"I said that I don't like you," he stated. "Not that I don't love you."
I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night.
***
Bella and I were at the local park, mostly because we were both broke teenagers who had nothing better to do with their free time. Ricky and Kailey were out doing whatever it is that couples do, so Bella and I decided to spend some time of our own together.
Bella bought herself and I ice cream with the little bit of cash that she had. We were strolling through the park as we ate it.
"So," Bella said in between scoops, "how’s the petty feud with our class prez?"
I rolled my eyes. It was not a petty feud, it was a competition of proving who was smarter. A competition that I was determined to win at some point in time.
"There is still time to beat him for the spot of valedictorian. All I have to do is keep my grades as high as possible," I told Bella.
"Sounds stressful," Bella mumbled.
"Elias?" called a slightly unfamiliar voice. When I looked up, I quickly remembered who that voice belonged to.
A grin spread across my face. "Alex, hey!"
Alex made his way toward me, Killian following close behind. He held his arms out wide and wrapped me into a tight hug while I stood awkwardly in his embrace. He patted my back twice before letting go.
Bella sat on the bench next to her, her demeanor welcoming. "Eli, you have other friends?"
I let out a quick, breathy laugh at her unoriginal joke. Alex laughed too, and even Killian let out a chuckle. Bella, Alex, and Killian looked between each other, and I figured that I should probably introduce them to one another.
"Alex, Killian, this is one of my closest friends, Bella," I introduced her while Bella gave a short wave. "Bell, this is Alex and Killian. I met them last week."
Both of them waved at Bella, Alex more friendly than Killian. Killian was a tad off putting, and I believed Bella thought so too because she had smiled at him oddly. He kept checking his watch as if he had somewhere to be, and he did not seem too keen on interacting with us. But again, maybe that was just his personality.
I noticed that a certain someone was not at the park with them. "Where's Millie?"
"With her mom," Alex answered. "She lost one of her toys, so we came here to see if she accidentally left it here. We couldn’t find it."
"It was her favorite teddy bear," Killian said, the sound of his voice catching me off guard. "I'll buy her a new one—or maybe ten new ones. Whatever she wants.”
Alex smiled warmly at his friend before giving him a quick side hug. “Are you guys just chilling here?”
I nodded. “Pretty much. We’re kinda bored, if you couldn’t tell.”
The roommates shared a look for a moment. Then, Alex looked at us and asked, “Did y’all want to come by our place? I mean, I know that we could totally be axe murderers or something like that because you don’t really know us at all but…yeah.”
My eyes met Bella’s and we shared similar expressions. There was silence between us as they awaited our answer. Not liking the silence, Killian added, “We have Mario Kart.”
I wanted to go play Mario Kart.
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you two live together?"
"Yep, roommates," Killian said sharply.
I wanted to go. The opportunity for new friends was always something I was down for, considering I never had that opportunity at school because everyone already knew exactly who I was. I just wanted to be sure Bella was alright with it. They were complete strangers to her—hell, they were still strangers to me. I did not want to put her in any uncomfortable situations.
"Okay, we'll join you!" Bella agreed.
It was safe to say that I did not have to worry about her being uncomfortable.
Their place was not too far from the park. It was not a walkable distance, but Alex and Killian had driven so it was not a problem. I worried the car ride may be a bit awkward, but Bella wasted no time working her sociable charm on them. It was like we had all been friends for years.
