Chapter thirty-three | Friends Forever

Chapter thirty-three | Friends Forever

"So..." Connor hesitated, giving Navya a look. "Will you like to hang out?"

His words were weak, almost drowned out by the busy school corridors.

Watching Connor hesitate wasn't something new, but it was certainly something rare. With his goofy attitude and uncaring smile, he was rarely the one to hesitate.

"Sure." I shrugged.

I pulled out my phone, ready to type in a text. "We should call in Michael and Aaron too. Oh, and maybe-"

Connor cut me off with a bland look. "No, just three of us."

I stopped at his words, blinking at my screen for a moment. My eyebrows drew together in confusion, and I gave him a look. "Why?"

Navya and Connor shared another look as a silent conversation passed through their eyes. They have been sharing these a lot these days.

"The more, the merrier, right?" I coaxed, waiting for someone to explain.

"Yes," Navya bit her lips, contemplating her words. Her hand on her bag strap tightened for a moment and then relaxed. "But we want to spend some time with our friend."

I huffed in response, rolling my eyes. "They are your friends too. Don't act like that."

"No, they are not," Connor curtly answered, making my eyes widen. His face was impassive as any trace of amusement or hesitation was wiped clean.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I spluttered, feeling flabbergasted.

"Eli, I understand that you are socializing and making new friends, but that doesn't make them our friends too. We are not comfortable with them," Navya tried to explain, but I was having nothing of it.

"You are friends with Cynthia and Andrea," I retorted, making her sigh.

"They are a different case. Unlike your new friends, they are welcoming. You will never see us talking to Aaron or whatever the other guy's name is. They make us feel awkward."

I couldn't help but scoff at her words. While an insignificant part inside of me knew the truth, I buried it under my ego.

I was sure there were eyes trained on us, taking in every detail of our body language and movements. Ears tuned to the conversation as their mouths formed rumors.

Anticipation hung in the air like a heavyweight.

"We just want to spend some time with our best friend," Connor added, emphasizing the last two words.

"What about my wish? What about what I want?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes.

I crossed my arms on my chest, ready to rain fire. I don't know why I was acting this way and making a colossal mess out of such a unimportant thing.

Maybe something inside of me got triggered with their words and mixed with Dad's words from a few days back, they were churning into venom.

The venom that could potentially ruin things forever.

"We are your best friends, Eli, not them!" Navya explained, trying to remind me of the fact.

"Are you sure about that?" I spat, making the air charge with tension.

Are you sure you are my best friend?

The hidden meaning behind my words wasn't lost to them. The weight made them silent along with the other people.

I could faintly register the light sound of the school bell ringing in warning, notifying us about the impending school day.

I kept my gaze steady, not backing down from the small staring match between Navya and I. Pain flashed through her eyes, making my heart drop for a moment.

It was a significant task to resist the temptation to apologize and take my words back.

"It's no use talking to him," Connor whispered, tugging Navya lightly by her elbow.

Their eyes shared another silent conversation with disappointment and sadness as the main topic.

My eyes remained trained on the way they went. Even when the hallway almost emptied and students left giving me an odd look, my eyes remained trained on the space.

It was then that I realized that my words were fatal. Fatal for our friendship.

As the classes slipped by, my mind wasn't able to focus on anything. The words were a jumbled mess, impossible to comprehend. I was dazed throughout the first half of the school.

So, when I found myself in front of the heavy lunchroom doors, I couldn't help but feel surprised.

Fingers snapped in front of me, making me look down to meet warm cocoa eyes. An infinitesimal part of tension dissolved, making my shoulders relax a little.

"What happened, Eli?" Her voice was concerned as she searched for something in my eyes.

"Nothing," I gave a meek reply, moving inside the buzzing room.

She caught up to my steps, not letting go of the matter.

"I heard what happened in the morning. Is it true?" she coaxed, waiting for me to react in any way.

I felt numb at the mention as I gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Yeah."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and her eyes widened. "What?" she spluttered with disbelief clear in her tone. "You fell out with Connor and Navya? All these years-"

"Yes."

My terse response shut her up. Her mouth twisted into an almost scowl as her eyes blazed.

The chairs scraped against the floor as we took our usual seats.

Against my wish, my eyes moved across the room and towards the door, searching for familiar figures.

Smothering the urge to ask about their absence and fidget on my spot, I turned towards the people on our table.

"Where are you guys going?" I heard Andrea's chiming voice behind me.

My head whipped around, locating Navya and Connor. Andrea had a frown on her face as she gave both of them a questioning look.

For a moment, Navya glanced towards our table, meeting my eyes for a second.

The small contact was enough for my conscience to cry as her eyes flashed pain.

"It's just too suffocating there. We are all right here. So, you can sit there, babe," Navya replied, giving Andrea a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure? I mean, Eli's there too."

For a bated moment, I held my breath. My stomach churned as I waited for them to answer.

"It doesn't matter," Connor huffed out.

My stomach dropped, and I could feel myself turn visibly pale. All the blood rushed to my brain as thoughts after thoughts jumped in my mind.

I didn't even realize when, but I was on my feet.

My steps were determined as I walked to the table Navya and Connor had decided to occupy. My hands fisted on my sides as I gave both of them a questioning look.

"Why are you guys sitting here?" My voice was demanding. I could barely reign in the tremble of vulnerability.

"It is suffocating there. Too many people," Connor answered with a straight face.

I could feel Cynthia lightly tugged on my hand, trying to whisk me away from the situation.

Taking a step closer, I gave both of them a scrutinizing look. "Cut the bullshit. All of us know that it is because of the morning's incident. You guys are seriously overreacting. It was just a small thing."

Even I could feel the uneasiness in my voice as I presented a fake lie.

"No, we are not," Navya hissed, narrowing her eyes. "What you said wasn't a small thing. You know it too."

The entire room's eyes were trained on me as they peered with interest. It would be all around with various twisted forms of rumors.

"Well, I wouldn't have that if you weren't so jealous," I seethed at both of them.

Connor scoffed as a burst of mirthless laughter slipped past his lips. "Seriously, Eli? Jealous. You have lost your mind."

I made a voice at the back of my throat, giving them a disbelieving look.

"Oh, really?" I leered. "So, you aren't jealous that I am changing and have more friends than you could ever make?"

I sounded so stupid and petty, but at that moment, I was beyond caring. My words were irrational but good enough to soothe my ego and anger.

"Eli!" Cynthia gasped beside me, surely giving me a shocked look. I had stooped down, but at that moment I couldn't care less.

I gave a satisfied smirk as a look of pure surprise flashed on their face.

The whole lunchroom was plunged into silence as the tension increased with every passing second. With bated breaths, the busybodies waited for Navya or Connor to retort.

Any moment now, a scene could unfold, or it could rain a mess.

"You are wrong, Eli." My smile faltered as Navya uttered those words.

Staring deep into my eyes, she let me see the slowly prickling tears. Connor avoided my eyes altogether.

"To be jealous, you at least need to know the person to some extent. But you, we don't know you. Not anymore."

Her words were like a sharp slap, making my heart sting in pain.

This time, the damage to our friendship was irreparable.