Triple Silence

Wow. So, that was fun, huh?

It’s almost five, and Hunter left fifteen minutes ago.

Okay, so I lied to him. Of course I’m gonna read his secret. What does he expect? It’s me for goodness sakes. It’s his fault for being too naive and believing every word I said.

I opened the paper.

My secret. It read. By Hunter Adams.

You wouldn’t really expect me to have a secret. I probably don’t seem like the type of person who would do anything bad. I’m not. Not really. But I do have a secret. A bad one.

It happened three years ago, before I moved to this school. It was a Tuesday evening, around 6oclock. I was at Sophie’s house. Sophie was my best friend. My life. I loved her. I still do. But she saw me as nothing more than a best friend. A brother. She was lying on her bed, flicking through a magazine. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, finishing the Math homework I had been set that day. She was talking to me, gushing about some guy in her History class that she liked, who had spoken to her that day. I didn’t like it. How much I wished that it was me she would talk about like that. Me that she liked. But it wasn’t. It was Matthew Taylor. A jock. Captain of the football team. The complete opposite guy to me. It was then that I realised that she would never like me. Not in the way I wanted her to. I thought to myself ‘don’t be so stupid, Hunter! Get it through your head that she will never like you. Never! You’re not her type, at all. You’re a pathetic, nerdy, bony guy and she will never like you!’ Sophie was still talking. She hadn’t realised that I’d spaced out for about five minutes. I’d had enough. I took a deep breath.

“Soph.” I said. She stopped talking.

“What?”

“Shut up speaking about Matthew, please. I really don’t care about him, you know.”

“But... I thought you wanted to know...”

“Seriously, Soph? I didn’t. I still don’t. Do I really look like I want to know about some guy that, to be honest, I wouldn’t get on with. At all. Do I?”

“Well, I don-“

“I don’t. I don’t care, one tiny bit.”

“I thought you cared about me...”

I sighed. “I do, Sophie, of course I do. How could I not care about you? It’s just him I don’t care about. Every day for about five months now you have been talking about him. I can’t just have one normal conversation with you without his name being mentioned. Not one! It’s like there’s three people here, instead of two."

“But what if there were three of us? Would you mind then?”

“That’s really not the point, S.”

“Then what is the point, Hunter? I don’t understand what you’re problem is. I’m sorry that I like someone, and there’s no-one that you like just yet. I’m sorry. But what would you like me to do about it? I have offered, you know, to find you a date. I’m sure I have a friend that would go out with you. But each time I asked, you just refused.”

“I’m not like you, Sophie. I’m not the sort of person that get’s their friend to find them a date. That’s not me. And besides, how do you know that there isn’t someone that I like? Have you even thought about that?”

“You would have said if there was. Wouldn’t you?”

“Obviously not, Soph. I haven’t told you, have I?”

“Why? I’m meant to be your best friend, Hunter. You’re meant to tell me these things. Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“You are my best friend, Sophie. You’re my only friend. The reason I didn’t tell you is because I knew how you would react.”

“And how would I react? Tell me.”

“No, Sophie. You tell me. Tell me how you would react, then ask why I didn’t tell you.”

“I... I would be happy for you. I would help you get her.”

“I know, Sophie. I know you would. But that’s not what I meant, and you know it. How would you feel?”

“Well... I would feel... A bit disappointed, I guess. I’m so used to having you here, with me. I would have to share you with someone else, and I wouldn’t like it. You would always be with her, and then I would be on my own. I would feel... I would feel rejected. And hurt. But I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell me.”

“And that’s how I feel now, when you’re always talking about Matthew. Think about it Soph. Think about what you just said. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to feel like that. I didn’t want you to feel hurt or rejected. None of that would be true, even if the she liked me back. It wouldn’t happen. But I didn’t want to hurt you by telling you.”

“Ohh... Wait. What did you mean, ‘none of that would be true.’?”

I sighed.

“Hunter?”

I looked at her, but didn’t answer.

“Who is it that you like? I don’t care, Hunter. I don’t care if you hurt me. As long as you’re happy, then so am I.”

I was getting frustrated now. How could she not tell?

“Is it not obvious?!” I almost screamed at her.

She jumped slightly, but shook her head.

I grabbed her shoulders, and shook her. Hard. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to hurt her.
I could feel her tense.

“Think, Sophie. Think! Who could it be?"

“I... I don’t...” She must have seen the look in my eyes. “Ch-Charlotte?”

I hit her. I slapped her cheek. Hard. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to hurt her.

I let go of her and stepped back. I could see tears flowing from her eyes. I could see the red marks on her cheek, from where I hit her. I could see the purple fingerprints on her shoulders, from where I grabbed her.

“For goodness sake! It’s you Sophie! It’s always been you, and it always will be. I love you Sophie, and you didn’t notice!”

I noticed her shaking. Her hand holding her cheek. Her lips quivering. I hurt her.

I could tell what she was thinking. ‘You love me, but then you hurt me like this?’

I grabbed my bag, and stormed out of her room, slamming her door shut behind me.

I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to hurt her.

But I did. I couldn’t help it. I, Hunter Adams, hurt Sophie Kingston. My best friend. My life. I loved her. I still do. But I hurt her. . .

I haven’t seen or spoken to Sophie since. I miss her. I’m sorry, Sophie. I’m so sorry.

Wow. That’s all I can say to that. Wow. That is not what I was expecting.

Bless him!

I feel really bad now...

He remembered every single detail of that one night. Every word spoken. Every thought. Every memory.

I don’t know what to think now.

But I had no time to worry about him.

It was 5oclock. The doorbell rang.