The next morning, I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time.
I didn't know why exactly. Maybe it was the sleep. Maybe it was the toast with Luke. Maybe it was just the fact that for one night, nothing bad happened.
I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. I put on a simple jeans and a white top. Nothing fancy. I wasn't trying to impress anyone today.
When I got downstairs, the house was still empty. My parents and Betty weren't back yet. I grabbed an apple from the kitchen and headed out.
The walk to school was quiet. The air was cool and the sky was clear. I saw a few other students walking in the same direction but I didn't talk to anyone. I just kept my headphones in and listened to music.
When I got to school, I went straight to my locker. I was putting my books away when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally showed up."
I turned around and saw Charlotte standing there with a huge grin on her face. Her red hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was wearing a bright pink hoodie.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey? That's all you got? I haven't seen you in like two days."
"I was at Luke's house yesterday."
Her eyes widened. "Excuse me? You were at Luke's house? And you didn't tell me?"
"It wasn't a big deal. We just ate cupcakes and watched a movie."
She raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And you fell asleep on his shoulder?"
I felt my face heat up. "How do you know that?"
"Luke told Miles. Miles told me."
I groaned. "I hate this school."
She laughed. "So, what's going on with you and Luke? Are you guys like... a thing now?"
"No. We're just friends. We're fixing our friendship."
She gave me a look. "Okay, if you say so."
"I do say so."
She shrugged and changed the subject. "Anyway, have you seen Aiden today?"
I shook my head. "No. Why?"
"He's been looking for you."
I blinked. "What? Why?"
"I don't know. But he asked me where you were this morning."
That was weird. Aiden never looked for me. He usually just texted me if he needed something. The fact that he asked Charlotte made me feel a little nervous.
"Maybe he wants to talk about the project," I said.
"Maybe," Charlotte said. But she had that smile on her face again.
I ignored her and closed my locker. The bell was going to ring soon so I started walking toward my first class. Charlotte walked with me.
"So, are you coming to the basketball tournament next week?" she asked.
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Nope. I'm the captain of the cheerleading team, remember?"
I sighed. "I know."
"You're going to cheer with us."
"Charlotte, I can't cheer. I'll fall on my face."
"Don't worry. I'll teach you."
I wanted to argue but I knew she wouldn't let me. So I just nodded and walked into my class.
The morning went by pretty fast. Math was boring as usual. English was okay. By lunch, I was tired and hungry. I went to the cafeteria and got a sandwich. I sat down at our usual table and waited for Charlotte.
But she wasn't the one who sat down across from me.
Aiden did.
He slid into the seat like he owned it and put his tray down. He looked at me with those green eyes.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey."
He didn't say anything else for a moment. He just started eating his food like it was normal for him to sit with me.
"Did you want something?" I asked.
"Not really. I just wanted to talk."
"About the project?"
"Not exactly."
I waited. He took another bite of his food.
"I've been thinking," he said finally. "About how we keep fighting."
I blinked. "Okay."
"And I think maybe we should try harder to get along."
I stared at him. Was this really Aiden? The guy who always looked at me like I was annoying him?
"You want to get along?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
He was quiet for a second. Then he said, "Because you're not as annoying as I thought."
I didn't know if that was a compliment or not. But I decided to take it as one.
"Okay," I said. "Let's try."
He nodded and went back to eating. I looked at him for a while, trying to figure him out. He was weird. But maybe that was okay.
After a few minutes, he spoke again. "So, about the project. We should meet at the library tomorrow."
"Same time?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
He stood up and grabbed his tray. Before he walked away, he looked at me one more time.
"And Kathy?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't be late."
He walked away before I could say anything. But I found myself smiling anyway.