Free Building on Lies by T. Banny Page A

would appreciate him.
    I had to wonder what kind of unlucky girl I was. It would have been much easier to date a guy like Joaquim, who was single, and also crazy about me. Someone who knew me, and was part of my same crowd. But no…I had to fall for a guy who already had a girlfriend.
    We went back into Alice Fashion, where Tommy and Ro were paying at the register. I went to the shoe section, and picked the black strapped shoes. They didn’t match as well as the gold mules, but they had a higher heel.
    I took the dress and the shoes to the register. I tried to pay for the shoes separately, but Joaquim insisted on paying for both. Ro winked at me and mouthed, “ Isn’t he so sweet?”
    Tommy and Ro were disappointed when Joaquim told them he was taking me home.
    “ Are you sure your headache won’t go away if you eat something?" Tommy asked. “It would be so cool if we could all hang out a little longer”.
    “ I really just want to lie down," I told him, and he sighed in disappointment.
    “ Why don’t we all hang out this Friday after school? We can meet up at the bowling alley," Joaquim suggested.
    “That would be cool!" Ro chirped. “ We haven’t hung out together for a long time”.
    “ So, Nellie. Is it a date?”, Joaquim asked.
    “ It’s a date”. What else could I say?

     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    Joaquim dropped me and Ro off. I gave him a quick, friendly hug before I went in.
    “ Feel better, Nellie," he murmured into my hair.
    He stayed in my driveway for a bit so Tommy and Ro could talk. Ro wanted to take advantage of my mom not being home so she could get some kissing time in with Tommy. As much as I wanted Joaquim and Tommy to leave, I couldn’t be so unfair to Ro. She was always covering for me and Chan, I couldn’t really complain about her wanting to hang with Tommy for a bit.
    I went to my bedroom, and sat near my bedroom window, which looked out onto the street. I kept the curtains pulled in case Joaquim looked up and saw me. I dialed Channing’s number.
    “ I’m home," I said to him as soon as he picked up.
    “ Back home after your fun date at the mall?" he asked, sarcastically.
    “ Chan, I think you’re the last person who should go there," I said, angrily. “Need I remind you you’re the one who has the steady girlfriend?”
    “ Nellie, you know what the deal is with Samantha. I’ve always been honest with you about her," he said, almost yelling.
    “ Yeah, and you don’t see me flipping out over it. You’re getting all mental because you saw me talking to another guy in the hallway!" I cried.
    “ You guys weren’t just talking, Nellie. He looked like he was about to kiss you. Matter of fact, he did. I saw him!”
    “ It was a kiss on the cheek, Channing!" I yelled, but then I lowered my voice in case they heard me outside. It wouldn’t make sense for me to be in bed with a headache but screaming at the top of my lungs. “ I’m sure you and Samantha do much worse!”
    Channing was quiet, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I liked to live in this fantasy world where all Channing and Samantha did was hold hands, or maybe smile politely across the room at each other, like some old Victorian couple. His silence made me realize he probably did all the things with Samantha that he did with me. Maybe even more, considering their history.
    “ I don’t want to fight with you, Nellie," he said, quietly. “ Maybe we should talk some other time”.
    “ Or maybe we shouldn’t talk to each other at all!" I shouted, regretting the words as soon as they came out of my mouth.
    “ Is that how you really feel?" he asked, his voice hard.
    It wasn’t how I felt at all, but I felt weary all of a sudden. I was tired of the lying, tired of competing with Samantha even if it was all just in my head, tired of feeling so darn insecure. I loved Channing, there was no denying I loved him, but I didn’t think I could handle all of the pressure that came with our