“Oakley,” Laura said with a fake smile. “I’m having a party on Saturday to celebrate the end of the year. You should come. What do ya say?” Laura and her friend burst out laughing. How could they still find that funny? Did they ever get bored of their own stupid, pathetic jokes?
I pushed past her, almost running towards the door. The laughing stopped as soon I was outside. I’d had enough of today already and needed to leave. Blinking the tears back, I walked quickly through the car park. How could people hate me so much for doing absolutely nothing? I swallowed the lump in my throat and willed myself not to cry.
“Oakley?” Cole’s voice called out, making me instantly brighten up. I turned around to see him jogging towards me, his messy hair blowing across his forehead.
I took a shaky breath and smiled. I was not going to let them make me cry again, and I really didn’t want Cole to see me cry either. He strode across the car park and stopped right in front of me.
“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked, scanning my face. I nodded my head in confirmation. Cole raised his right eyebrow. “No, you’re not. Hold on a minute, I’ll come with you and we can talk.”
I grabbed his arm as he went to turn away and shook my head. I didn’t want him to come with me. He didn’t need to be the boy that hung out with the weird girl that didn’t talk. I nudged him in the direction of his waiting friends, telling him to go with them. He looked to his friends for a second before returning to me.
“It’s fine. I’d rather come with you,” he said, reading my actions.
Great, I’m the loser charity case that needs babysitting. I shook my head more fiercely and clenched my jaw in frustration. Of all the people in the world, I did not want him feeling sorry for me. Cole gave a mock-exasperated sigh, his eyes tightening a little.
“Either I’m coming with you, or you’re sitting with us. It’s up to you.” He folded his arms over his chest challengingly.
“Cole, are you coming or not?” his friend, Ben shouted. I had met Ben a few times before but only in passing when Cole was walking to his car with him or something.
“Come on, babe. I’m hungry,” some girl, whose name I didn’t know, called. Babe? Cole mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t make it out. Who was she? Was she his girlfriend? She couldn’t be. He would have definitely told me something like that.
My chest felt like a hand had gripped it tightly. I didn’t want them to be together. Perfect, now you’re jealous. The thought of him being with someone else made me feel sick and want to gouge the eyes out of the girl.
“I’m going with Oakley,” he shouted back. I slapped his chest and pushed him again, which just made him laugh. Just go! “Eating with us it is, then.” He smirked, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with him.
I tugged my arm, trying to get my wrist out of his iron grip, but he was too strong.
“She’s sitting with us,” he explained to his group of friends.
My face flamed in embarrassment. He made me feel like a three-year-old. I was so angry that I refused to look at him. How could he do that? He knew I didn’t like being in a group of people; I felt so out of place. They nodded, and we all walked around the building to the field at the back. Well, I didn’t walk. I was pulled like a rag roll.
The girl that had called Cole ‘babe’ didn’t look happy that I was there at all. She shot me the occasional discreet glare as we walked. I didn’t even want to sit with them in the first place, and I certainly didn’t want to sit with them if he was with her. Eventually we sat down, under some trees.
The nameless girl, who looked a little like a Meg from Family Guy but without the glasses, made a real effort to talk to Cole as much as she could. I didn’t blame her. Cole was an amazing guy.
I frowned at the floor and picked at the grass. I was angrier with myself than I was with Cole. I shouldn’t like him as much as I did. I wasn’t good enough for him.
“Oakley, you want?” Cole asked, holding his Pepsi out to me. A shake of my head answered his question and he frowned, putting the can down on the floor. “You’re annoyed with me?” I lowered my eyes and wished I could disappear. We were actually going to have that out in front of everyone?
He sighed, exasperated. “How long are you going to ignore me for?” I shrugged my shoulders, still refusing to look at him. I was close to crying again, and I didn’t want to do that in front of everyone.
“What did you do to piss her off so much?” Ben asked, not even bothering to lower his voice so I wouldn’t hear.
Cole snorted. “Nothing. She’s just being impossible.”
How am I the one being impossible? He didn’t have to make me come over here.
Someone stepped in my light, casting a dark shadow over my lap. Looking up, I shrank back.