"Don't let me fall!" Mindy exclaimed. I had to keep myself from laughing too hard as she hit the ground and bounced. The grade took a trip ice skating on Tuesday, renting out a whole rink for ourselves. Mindy, who's super uncoordinated, managed to fall five times in a minute alone.
"You're making us all look bad," Ana teased, helping her as I gripped the ledge. My laughter was uncontrollable.
"It's not funny," Mindy said and laughed along with me.
I looked around, my eyes landing on Sasha and Grey. They leaned against the ledge on the other side of the rink, lost in whatever conversation they were having. They honestly looked happy. Her smile was vibrant and genuine, and his smirk made him irresistibly attractive.
I returned my focus to Ana and Mindy, Ana trying hard to stabilize Mindy. This whole trip, they hadn't bothered to interact with me. I thought someone was going to push me on the ice or something, but they've all left me alone. It was very relieving.
"You guys ready to go?" Ana asked. Her eyes followed Blake as he whizzed past us with Andy and Arnold.
"Yeah, yeah, we're comin'," Mindy said. She began skating hesitantly, her arms out, her legs too straight, and she wobbled again.
"Go," I signed to Ana. "I'll hold her."
"You sure?" she asked. I nodded and shooed her away. She smiled and then skated off.
I held my arm out for Mindy, and she graciously accepted it. "Thanks, you're a real doll." I rolled my eyes at her joke, and we finally started to make some progress. After a few minutes of struggling to keep Mindy up and finally getting into the flow of things, Evan slid next to us.
"Hey, guys," he said. "Need help?" Several more guys from his popular friend group surrounded us. My gut started to twist uncomfortably.
"That'd be great," Mindy said. "I'm struggling here."
"I'll take her off your hands," Brad, one of the guys, said and linked arms with her. They pulled off, leaving me to skate alongside Evan as his other friends dispersed.
"How fast can you go?" he asked. When I didn't answer, his eyes widened in realization. "Sorry... I keep forgetting you're mute. My bad." I shrugged it off. "You know, Sasha wouldn't hate you so much if you just apologized to her. Your texts were rude."
I quickly detoured off the rink as he called after me. People whizzed past me, and I ensured he'd have a difficult time if he even tried to follow.
I was so angry that I couldn't contain my wobbles as I made a beeline to the benches housed outside the rink. I can't believe how many people so stupidly believe her lies!
After a few minutes of throbbing feet and anger, Evan decided to join me. He sat down on the bench next to me with a heavy sigh. I tensed. "Fine, don't apologize to her. She's irrelevant anyway; I just wanted to help you out because I want your help. Grey has something going on for you. And I have something going on for Sasha. She can't have both of us, and she stupidly picked the wrong guy. From how you looked at him a few minutes ago, I saw that you have something of your own for him. So tell me, why can't we all win in this?"
I shook my head and turned away from him. I didn't have anything for Grey. He a jerk, and that was the only thing special about him. His knack for getting people to hate him by being a bystander alone. Why would I want someone like that?
Evan groaned in frustration. "So much for your help." He hobbled away from me and slid himself back onto the ice. I stayed there until it was time for the ice to get cleaned up. Mindy found me, and soon after, the rest of my friends.
"Brad is such a meathead," Mindy said, rolling her eyes. "His first question was about my bra size. Can you believe it?" I nodded. I most definitely could.
"Why were you skating with Brad?" Arnold asked.
"He offered to help me so Evan could talk to her," Mindy said. "What did he ask you about, by the way?"
"I don't want to talk about it," I signed. Mindy nodded as she understood.
"Hazel!" Evan called, advancing towards me. Fortunately, it was loud around the rink, and nobody was paying attention to this odd display in front of the—popular guy and evil mute girl. "I have something else to say."
I looked between my friends and then back at him. He was closer now, his breath practically mingling with mine as he cupped my face in his hands. "I'll make you help me."
Before I could escape his grasp, he let go and returned to his friends. I looked up at my friends, and judging from their faces, they were just as confused as I was. What game was he playing right now? Was this just some ploy from Sasha? Did she genuinely want Evan?
"What the hell is going on?" Ana asked, shocked. Andy's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and then he sat close to me. He whispered in my ear, "Do you trust me?" I was shocked by his question but slowly nodded. His warm hands grabbed my face, pressing his lips softly against mine. All the thoughts roaming around my brain stuttered and stumbled over each other. When he pulled away, he looked to make sure Grey and Evan looked.
They both noticed.
YOU ARE READING
Little Sweet Dreamer - Wattys Edition
Teen Fiction"Oh," he said, as my back hit the wooden wall. Damn it, of course. With nowhere to go, his arms locked me in between him and the wall. He stared down at me as he said, "So you're trying to piss me off?" His lips were surprisingly close to mine. No g...
