Rollercoaster Ride

I was crushing on John Cornelius O’Callaghan, ever since I was like, 10. And I didn’t give a damn if he was a year older than me.

“Daphne! Stop staring at John! You’re basically stripping his clothes off with your stare!” my best friend Neyla nudged me.

I blinked my eyes and stopped staring at John that was cooking hamburgers on the grill. I turned my head to Neyla and smacked her head.

“I was having one of my biggest pleasures until you nudge me! Bitch,” I muttered.

“Excuse me—“ she was about to say something until Garrett lifted her up and put her over his shoulder and ran towards the pool. “AHHH!” she shrieked when Garrett threw her into the pool, and then he jumped into the pool.

“Who the fuck?” Neyla questioned herself as her head showed up from the water, gasping for water. She blushed when Garrett appeared in front of her. Shirtless, may I add.

I laughed as the two goofed around in the pool, until Pat cannon balled. The water splashed everywhere. I was sitting like 2 meters away from the pool, but the splashes of water made my legs wet.

“Pat, you fat kid!” Jared – who was sunbathing next to me – shouted. I giggled, got up, and decided to help John cooking the hamburgers. He seemed to get a little bit of trouble.

- - -

Later on that night after the barbeque-slash-pool party in Pat's house, I was hanging out with the boys and Neyla. We were in the basement, playing some video games. I was laughing my ass off at Garrett and Kennedy who was DDR-ing. No there was no DDR machine, but you do know that we can play DDR from PS2, right?

But then I noticed something weird. Neyla wasn’t here… and so was John. My feeling wasn’t really good. I stood up from the purple bean bag and walked toward the door.

“Daph, where are you going?” Jared asked.

“Bathroom,” I lied.

I went upstairs and searched for the two. I went toward the kitchen. No one was there. I went to the living room. Pat’s dog was sleeping on the couch. I went to the laundry room. Nothing but washing machines.

And then I heard some voices from the backyard. I walked toward it and stopped in the doorway, finding John and Neyla, sitting side by side on the swing. You know, the swing that was like a sofa? The swing was located next to the door and was headed toward the pool, so they didn’t see me.

“…Why?” I heard John saying, looking directly into Neyla’s eyes. The serious-slash-soft expression that we could rarely see on John.

“John, I can’t betray my friend. She likes you!”

“Don’t think about your friend. Right now, just think about you. Think about what you want to do!”

“I told you, John. I want a break up! It hurts for me seeing her so happy talking to you, while I’m actually dating you behind her back… for 2 years!”

What?

Neyla… was dating John behind my back?

For 2 years?

That long?

That was it; I couldn’t bear to hear what’s next.

I turned my heels and went back to the basement.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Jared asked.

“I forgot where the bathroom is,” I answered without adding another word and sat next to Pat. I leaned my head on his shoulder and snuggled closer to him.

“What’s up, Daph?” he asked and stroked my hair.

“Shut up,” I told him and closed my eyes.

“Whoa, bitch much?” Garrett said.

I took off one of my Converse and threw it at him. I thought it hit him by the head because I heard him whining, “Oww, my head!”

“You’ve got a little bit of explaining, Daphne Brock,” Pat muttered.

“I’ll tell you later.”

- - -

It was 3.45 in the morning and I still couldn’t sleep. The others had fallen asleep one by one earlier at 2 AM. I sighed and sat up, watching John’s sleeping face next to me. I stood up and went to the backyard and sat on the swing that Neyla and John was sitting on earlier.

“Daphne,” I heard someone saying. I turned my head toward the voice. Neyla. “What are you doing?”

“Can’t sleep,” I answered as she sat next to me.

It was silent for a while.

“Neyla, I thought you liked Garrett.”

She turned her head to me, surprised. I didn’t look at her.

“How could you date John behind my back all these years? You’ve been kissing him and talking so sweetly to me in the same time. I can’t believe it.”

“Daphne—“

“You lied to me about the feeling you have for Garrett?!” I half shouted. “I never thought you would betray our friendship, Ney.”

“I broke up with John!”

“I don’t care! I don’t care if you’re still dating him or not. All I care is why you never told me you liked John too?! I feel like an idiot, talking about him to you! And the worst part is you never told me you dated him and you lied to me! You know how I hate liars and backstabbers, don’t you?!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I wish I could accept your apology,” I said sarcastically, got up, and went back to the basement to sleep.

That was summer, 3 years ago.