RULE number twenty-four... Never fall in love with your bestfriend. Because love is overrated. It can cause some weird feelings and complicated scenarios in your life... For the lives of both people entangled with the situation. Aside from those life changing things that happened right after the confession, it could lead you into an awkward friendship... And worst, it could ruin your friendship itself.
Love could only lead you into two different paths. First is the joyful one... Having a happily ever after right after the other one decided to confess to his or her friend that was secretly in love with them too and just keeping it to themselves for a long period of time.
The second one is the tragic one. The one that can lead the both of you into having a broken friendship. And before you even know it, things had already change a lot and you two aren’t talking to each other anymore because of one main reason... You’re trying to avoid being on an awkward situation.
I don’t know which one of those is the one that suites best the situation that Nathan and I are having right now. I mean, he confessed to me... And I know that I also felt something towards him. But as much as I wanted to, I’m trying to avoid any more complications both by love itself so I’m still undecided whether to accept it or not. And besides, our friendship was already starting to be ruined even before he confessed his feelings.
“I like you, Nat. I like you very much... And I’m serious about it,” Nathan stated, biting his lower lip.
Only now that I came back to reality after I heard his words echoing in my mind. We are still on the locker area, and I could see the awful stares coming from those students who are now watching our every move.
“Nat... Now is the time for you to say something.”
“People are looking at us, Nathan.”
“Really? That’s what you care about right now? I mean, for Pete’s sake, Natalia... I just confessed to you...”
“I didn’t asked you to do it.”
He chuckled bitterly before shaking his head unbelievably, still not bothering to remove his eyes on me.
“I have to get to my classes now, Nathan.”
“What?!” he furiously asked.
“Would you let me go now? And will you please stop shouting? People are staring at us.”
“So? I don’t freaking care about them anymore, Natalia! Please say something... Anything...”
I took a deep breath, before telling another lie. Letting myself be driven by this weird feelings is highly unacceptable, specially now that out squad is on the verge of slowly breaking up apart.
I mean, I’ve witnessed some people who are bestfriends who tried being in a relationship with each other for a moment thinking that maybe, just maybe it will work out. But things just don’t go on that way. Everything is meant to be broken, even the most sacred promises that has been ever made in this world. Those two bestfriends became enemy... And as of now they aren’t even talking to each other. Love can ruin everything, and that’s a fact. End of story.
I’m afraid that the same thing might happen to me and to Nathan as well. I can’t bear to loose him, so I think that we are better off as friends even though I liked him back. I should lie as long as I can still keep my feelings to myself.
“I don’t like you back, Nathan... I’m sorry...” I looked down, unable to accept the fact that things are so indeed complicated.
Finally, he let me go, looking as devastated as ever. Maybe he couldn’t accept it, but I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings either.
“We are... We’re still friends, right?” he asked as he looked up, hopeful.
I sighed in relief. Thankfully he’s the one who asked about that... Meaning that he’s still willing to be my bestfriend right after I rejected his feelings. I’m very pleased to know about that, so I pulled him in for a hug.
“Of course... Nothing will change, Nathan. I’m still your bestfriend, I promise.”
I felt him sighed in relief too, so that pretty much already solved our problem. The only difficult thing about that right now is that I lied... And I should keep on lying to him just to protect my secret. And another thing was Scott... We should talk to him pretty much sooner or later.
“I’m sorry for liking you, Natalia... I just... I can’t help it. But it was totally fine with me if you’re not feeling the same way as I do. I respect your decision... Just please, stop avoiding me anymore... And let me stay with you... Even just a bestfriend,” Nathan melancholically stated.
I nodded, before giving him another hug. I guess this ends in here. I mean, I should never open up about this topic any time soon... And even better... I should never say a word about this anymore. I should probably start forgetting about this day and continue to live my life as normal as the way it is before where Nathan is just my bestfriend... Nothing more, and nothing less.
The day after that pretty much gone well same as before. The only thing that changed is Scott and Becca. They aren’t part of our squad anymore, I guess. But Nathan promised me that we are going to talk to Scott to try and explain our side to him. I just can’t do it right now after he humiliated me in the hallways of the school... Which by the way, I haven’t told to Nathan yet.
He also told me about what happened right after the play. Becca confessed to him after she kissed him on stage, but Nathan declined her love as expected. She was mad, he said. Maybe furious about how could Nathan refused her feelings. Though she’s still our friend, and we can’t just forget about her just like that. But we are not hoping for her to come back to our squad anymore. Not after everything that happened. She’s now part of Freeda’s squad... The squad she always wanted to be in ever since before.
The students called them the witches... And another one added to their group, which is Becca. Now that they’ve join forces together, they are unstoppable. Freeda, Lia, Elyzz, and Becca are the members of that “witch squad.”
“Stop staring at Becca. She’ll call you weird for that,” Nathan warned me.
“Sorry, I just can’t help it. I mean, now that she’s finally with Freeda, we couldn’t get her back...”
“I told you so. I’ve already warned you about that. When she confessed, I instantly knew that she wouldn’t take a no for an answer. She hates rejection, Nat. And I believe that’s what lead her on being in the same squad with her cousin and Freeda, of course.”
“And Scott?” I suddenly asked, looking at the guy who just entered in the Cafeteria.
Scott looked at us, and I avoided his eyes for I’m still embarrassed right after he shouted right into my face in front of the huge audience.
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
“But it was partially my fault too...”
“Let’s say yes, but I’m the one who lead him into thinking that Becca and I have something in between... Where in fact, there is nothing.”
“I’m sorry for making your life so hard in here, Nat,” I apologized.
“It was nothing, really.” He smiled at me and I did the same. He then looked at our empty table, before asking me another question. “Want me to get you some foods?”
“Yes, please,” I answered.
Nathan chuckled, before standing up to get our lunch tray and filled it with foods in the counter. I sighed, as he walked away leaving me on that table all alone. Well, not until I heard some footsteps coming right over my direction. I know those shoes. It was familiar...
When I looked up, I saw an unexpected person standing up right next to me. I was surprised when he softly smiled at me, before my heart almost melt at his presence.
“Hi, Nat.” It was Scott.