Tara

- Part 3 -

Stupid.

Stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID.

I wasn't that obvious was I?

I mean the opportunity came to kiss her and I really really wanted to so…

"Stupid!" I said out loud suddenly on my way to seminar making a few people next to me jump. How long had Laura known: that's what I wanted to know. Months? Days? Hours? Minutes?

I mean I guess I stare at her a little longer than I need to and I may find any excuse I can to touch her but she's my best friend, I thought maybe that would just be seen as a 'close friend' thing. Apparently not.

I tapped my leg nervously against my chair as I waited for her to come in. We both attended collage classes on a Saturday morning 20 miles north of Atlanta city and I was not ready to see her after last night.

After the blow out with Laura I'd gone home, too embarrassed and frustrated to be around people. I'd driven home in a state of distress and as soon as I parked my car I started to cry.

I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'd finally kissed the girl I loved and she was too drunk to know what was happening. Or maybe because I'll spend the rest of my life replaying that moment over and over in my head and she wont even remember it. Maybe I just needed to cry.

Either way, I didn't want to see her.

When she walked in I immediately shrunk down into my chair, hoping she wouldn't see me. I felt like an elephant trying to camouflage into a tree. It didn't work.

She spotted me and I looked away instantly, reminding myself to just act normal and not be awkward, please don't be awkward.

"Hey you," I jumped, knocking my pencils off the desk.

Fuck me.

"Hello," I croaked, after reaching down and picking up my pencils like a hunchback. "I didn't know if you'd be here today."

"The hangover sucks," she said as she slipped into the chair next to me. "But I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh," I said casually. "What about?"

"About . . . what Laura was saying. And what happened last night."

"We don't have to talk about that." I said quickly, concentrating very hard on writing my name.

"But . . but I want to ask," she sighed. "Can you look at me please?" I bit my lip.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck this was exactly how I didn't want my morning to go. We still had ten minutes before class started and we were already on the subject.

I shuffled my feet around to face her. Then I looked up and met her eyes. She stared at me, searching my features for something. I don't know what, some kind of sign or emotion. I kept my face as humanly blank as possible.

Then she said it.

"Was what Laura said true?" she whispered, her eyes not leaving mine. I swallowed hard against my throat. Do I tell her the truth or do I lie? Again. Our friendship was the most important thing in the world to me and I wasn't going to jeopardize it by declaring I wanted something more than a friendship. But then again . . . what if there was that tiny chance she felt the same way?

"Yes," I said so quietly, it was nearly inaudible. "I like you." I waited for the gasps, the horrified expressions and the awkward rejection . . .

But they didn't come.

Instead Maggie smiled. And then, the strangest part of it all, she leaned over and kissed me. Without the influence of alcohol.

I froze, confused at what was happening.

She kissed me.

She kissed me.

Then I was out of my desk and pressed against her body like it was my own. Her hands were around my neck and I felt her smile against my mouth as I lost my hands in her hair.

"Why didn't you tell me," she said as we pulled back, foreheads pressed against each other's. I knew the whole room was likely to be looking at us but right now, I didn't care. Fuck that. She was mine.

"I didn't think you felt the same," I said honestly, breathing out slow even breaths.

"I think the feelings have been there for a while," she said. "I just didn't know where to find them."

I smiled, unable to process the situation I was in. She liked me back.

I opened my mouth to reply when there was a sudden jolt, followed by the distant sound of explosions from outside.

"What was that?" Maggie said, lacing her fingers through mine.

"I don't know." I replied, frowning at the door. Our whole class had stopped talking and were looking nervously out the windows and at the door. Then a second jolt came and the explosions were even louder, rippling through the room like water.

"What's happening out there?" A girl in the front cried. The fingers around mine tightened.

"I think it's coming from the city." Another boy said, heading towards the door. "I don't know about you but I'm getting out of here."

Then the screams started, soft and distant, then a million voices echoing the same terrified pitch.

Then everything went wrong.