"Yeah, they're pretty cool," I agreed as I adjusted my shirt.
We continued walking. Bella's mom decided to park on the far side of the parking lot to pick us up, so it was taking a minute to reach her car. As we walked in silence, Bella parted her lips as if she was going to speak. Then, she closed her mouth and looked away, a lopsided grin painting her face.
"What?" I asked impatiently. She clearly had something to say.
Bella sucked in a hopeful breath, her tone of voice higher than normal as she asked, "Do you think Killian is single?"
I watched as Bella kicked a rock on the ground, her hands in her pockets. I then shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"
"He's kinda cute,” she admitted quietly.
"He is." The words came out before I could stop them.
Her head swiftly turned to me. "What?"
"What?"
"Did you just—"
"Hey, look, it's your mom.” I pointed in the direction of her mom’s white sedan as I began to jog toward it.
We both got into the backseat of the vehicle since the front seat was occupied by Bella’s younger sister. Mrs. Rita—Bella’s mom—had her music blasting as she usually did each time I rode with them. It was good for us because we did not want other ears listening to our conversation, anyway.
"I spent the night at Javier's place a few nights ago," I blurted loud enough for Bella to hear me over the music.
It took a moment for her to register my words, but once she did, Bella's mouth gaped wide. She struggled to get her words out. "Come again? I could've sworn you just said you spent the night at your mortal enemy's house."
When I didn’t give her a verbal response and instead stared at her blankly, she smacked me on my shoulder multiple times. I tried to swat her hand away, but she wouldn’t let up.
Bella put her hands on her head in confusion, still attempting to comprehend the words I had just said to her. "Why the hell would you spend the night there?"
"I got into a fight with Easton and Emerson, and it got pretty heated. I was alone and he…he found me." I shortened the story because I did not want to go into full details of the events of that night. The memories were not fun.
Bella's astonishment turned into sympathy. Her expression morphed into a frown as her eyes softened. "The night of the election?"
When I nodded, Bella let out a depressing sigh. "You should have called one of us, we would have been there for you."
"It was late at night, Bell. I didn't want to bother you guys," I explained. “Plus, I didn’t have my phone.”
What was it that Bella could have done, anyway? Tell her mom to come get me in the middle of the night? I believed that Mrs. Rita would come for me, but that would be too much of a hassle. Plus, I would have to explain what happened and that would be unnecessary worry for them. Besides, who's to say that any of my friends would have answered the phone in the first place? They were probably asleep at the time.
Did I want to stay at Javier's? No. That was the last way I expected that night to end. I only agreed because I was vulnerable and wasn't thinking straight. I would have been alright spending the night alone.
Bella was unconvinced by my answer, but she let it go. "Well, how was it staying there? Is it ten stories tall like I imagine it to be?"
I laughed. "No, not ten stories. It was pretty big, though."
Bella scoffed. "I knew it! I was going to ask if this meant that you guys were friends now, but from the interaction earlier I think the answer is no."
"Yeah, I still hate him."
Bella pressed her lips together in an expression of disapproval. I shrugged, not understanding why she was making that face. Her hands found mine and she gripped them gently, her facial expression serious.
"Listen, Eli, the fact that he took you to his house that night even with how much of an asshole you've been to him these past few years shows that he's probably a pretty cool person. I feel like your hate is misdirected," she explained. "I mean, let's think about this. What has he truly done to you that was so bad? Yeah, he's beaten you in your petty competitions, but has he ever done anything to you unprovoked? Or was it always when you started it?"
"He mocks and teases me without me starting it," I defended myself.
"Yes, because you created that relationship with him. Javier doesn't even seem to dislike you. If anything, he's always oddly staring at you. Like, lowkey admiring you."
