Present Perfect(31)

I could feel the vibrations start to take over my body. I didn’t have much time left before I crumbled. I hadn’t processed the fact that Beth and Noah were together yet, let alone that they would have physical contact.

“There are a hundred guys at this school. You could have had any one of them. Why did it have to be Noah?”

“You know I’ve always liked him. He’s sweet, fun, popular...”

“AND MINE!” I yelled. That was the first crack in my already fragile foundation.

“You need to calm down,” she paused for a moment. Squaring her shoulders, she looked me directly in the eye now. “Look Amanda. I know you and Noah had this bond or whatever when you were kids, but...”

“Have,” I interrupted.

“What?”

“We have a bond. It’s not past tense,” I insisted.

“Yeah. Well, it was cute when we were kids, but we’re not kids anymore. I’ve never understood this thing between the two of you, anyway. But, did you really think he was going to be with you forever? Noah’s one of the hottest guys at this school. I don’t know a girl here that doesn’t want to hook up with him. I don’t mean to sound harsh. You’re my friend and I love you, but it’s time to grow up.”

I hated it, but I knew she was right. I had convinced myself that Noah would always be mine. I knew he had been on dates with a few girls. I didn’t like it, but I dealt with it as best I could. He never seriously dated anyone before. It never crossed my mind that he would.

“I know,” I whispered.

Inhaling and exhaling a deep breath, Beth said, “I think I’m in love with him, Amanda.”

That was crack number two in my foundation. I continued to stare in her direction. I wasn’t really looking at her. I wasn’t looking at anything. My mind was numb. I had information overload. I couldn’t listen to anymore. I saw her mouth moving and heard sound come out of it, but it was muffled. It felt like I was under water. She just kept moving her mouth, never waiting on any reply from me. She reached out and touched my arm breaking me from my daze.

“I might as well go ahead and tell you everything. You know, pull the band aid off quick. I’m staying over at his house tonight.” She saw the look of confusion on my face. “His parents are out of town for the weekend.”

“I know. They’re going with my parents. They take this trip every year together.”

She looked around nervously. Leaning closer to me, she whispered, “I’m going to have sex with him tonight.”

That was crack number three of my foundation. Beth was completely clueless how her words were affecting me. She kept rambling on as I stood there, immobile. This was the most surreal experience I had ever had. Beth. Noah. Sex. Love. It played on a continuous loop in my head.

“I’ve been dying to tell you. I thought you could help me out. I wanted to surprise him and cook dinner tonight.” I still had no idea why she kept talking. “I figured you’d know what his favorite foods are. Amanda, are you okay? Your eyes look weird.”

I had been hurt and jealous, but somewhere between her saying, “I’m going to have sex with him and tell me his favorite food”, I got pissed. Good ‘ol fashion pull your hair, spit in your face pissed. “I’m not going to help you have sex with Noah.”

“I’m just asking you to tell me his favorite foods.”

“You’ve dated for a month. You’ve never eaten together?” The sarcasm flowed from my mouth. I started to get the feeling back in my body as the adrenalin surged through me. I had been clutching the strap of my backpack the entire time so tight my knuckles were completely white. My heart was pounding so hard and fast, I thought it was going to break through my chest. I narrowed my eyes at Beth. She could tell there had been a shift in me.

“I know your pissed that we didn’t tell you, but don’t tell me you’re pissed off because Noah and I are together?” She looked away, huffed, and rolled her eyes. “You’re a piece of work, you know that. You don’t want him, but you don’t want anyone else to have him either. I’ve asked you more than once if you liked Noah, and you’ve always said, just as a friend. Well, I like him more than just a friend. I want him to be my first and he’s going to be. If you wanted him as your boyfriend you should have done something a long time ago. You blew it. You missed your chance with Noah and now he’s mine. We’re together, so deal with it.”

“I’m not even sure you are together. Noah tells me everything. He’s never mentioned you once.”

Heat started to course through me. I felt my chin start to quiver while the tears were building up at the edge of my eyes. My hands started to shake. I knew my time was up. I couldn’t stand there any longer and listen to Beth talk about Noah and her.

She glared at me with a smug look. “Oh, I assure you, we are together. I’ve had the sore lips to prove it, so if you…”

Those were the last words before the final tremor shot through me, shaking my foundation, causing me to crumple completely. I turned on my heels cutting her off abruptly. I had to get away as fast as I could before the tears started to spill out and cover my cheeks.

I forcefully swung open the school door and headed straight to my car. The velocity from the time I left Beth to the time I got home and in my room was so hypersonic it was like one continuous motion. I didn’t stop moving until I flopped on to my bed.