This Silence Isn't Easy.

I managed to avoid Alex for the next two days. Part of me was dying to know what he was going to say. And the other part of me was terrified to know what he was going to say.

I wasn’t quite ready to let Alex back in my life. I wasn’t ready to handle a friendship again. Because our last friendship, well, most of the time I was in love with him, and he was just too blind to see it. It killed me to watch him go through girl after girl. Using them only for their body, and ignoring me.

That’s something I won't lie about; Alex Gaskarth really is a man whore. But, no matter how much he hurt me, I just couldn’t stop loving him.

But I did stop loving him. Back then I couldn’t, but now I could. He didn’t hurt me by sleeping with random multiple girls. No, he hurt me by abandoning me.

“Keira?” I hear someone say my name.

I pull my head off of the desk that it was currently resting on and look up to see Jack Barakat standing in front of me, “Jack?”

“Look alive, Mrs. Greer doesn’t approve of napping in class,” He chuckles, occupying the desk next to me.

I spend him a wry look, “Class hasn’t even started yet.”

“Well, it’s about to,” he seems a little hurt.

Suddenly I feel bad for always being such a jerk to him. I guess I resent him so much because I feel like he replaced me. I used to be Alex Gaskarth’s best friend, and now he is.

“Jack, look, I'm sorry I've always been so mean to you. . . I guess I've just always been a little jealous of you,” I tell him, using my most pleasant tone.

Jack’s face lights up and I feel immediately better, “Its fine, Keira. But why are you jealous? Is it because I’m so sexy?”

I giggle, “Oh yes Jack. How did you know?”

“I'm just good like that,” he shrugs.

“But, seriously, I feel like you replaced me.”

Jack shakes his head, “No, trust me, I didn’t.”

“Jack, yes, you did.”

“Keira, trust me, no one could replace you.”

“Alex doesn’t give two shits about me, Jack.”

“Alex is an idiot,” he responds.

I laugh dryly, “I know that.”

“I know he wouldn’t admit it to me, or you, or anybody; but, he misses you.”

I scoff, “Yeah, sure. He has the whole cheer-leading squad fawning over him, the whole male population here worships him, and the teachers think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread—what does he need me for?”

Before Jack could answer the bell rang and the announcements came on.

I sense a pattern.