CHAPTER TWO #10
"My parents are usually pretty strict."
"So why'd they let you come tonight?"
Amanda smiled.
"My mom said..."
She laughed to herself.
"'Go have fun before you become an adult and forget how.'"
Michael smiled.
"Your mom sounds smart."
"She usually is." They walked side by side toward Amanda's car. Neither rushed to get there. Neither really wanted the night to end. Amanda looked down at their hands.
They weren't holding hands anymore. She wondered why she suddenly missed it. Almost as though he could read her mind... Michael's hand brushed lightly against hers. Then gently intertwined with her fingers again. Amanda looked over. He smiled sheepishly.
"I figured..."
He shrugged.
"...it was okay."
Amanda squeezed his hand.
"It's more than okay."
The drive home felt different. The radio played softly between them. Neither sang. Neither talked much. Every now and then Amanda caught herself smiling at absolutely nothing. Michael noticed every single time.
When they finally turned onto Amanda's street... Neither of them spoke. The porch lights of the neighborhood glowed warmly against the darkness. Amanda slowly parked in front of her house. The engine clicked quietly as she turned it off. Silence.
"...Well."
Amanda smiled.
"...Well."
Neither moved. Michael laughed.
"I think we're both trying to avoid saying goodnight."
Amanda looked down at her lap.
"...Maybe." He smiled.
"I had a really nice time."
Amanda looked back at him.
"I know tonight started terribly."
She sighed.
"...But thank you."
Michael frowned.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do."
Her voice grew softer.
"You could've stayed at the party."
"You barely knew me. You didn't owe me anything."
Michael looked at her for a long moment. Then quietly answered,
"I don't think kindness should depend on how long you've known someone."
Amanda felt her chest tighten. That... That might've been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. She smiled.
"I really did have a good time." Michael smiled back.
"So did I."
He climbed out first, walking around to open Amanda's door before she could reach for the handle herself. She laughed.
"You know I can open doors."
"I know."
He grinned.
"I just wanted to."
Amanda shook her head, smiling.
"You really are ruining my expectations of every other guy."
"I'll apologize to them later."
She laughed again. Together, they walked slowly up the familiar sidewalk toward Amanda's front porch. The porch light flickered softly above them. Amanda stopped on the top step.
"...This is me."
Michael looked toward the front door.
"I had a feeling."
Amanda rolled her eyes.
"Oh, you're hilarious now?"
"I've always been hilarious."
"Debatable."
They smiled at one another. The night suddenly felt very quiet. Amanda looked down briefly before meeting his eyes again.
"Thank you..."
She hesitated.
"...Not for the party." Michael nodded.
"I know. For everything after."
His smile softened.
"...You're welcome."
Amanda's heart felt lighter than it had in hours.
"I'll see you Monday?"
Michael didn't hesitate.
"Definitely."
Amanda smiled.
"Good."
He took one small step backward. Then another. Before turning to leave, he paused. One last smile crossed his face.
"Goodnight..."
His eyes met hers.
"...beautiful."
Amanda's cheeks warmed instantly.
"...Goodnight."
She watched him walk down the sidewalk. Halfway down the street... He turned around. She was still standing there. He laughed and waved. Amanda waved back.
Only after he disappeared around the corner did she finally turn toward her front door. Her hand rested on the doorknob.
She smiled to herself. Then... The smile slowly faded. Melissa. The name drifted into her mind uninvited. She thought about the matching keychains. The sleepovers. The birthday parties.
The whispered promises that nothing would ever come between them. Amanda looked down at the tiny silver heart still hanging from her keys.
"Best Friends Forever."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"Melissa who?"
The words came out quietly. Almost jokingly. Almost. She stared at the keychain for another moment. Then shook her head.
"I don't know anybody by that name."
She unlocked the front door. But even as she stepped inside... The ache in her chest told a different story. No matter how hard she tried... No matter how wonderful the evening with Michael had become... She still missed her best friend.
Amanda quietly closed the front door behind her.
The familiar warmth of home wrapped around her immediately.
Everything was still. The television murmured softly somewhere deeper in the house, and she could hear the distant hum of the dishwasher from the kitchen.
It felt... Normal. Strangely normal. As though the world hadn't completely unraveled only a few hours earlier.
"Amanda?"
Her mother's voice drifted from the living room.
"We're home!"
Amanda quickly wiped beneath her eyes. "Hey, Mom."
She slipped off her shoes and peeked around the corner. Her parents sat curled up on the couch beneath a blanket, an old movie playing quietly on the television. Her father smiled.
"How was the party?"
Amanda hesitated. For only a second. Then she smiled.
"It was..."
She thought carefully.
"...eventful."
Her mother laughed.
"That's either really good or really bad."
Amanda smiled to herself.
"It was..."
She shook her head.
"...both."
Neither of her parents pressed for details. They knew their daughter well enough to recognize when she needed time before talking. Her father smiled warmly.
"Well..."
He pointed toward the hallway.
"Get some sleep. We love you."
Amanda smiled.
"I love you too." She headed upstairs. Her bedroom looked exactly the way she'd left it earlier that afternoon.
The string lights hanging above her bed cast a soft golden glow across the room.
A stack of homework still waited on her desk.
A half-finished sketch rested beside it.
Everything felt familiar. Comforting. Amanda quietly closed her bedroom door before leaning against it. She exhaled.
Finally. She was alone. She kicked off her shoes and walked slowly toward her dresser.
Her reflection caught her eye in the mirror.
She stopped. For the first time... She really looked at herself.
Her makeup was streaked. Her hair still looked slightly damp despite her best efforts to clean it in the restaurant restroom.
The dress she'd been so excited to wear now hung wrinkled and stained over the back of her chair. Amanda looked away.
She quietly changed into an oversized T-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts before climbing onto her bed.
The mattress sank comfortably beneath her.
She leaned back against the pillows. For a long moment...
She simply stared at the ceiling. Then...
Almost without thinking... Her fingertips brushed lightly against her lips. A smile spread across her face.
"My first kiss..."
She whispered the words into the empty room. A soft laugh escaped her.
"...was with the guy I've been secretly in love with for practically my entire life."
She covered her face with one hand, laughing quietly to herself.
"I cannot believe that's real."
She rolled onto her back. Closing her eyes. Replaying every second. Michael laughing. Holding her hand. Calling her beautiful. Kissing her beneath the streetlights. For just a moment... Everything else disappeared. The humiliation. Maria. The party. Even Melissa.
Then— Her phone vibrated across the nightstand. Amanda opened one eye. The screen lit up the dark room.
Melissa Calling
Her smile disappeared. Just like that. The warmth she'd been carrying home from the restaurant quietly slipped away. Amanda stared at the screen. It continued ringing. She imagined Melissa on the other end. Probably crying. Probably apologizing. Probably trying to explain.
Amanda squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't ready.
Not yet. The phone continued vibrating. Once.
Twice. Three times. Amanda reached toward it.
Her fingers hovered just above the screen.
She wanted to answer. She really did. More than anything.
But every time she closed her eyes... She saw Melissa standing in Maria's living room.
Standing still. Watching. Waiting. Not coming.
Amanda slowly pulled her hand back. The ringing stopped. Silence filled the room once again. A notification appeared.
1 Missed Call
Amanda stared at the screen until it slowly faded to black. She turned onto her side, pulling the blankets closer around herself.
"How..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"...did today become..."
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"...the best..."
A tear slipped quietly onto her pillow.
"...and the worst day of my life?"
No answer came. Outside, the wind rustled gently through the trees. Somewhere across town... Melissa sat awake with her own phone still clutched tightly in her hands. Two best friends. Only a few miles apart. Neither of them sleeping.
Both wishing they could go back... And choose differently.