Dear Diary, I Think I'm In Love

Handing Leverage To The She-Devil

Dear Diary,

These holidays changed so much in our household. I can barely stay in my own house anymore, if I want to avoid the she-devil. Aiden used the opportunity of our parents being practically in love with Cassie to invite her over. Every. Single. Day. She’s even started to stay in our guest bedroom, so she didn’t have to leave our house just to come back the next day.

I don’t care if either of them reads this. They know I don’t like her. That’s right, Cassie. I don’t like you. It doesn’t matter, does it? Because I know the feeling is mutual. And I don’t care Ha.

Anyway, it’s a good thing my best friend is staying with me. Or else I’d really lose it.

Everything changes after that evening at the Fall Festival. Cassie starts coming over to our house, giving both Leslie and I an excuse to get the hell out of there, so we don’t have to watch her face.

I start meeting up with Eric all over the town, always careful not to go anywhere mom’s or dad’s workplace. I take Leslie with me every single day, because I can’t stand the thought of her sulking over her parents’ divorce in my room. And then having to listen to Cassie’s annoying giggling, coming out of my brother’s room.

Eric doesn’t seem to mind that. At least that’s what I think. We walk around the park, sit down at La Provence to have a cup of coffee, and macaroons, of course, or go watch a movie. We also repeat our Saturday fun at the festival one day, but it’s not quite the same.

I mean, we can’t exactly suck each other’s faces off in front of Leslie. That would be rude. And I’m not sure I’m up for that kind of PDA. Anyway, this goes on until about the middle of the week.

Leslie and I are hanging in my room, doing some schoolwork before we head out for the day again. I text Eric where we’re meeting today, only to have him reply with: I don’t know.

It feels strange, so I decide to ask him if there’s something wrong. Or if he doesn’t want to see me. I can’t help but panic. Did he change his mind about me? I freeze as I think about the only possible explanation. Hunter told him. He told him that he saw me naked.

But as Eric’s message arrives, my face falls. In the next moment, I get furious. Can we ever meet alone? I get up, telling Leslie that I’m going downstairs to grab a drink. But in reality, I just have to get out of the room and calm myself down, before she notices that I’m mad.

I text him back as I step on the hallway, my fingers tapping furiously across the screen. Wow. I’m not going to leave her alone in the same house as Cassie. I thought you understood that. Guess not. As I hit send, I breathe out angrily. I reach the middle of the staircase, when someone walks out of the bathroom.

“Trouble in paradise?” Cassie asks as she sees the look on my face once I turn around. I glare at her, stopping just to give her a piece of mind. Just once in my life. I can’t stay quiet anymore.

I use the sweetest voice I can come up with at the moment to say: “How about you mind your own damn business and pi-”

“Look who’s still amongst the living and breathing,” a very familiar voice interrupts me from downstairs. I turn my gaze towards Hunter, slightly surprised that he’s talking to me, and slightly panicked because Cassie is witnessing this. She hangs on every word someone says.

“Of course, I am. What do you mean?” I say to Hunter, trying to keep my face and voice neutral. I really can’t afford for her to realize something fishy is going on. He leans against the kitchen doorframe and smirks.

“Mm, not much. Just missed seeing that pretty face around the house lately, that’s all,” he drops the bomb, making me freeze. What is he playing at right now?! s**t!

“Well, you’re seeing it now, happy?” I tell him, barely managing to get the words out of my mouth. I don’t dare to look upstairs, because I know she’s still standing there. As I hear her footsteps getting closer, I panic even more. What is she doing?

“You have no idea,” Hunter responds with that smirk still playing around his lips. “You could hang out with me some more, now that I’m third-wheeling,” he continues, making me stare at him like I’m about to jump at his throat and strangle him.

“You’d still be third-wheeling, sorry. My best friend is here too, remember?” I hiss in a defensive tone, unable to take where this is going anymore. He chuckles.

“I don’t think I’d be the third wheel in this case. It doesn’t usually go like this,” he suggests in a flirty tone, making Cassie chuckle. I send her a deadly glare as she moves past me with a triumphant expression on her face.

“Oh, wow, Perrie. I didn’t know you were juggling between your brother’s friends,” she remarks sweetly, trying to pretend that she’s harmless. But I know she’s anything but that. I grit my teeth together, panicking as a thousand images flash through my mind. She could ruin everything in a blink of an eye. I need to put a stop to this, before it escalates.

I grip the railing, knowing very well that my knuckles are turning white. And my face is probably matching with the wall beside me, because I can feel the blood draining from it. “For your info, Cassie, I’m not,” I tell her, before I’m able to come up with a good argument. The silence that follows, echoes around the house painfully.

She eyes me with a searching gaze, her lips pulled into that satisfied smile. “Sure, sure. If that helps you sleep at night,” she remarks. I already open my mouth to object, making the mistake to glance at Hunter’s smug face before turning back to her, but she cuts into me. “Oh, don’t worry, Perrie. It will be our little secret,” she then assures me, sending me a wink before moving past Hunter into the kitchen.

I stand there, unable to believe what just happened, staring at Hunter with mixed feelings. As he starts moving towards me, I turn around without a second thought and escape him. I run into my room and close the door behind me, taking advantage of the fact that our parents aren’t home, and even go so far to lock it.

My best friend jumps on her feet immediately, alerted as she sees the haunted look on my face. She makes me sit down and I’m forced to tell her everything. I tell her about what just happened, which forces me into explaining that Eric wanted us to hang out alone, without her.

Leslie slumps her shoulders at that, clearly hurt, but pretends not to be. “But Perrie, I wouldn’t mind if you went alone … I’d be okay … You two are a couple, you do need some time together, without me,” she speaks up.

I shake my head, furious that she’s even suggesting it. “No way. You need me way more than he does right now. I’m not going to leave you hanging,” I turn her down, then bury my face in my hands. “Oh, Les, what do I do about Cassie? She’s not going to stop now,” I mumble.

She hugs me, rubbing my back in a comforting way. “Just ignore her. She can’t ruin anything, okay? Eric decided to trust you and he won’t just listen to someone like her,” she tries to assure me. But I’m not so sure about that.

I don’t say anything else, because I don’t want my best friend to think that I’m … God, I don’t even know what I am. What if Cassie’s right? What if I am juggling between Eric and Hunter, without even realizing it?

I force myself to push the thoughts away. No. I’m not that kind of person. I wouldn’t do that to anyone. Especially not someone I care about. I’m still mad at Eric, though. Bad conscience won’t make that just go away.

“You know what? I’ve changed my mind. Someone needs to show that b***h where her place is,” Leslie suddenly speaks up, a murderous expression taking over her face. I grab her hand and pull her back on the bed in the last moment.

“Uh, Les, don’t. She’s really not worth it,” I tell her, knowing that Cassie really is walking on the edge of her nerves now. My best friend glares at me.

“Yes, she is. She’s worth even your mom calling the cops on me, if that means she’ll finally leave you the hell alone,” she responds in a tone so cold and serious, that it scares the crap out of me. I widen my eyes.

I shake my head. “No. Never say that. We’ll find another way to bring her down, okay? You have enough on your plate already. Don’t get tangled into her mess, too,” I plead her quietly. She presses her perfectly plucked lips together for a moment, then breathes out defeatedly.

“Fine. Fine, I won’t. Now give me those project instructions, before I change my mind,” she finally decides and I hand her the instructions without a second thought.

It’s a good thing we have so much schoolwork to do. If we didn’t, I have no idea how I’d keep Leslie distracted from everything that’s going through her head. Oh, grandpa. Where is your advice, now that I need it most?