Diamonds and Stones

Two months later, and Lizzy was the crankiest person alive.
"It's the middle of May, the wind is cold, and Lizzy is annoying," I sighed.
"Can't blame her now can you?" Dan replied.
I shot him a look. "But I know someone I can blame."
He immediately went quiet. I sighed, rolled my eyes and put my head back down on the lunch table.
"Where is she anyways?" Phil asked.
"Where do you think she is?" I retorted.
"Someone's a crab today," Jack said. Finn had been sick the past few days so Jack had gotten a chance to spend some time with us.
"Sorry," I muttered. "Didn't sleep well last night."
"Oh."
We sat there in awkward silence.
"And then?" I said, in an attempt to be funny, and to break the silence.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
The door to the lunch room opened and in came Lizzy, walking over to her table. I watched as Dan's eyes followed her affectionately. I looked at Jack and Phil who seemed to have noticed as well.
"Dan," Phil said. When Dan didn't tear his eyes off Lizzy, Jack threw a wadded paper towel at his head.
"What was that for?" he whined, turning back around to face him.
"Stop staring. You're practically drooling."
"I am not," he said defiantly. "I was just... Lost in thought."
"Yeah, okay," Phil said. "Thoughts of who?"
"No one!" he blushed. We all laughed. "Fine, I know, it's obvious. But she surely hates me, so don't rub it in."
I sighed. "She doesn't hate you, trust me. She's just confused."
"I can imagine... I'm so sorry, I really am."
"I'm not the person you should be talking to. Tell you what, I'm going to text you an address. After school, meet her there and just talk."
I pulled out my phone and quickly typed a short text message to him. I sent him the address of a doctor's clinic, since Lizzy had an appointment later on. I had promised I'd go with her, but if Dan was finally trying to make things right, then I'd have to find a way that she'd listen. And yes, this was the best I could come up with.
"Okay," he said as he put his phone away. "I can do that."
I nodded at him. "Good."---
"She'll hate you for ditching her," Phil laughed that afternoon, as the three of us walked down to the park. I had just told them about my plan.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" I laughed, intertwining my fingers with his. He smiled at me.
"Guys, stop it," Jack whined.
"Stop what?" Phil and I said simultaneously, looking over at him.
"Stop being all... All whatever it is you are! Now I know how it feels like to be the awkward third wheel."
I laughed. "Aww Jack, it's alright! I bet there's some girl who's just waiting there for you to sweep her off her feet!"
I ruffled his hair and he immediately jumped back. "Not the hair, not the hair, not the hair!" he squealed.
"It's fun, though!"
"Not for me!"
We all laughed and headed to the park. After a bit, Jack left, so Phil and I walked up to our usual bench.
We sat down. I kicked my legs up and leaned against Phil's side.
"How's Lizzy doing?" he asked.
"She's doing okay. She asked Nancy the other day if she could be homeschooled, but it makes no sense since, well, we're in May and there's only one month of school left anyways."
"So for next year?"
"I suppose so," I sighed. I chuckled sadly. "Don't you ever wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life?"
"Sometimes," he replied softly. "But who would I be if my life was different? We might not even have met."
"I guess everything happens for a reason, hunh."
I turned around to face him. I pulled my legs up under me and leaned onto his shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess so, too."
"Phil?"
"Yes?"
"How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay."
"Okay, like good okay, or just okay?"
"Good okay, I suppose..."
"You've stopped, right?"
"Stopped...?"
"Making yourself throw up."
"Er..."
"Phil!" I said, looking up at him.
"I've almost completely stopped... Um, that reminds me. Juliette, er, you know how every Saturday I have to go talk to a therapist right?"
I nodded, taking him hand in mine to encourage him to continue.
"Well, I wanted to know if this Saturday, you would like to come with me."
I thought for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! I talk to my therapist about you pretty much every time I see her," he said, making me blush, "and she said she wants to meet you."
"Well, I guess, I mean, if you want me to..."
"I'd love for you to."
"Then yeah, sure. I'll come." He grinned at me, and I reached up to kiss his cheek. "You're adorable."

----
"I can't believe you left me and sent Dan instead," Lizzy grumbled, plonking down on her bed.
"You guys talked, yeah?"
"Yes..."
"Did he just talk to you and leave?"
"No, he sat in the waiting room while I was in the doctor's office."
"Oh."
"But the sweet thing was," she said, and I noticed a smile form on her face, "that I didn't tell him to wait for me. Nor did he tell me he'd wait. He just did."
"That's sweet," I smiled.
She nodded. "It was. He also walked me back home."
"Awwhhh!"
"But I don't know, Juliette... I... I kinda do like him, well, like-like him..."
"'Like-like'," I snorted.
"Oh shut up, you couldn't have said it any better."
"True. Keep going?"
"So, yeah. And... I don't know. It feels... I don't know. I'm not a whore. I just feel like it's too soon."
"It's been three months..."
"Would you be able to move on from Phil in three months?"
"That's different," I said, getting defensive at her edgy tone.
"Not really, no. I don't know what to do, because I still like Finn but I like Dan too..."
"You must like Dan more than you're letting on for this to have happened."
She looked as if I had just slapped her in the face, and I didn't understand why. I was just stating my point of view, and I wasn't even too rude. Or was I?
"Excuse me, what?"
"Well, yeah! I mean, really? How else could this have happened?"
"He was being really nice to me, comforting me and all, since well, you obviously heard what Finn did..."
"So what Dan was saying at the lunch table all those months ago was true?"
She nodded slowly.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"No, I just, I..."
I sighed. "Lizzy, explain everything to me."
"Okay, fine."
She started explaining to me how, a few hours after they had reached, Finn had disappeared with another girl. She explained how horrible she felt and how she had yelled at him and dumped him but he didn't seem to care. How Dan came up to her, comforted her. How one thing turned into another, and another...
"So now you know the whole story."
I was silent for a moment, then I sighed. "Lizzy, now I have to put my foot down. You still have feelings for Finn?"
She nodded, ashamed.
"Lizzy... Oh gosh, Lizzy. He's a douche. I mean, I guess he's a friendly guy and all, but... Come on man! Why are you still so..." I sighed. "You know what, never mind. It's your life, I guess. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about him, and maybe spend more time with Dan."
"They were really good friends before this happened, weren't they."
I looked at her sadly. "They were pretty tight, yeah."
"I just wish they would stop fighting over this."
"It's something worth fighting about, though."
She sighed. "And I wish Finn didn't hate me."
I stared at her. "Finn doesn't hate you. Finn can't hate you, Lizzy, get that out of your head!"
"I know, but..."
"Lizzy, things are never going to be the way they were."
She looked up at me sadly.
"Our lives are pretty much based on moving on. Lizzy, you out of all people should know that."