continue to walk through the hallway. A small smile slowly forms on my face, as the thought of meeting Fred tonight made me feel quite happy.
A few hours later...
At the cafeteria...
Eleanor is having lunch alone, since Taylor told her that she's gonna skip lunch to study at the library. As for Joey, he is no where to be found. As Eleanor continues to eat her scrambled eggs and baby potatoes, a familiar blonde hair guy suddenly approaches her. He stood in front of her in silence, which caught her attention.
"So....since you're alone and this whole place is crowded, I was wondering if I could sit here to have a decent lunch?" the guy, Tim, says in a more casual yet polite manner than his usual cheesy style.
Eleanor stares at the blonde guy for a moment, thinking about whether she should allow him to sit with her during a peaceful lunch hour. She found it a bit odd that she didn't feel too annoyed looking at him right now, maybe since he hasn't been so cheesy these days. By that, Eleanor thought letting him sit with her might not be such a bad idea.
"Well, ok," Eleanor says in a casual tone.
"Thanks," Tim says as he puts his tray of food on the table and sits next to Eleanor. For today he decided to have carbonara pasta and an apple for lunch.
"It's not everyday I get to see you having lunch alone," Tim says.
"Well, Tay wanted to study at the library, and I don't know where Joey went," Eleanor says.
"I see," Tim says, before he turns his visions away from Eleanor and back to his food. Somehow, he had a feeling he knew where the two might be.
"So how are you and Fred?" Tim asks all of a sudden, as he didn't want to make his lunch moment awkward. He kind of felt relief that Eleanor actually let him join her table. Usually that girl would be the first to stand up and show her dislike towards his cheesy ways.
"We're cool. He actually invited me for dinner tonight," Eleanor says.
"Ah I see," Tim says. "And what about your sister?"
Eleanor turns her head to face Tim with a rather clueless look.
"My sister? What about her?" Eleanor asks.
Tim chuckles. "I mean, what about her? Is she and Joey a thing or maybe she has her eyes on someone else?"
"Nah, they're just friends," Eleanor states in a casual manner. "I haven't seen her have any interest with anyone these days."
Meanwhile, at the library...
"He hasn't been home since the funeral," Joey says as he stood next to the bookshelf, with Taylor standing right in front of him while having her arms crossed.
"Well you still gotta focus on your life, Joe. You still have a long way and can't possibly just let his dirty behaviours put you down," Taylor states in a more stern tone.
"I understand, Taylor," Joey says. "Sometimes it just feels unreal. My mom's gone, Kyle's away in college, and all I'm left with in LA is just that jerk."
As the two teenagers continue to talk near the bookshelf, Paige had been eavesdropping on the other side of the bookshelf, listening to everything the two had said. She didn't like the fact that Tim seems to be close with Taylor at the funeral, and that she caught him staring at her these past few days with a different look. So now that she found out that she's talking with Joey triggers her curiousity. She needed to know what's going on.
"Look at me, Joey," Taylor says as she holds Joey's cheeks with both of her hands, making him face her.
"You can't let your dad lose focus on your goals. Remember you told me you wanted to be a movie director, remember?" Taylor asks.
"Tay, I told you that when we were 10. Looking back now, I kinda doubt I have the abilities to do so," Joey says.
"Joey! Nothing is impossible as we want to work hard for it," Taylor says.
Joey sighs. "I guess you're right."
In a moment of silence, Joey and Taylor found their eyes locked with one another, as Taylor kept her hands on Joey's cheeks. Though their lips are sealed with silence, their eyes are speaking a thousand words. Slowly, she leans closer to Joey, in which he leans back out of impulsive.
"You are not left alone with him, Joe. You have me, remember that," Taylor says in a low tone, as they are now only a few inches a part from one another.
As Joey's eyes continue to stare into Taylor's, he couldn't help but feel his heart slowly feeling a warm, comfortable feeling. Having been so broken when his mom passed away while dealing with his conflicts with his dad, he felt lucky that he still has Taylor by his side. The girl who had always been by his side through his ups and downs, who despite getting disappointed with his immature acts at times, she is still the person who is always there for him.
Meanwhile, Paige noticed that the couple's voice are getting more and more quiet, by that she decided to take a small peak with her phone. She sticks out her phone's camera from behind the side of the bookshelf, while putting in on video recording. She hope she could record some good things on camera.
"Taylor," Joey says.
"What?" Taylor asks.
Joey sighs. Again he stares at Taylor for a moment, as he oddly feels some butterflies dancing inside his stomache. He found it a bit weird since this is the first time he's actually feeling this way. He felt a beautiful emotional rush inside his blood, making his heart beat slightly faster. At the same time, fear starts crawling inside his heart, as he thought about whether he is brave enough to say it out.
"Joe, wha-"
Without an answer, Joey leans closer and kisses Taylor, connecting their lips while giving her a surprise. Taylor, however, didn't refuse and instead just go with it as the two continue their kiss, not caring about anything at the moment.
"I love you, Taylor," Joey says.
To be continue...