Right Girl

"You know what, Sam. Want to know what I'm feeling? I'm feeling jealous"

I went back and started to remember what I did all day, most of the time, I spent it with Garrett so who or what will he be jealous at. I don’t know what he’s talking about or what’s on his mind but I do know that the Garrett I’m talking to right now is not the Garrett I like.

“Garrett, what are you saying?” I asked with my soft tone of voice. I don’t want any more shouting, yelling or even cursing. I just want to know what’s on Garrett’s mind because it also bothers me too and it made me concern.

Garrett sighed and moved away, he leaned on the wall and hanged his head back, “Remember what I told you in the laboratory..”

I just can’t control myself anymore when it comes to you..

“.. I mean every word from that sentence. As someone close to you, I can’t take it when you get hurt or by just seeing you cry even though you always try to be brave enough” He continued.

Garrett was still holding my waist while talking but in a more gentle way, it didn’t hurt anymore, even the way he holds my wrist doesn’t hurt anymore, he became gentle again. “Garrett, I don’t get it. Who are you jealous of?” I asked while I cupped his face in between my hands.

“John, that tall and skinny man you were jumping with a while ago” Garrett gazed at the crew fixing the sound system instead of looking at me. I felt like he wasn’t comfortable confessing what he feels at that moment.

“Why are you jealous of John?”

I tried to make Garrett look at me by moving my head to his view but it was a fail. Garrett sighed and looked at our feet together, “Because you’re so close to him and I got scared that someday, you’ll walk away from my life but you’ll be in his life instead. Do you get it? I’m feeling shit right now! I don’t even know how it became like this to me. I just.. I just feel like shit”

I pinched Garrett’s cheeks again and played with it like I did a while ago that made his mood change, “Well, don’t worry about that, Mr. Nickelsen. Because you will always be my friend no matter what. I promise you, that I won’t leave you. I can’t do that, Garrett. Garrett is Garrett not Garrett is John or the other way around”

Garrett showed me his smile; the smile I’ve wanted to see since I’ve known that he was in a bad mood. Every word, I’ve said meant everything I felt for him. Maybe, I am sure now that I like this guy but that doesn’t mean I have to confess everything to him. I’m scared that it will just ruin the friendship that we built.

I treasured the memories so much that I might feel hurt if ever it was all a lie or it will just get flushed in the toilet just because of a stupid move by me or someone who tries to break our friendship because they think we’re different.

I fixed his messy hair and giggled, “Keep that smile, please”

Garrett showed me a smile that was even bigger, “Like this, would you still be my friend if I smile like this?” He joked.

I laughed back and hugged him, wrapping my arm around his neck, “I’ll still be your friend no matter what size, shape or what you may look like”

“Garrett!” I moved away when someone called out Garrett. Garrett pulled my hand as we headed to the person who was calling him just now.

I looked at the person in front of me and he waved as a greeting, “Hi, I’m Trey”

I waved back and smiled, “Hi, I’m Samantha Brooks”

Trey’s eyes became wide as it can reach and his smile reached his ears, “Are you really Sam Brooks? Garrett has been talking about you---“

Garrett covered Trey’s mouth while he was talking and tried to pull him away from me, “Uh, I’ll be back, Sam!” Garrett shouted at me while he was pulling Trey out of my sight. And I was all alone again.

I felt someone stood beside me and I swear I can tell that the person is very tall. I looked to my right and saw John smiling at me like I owe him money, “Hey there” He greeted.

“Hi there” I greeted back and observed if Garrett was around but he was not, too busy to get Trey out of here.

“Garrett’s mood changed, what did you do?” John asked.

I shook my head and giggled a few times, “Pinched his cheeks. It makes him think that he’s cute and he’s mood goes back to normal. Crazy, right?”

John and I just laughed and laughed and talked about some stuff that has to deal with Garrett’s mood swings and Pat’s love for cupcakes but it was fun talking to John. I’ve always felt like he can be a good older brother to me. I don’t know how or why I just did.

“John, who's Mandy?” I suddenly asked in between his joke about a band's vocalist that has a voice of a goat.

“Mandy Logan? Oh, she's the cousin of Garrett from his mother's side. Gave a surprise visit to Gar and Trey that's why Garrett was so happy a while ago. Before, Garrett only trusted two girls: his mom and Mandy. But now, I guess, it's 3, including you..” John continued to explain but my mind was suddenly drifting away.

Garrett trusted me so much now and I can't even explain how proud I am to be a part of those people he trusts, because he's the first person I trusted next to my sister. Garrett showed me how to live normal, he gave me so many reasons to earn my trust.

After how many minutes of packing and fixing the sound system, the lights and everything, it's now time for the gig to finally start. I stood beside Mandy and Trey as we all watched the band play. I was starting to feel excited because it was the first time I've watched them live.

“So, how are you and Garrett?” Mandy asked me while the loud music coming from the band was playing.

“Fine. Good. Very good” I answered back.

Mandy nodded, “My cousin sucks at relationships. I hope yours work well”

I shook my head and laughed and laughed but it was too obvious that it was forced, “we're not dating!”

John looked at the crowd before announcing their last song. Everyone was having a good time and it was too early to say good bye. “I want to say hi to Trey, Garrett's brother; Mandy, Garrett's cousin; and of course, Samantha, Garrett's special friend! This song is for you because Garrett requested it”

There was a new girl in town
She had it all figured out
Well I'll state something rash
She had the most amazing...smile.

I bet you didn't expect that
She made me change my ways
With eyes like a sunset, baby
And legs that went on for days

&&

I thought the dating issue will end just there with Mandy but rumors spread so fast that it traveled to school fast and they have proof which immediately caught my attention.

I entered school but without Garrett this time. He went to school earlier than me because he said he'll fix some stuff but I didn't know that some stuff concerns him and I.

“Hey Sam! I like your cropped top!”

“Sam, you look good when you tie your hair in a bun!”

“Sam! You made it to the couple wall, how sweet!”

I looked at everyone passing by and most of them have the same bright smiles on their faces while they greeted me. I don't what I did, I don't know what happened or how it happened but it was creeping me out. It was not very normal for them because most of them didn't give a fuck.

I saw Garrett coming towards me as I was fixing my locker, “Did you see it?” Garrett asked me while he pushed the locker door closed for me.

“What? See what?” I asked back and tried to handle four books in my arm all together. I suddenly stopped when Garrett shifted from my side to in front of me and I just then realized that he was not in the mood in such an early time of the day

Garrett pulled something from his pocket. He showed me a very familiar picture, the picture that was taken in the famous restaurant that we went to before. I grabbed the photo from him and looked at it closely, “Where did you get this?” I asked him.

Garrett looked everywhere and smirked, “Everywhere”

I turned around and saw many copies of the photo posted on the walls and everywhere but I don't know why I didn't noticed it until Garrett showed me around. I remembered, I still have a minor headache after doing so much headbanging from last night's gig of The Maine.

Lisa came rushing towards us with her other puppets of bitches and shoved the picture to my face and I swear I can tell that she was putting so much force into it that my face can be erased. I lost my balance and fell on the floor.

Garrett pushed Lisa away and also made her fall on the floor, “How many times will I tell you that, I don't like you? Lisa, I never liked you. Get away from Sam, touch her, you'll be dead”

Garrett pulled me up and helped me get my books from the ground. Lisa looked at us with tears in her eyes. There are times that I wondered what's going inside her head when Garrett's always flirting with others girls? And the more hurtful part? She's a part of Garrett's group of friends. I wonder how it feels to be in her shoes?

I tried to look back at Lisa who was still on the floor crying her heart out as it got broken again by Garrett, “Don't look back” Garrett uttered as he looked straightly on the hallway.

“Garrett, Lisa's crying” I whispered but Garrett doesn't seem to care about Lisa anymore even though she's a friend of his.

“Lisa likes to get attention, that's why she does stupid things like that. She wants to be the talk of everyone, the girl every guy wants to date. But seeing you as you've changed, many people liked you, Lisa thinks of you as a rival” Garrett continued to explain.

I looked at myself and wondered why did I became a rival? Lisa is pretty but her personality lacks everything good. I don't need to be a rival to her because I won't steal everything from her, she can have it all.

The bell rang. Garrett and I ran towards our room while laughing because we almost slipped through the wet floor. It suddenly felt nice after what happened a while ago with Lisa.

When I was to go to my 5th subject, which is the only class that Garrett isn't with me, something or someone pulled me when I passed by the janitor's room. The room was so dark and I couldn't see who pulled me in but I wasn't scared.

“Uh.. Hi, Sam”

The lights opened and Lisa appeared before my eyes. Her make up was washed away and she looked so simple and I never expected to see her like that because she wasn't the type that would look simple, especially on school days. She likes attention.

“Hi, Lisa” I greeted back. I wasn't looking directly to her face because I'm terrified that she might hit me or do something like what she wanted to do to me before.

“Sam, I want to tell you something” Her voice was almost a whisper.

She wasn't shouting or saying bad stuff about me. Every time her mouth opens, we're very sure that only bad stuff and cursing words would come out from it. People say she has a dirty and big mouth.

She took a deep breath and tried to shake her hands to keep the nervous feeling and negativity away from her, “Listen carefully to everything that I will say, Sam”

I nodded as a response. I wasn't thinking but suddenly my hands held hers and I said, “Don't be afraid to tell me what you feel. I know how it hurts when you can't open up your real feelings”

“Garrett means so much to me, as a friend and even more than. Take care of him because I'm getting tired of wishing that he'll come back to me. I tried to change but I just failed at it, because this is the real me. When I saw the picture of you two at the restaurant, he's smiling; he's happy. I've never seen him like that when I was with him. Take care of him” Lisa continued as she tried to control her emotions from spilling out.

I watched her being brave, telling me all she feels for this one man who can't feel the same. That one man once saw him into the dark but also left her hanging there. I started to admire Lisa's bravery for being honest. And for all of the people, she picked me.

“Sam, I'm trusting you to not say a word to Garrett. I'm okay by just being his friend, that's enough for me. Do your part, if you know what your part is, do you?” Lisa looked at me suspiciously and waited for my reply but I don't know how to react in the first place.

Lisa shook her head and started to do weird actions with her hands, “Sam! Wake up! It's obvious that Garrett likes you! By the way he protects you from the people who brings you down to the way he pulls you closer every time just to make you feel that you're safer with him, don't you get it? You may be the smartest girl in our class but when it comes to love, you're dumb”

I looked at her with a not convinced facial expression and said, “Garrett and I are just friends and I think we should just stay that way for now. But..” I trailed off.

“But what?” Lisa exclaimed

“I like Garrett” I continued.

Lisa smiled at me and hugged me, “I know you do. Now, when the right time comes, don't waste any more time and just confess!”

&&

Garrett invited me to go to Pat's backyard party with the rest of the boys because last night's gig was so great; unexpected number of people, great sound system, nothing bad happened while they performed, Mandy's surprise to Garrett. Everything went well yesterday.

“Hi, I'm Tim” Tim, Pat's older brother welcomed me to their house and gave me a can of soda to feel even more welcomed. The Kirch residence is very neat because of their mom's strict rules and very good to look at because of the pictures of their family hanging on the walls of the stairway.

After a few minutes of watching Pat and Garrett record a hilarious video on their laptop, John, Kennedy and Jared came along, holding plastic of different kinds of food with them.

I jumped on the couch and made myself very much comfortable, after being humiliated at school because of Lisa and the pictures everywhere. I feel stressed out.

John quickly ran to my side and sit, “I saw something!” He mentioned.

I looked at him and sighed, “What is it? Porn?” I asked, making a lame joke even though I was never good at it.

“Pictures, Sam. You and Garrett together at a restaurant. Is there something going on with you two?” John asked as he played with the van's key on his hand.

I moved my head and saw Garrett playing with Jared and he was so much happy, I looked at John again and raised an eyebrow, “No. There's nothing going on with us. He's just a friend. Everything is misunderstood, you know” I tried to explain.

John patted my head ans laughed, “No need to be mad, sweetheart. I just got curious”

With the champagne bottles open and the burger patty and steaks got cooked, the party started with their own music playing from the backyard. Simple as the party can be. I felt like I've known them for so long and I've been part of their family for so long though I've just met them recently. I felt very welcomed.