Playing With Fire

Andrea and Liam age 13 part 2

The next two days Liam has been over at Andy’s. Not for a long period, but enough to spend some time with each other and slowly start to rebuild their friendship. He always kissed her on her cheek before he left but looking around to make sure no one else was looking but Andy didn’t really notice. The night of the dance, Laura and Tori met at Laura’s house to take pictures of the two and drive them to the dance.

In the car ride, Liam grabbed her hand and held it. “You look really pretty Andy.” He said and kissed her cheek. Both moms were looking in the mirror watching the two with a smile on their face.

“Thank you. You look nice as well.” The ride was short and when they got out of the car, they walked hand in hand into the school gym where the dance was held.

Liam looked around and saw his friend in the corner watching them as they walked in. He pulled his hand way from her quickly and she looked up at his with questioning eyes. “Sorry, I am uh…going to go get a drink.” He said and walked over to his friends while Andy stood to the side and waited for him.

“Dude what are you doing with her?” one of his friends asked.

“My mom made me take her.” he shrugged.

“Then why were you holding hands?” another one asked.

“Our moms dropped us off and were watching.”

“You like her!” they pointed at him.

“Pfft no I don’t. You guys are crazy.”

“Come on, let’s go outside to the playground and play some football.” The boys started to walk towards the exit and he stood where he was. He looked back at Andy who was talking to Jayme and Collin and he looked back at his friends, who stopped. “Are you coming?” One asked. He looked back at Andy.

“Yeah, let’s go.” And he ran after his friends and they went outside.

“Hey, where’s Liam? I thought he came here with you?” Jayme asked.

“He said he was getting something to drink. I don’t know, he is just taking forever.” She shrugged her shoulders and peered around Jayme to look for him. She looked towards the punch table and he wasn’t there. She looked around and couldn’t see him. “I’m going to go look for him.” She spoke.

“We’ll help you.” Jayme said pulling her date with her to look for Liam. They all split up to look for him. She noticed that he wasn’t in the gym and also notice that none of his friends were there too. Her stomach started to turn, becoming nervous.

“Hey…I found them.” Collin said.

“Where are they?” Jayme asked. He brought the girls to the door that lead outside to the fields and they all stood in the dark doorway, none of the other boys noticing that they were staring at them, listening to their conversation as they threw the football.

There he was, playing catch with his friends and overhearing the conversation taking place.

“So why do you like her? I mean she’s cute but she is just so annoying.” One of the boys said.

“I don’t like her I said. I told you, I am only here because my mom made me.” Tears started pouring from her eyes as she was listening to this. Jayme turned to Andy.

“I am so sorry Andy. Do you want me to call my mom and we can go home?” she asked bringing her into a hug.

She sniffled and wiped away her tears, that just kept pouring. “No. I’m just going to go home. It’s not far, I’ll walk.” She turned before Jayme or Collin can say anything and started her walk home. During her walk, all she could think about were the words that he said a couple days ago, how he said he liked her, how they shared their first kiss. How he was her first kiss. How that maybe, just maybe, they can become closer and maybe he would be her boyfriend. The walk was short, about 10 minutes. She walked into her house and her mom and Aunt were sitting at the kitchen table talking.

“Sweetie. We were going to pick you two up in a couple of hours. Why are you home? Where’s Liam?” her mom asked. “Honey…why are you crying? What’s wrong?”

“Liam is with his friends, I got sick and came home. I told him to stay so he can at least have some fun.” She lied. She didn’t know why she lied, but she did. “I’m going to go lay down and go to sleep.” She walked up the stairs and went into her room and locked the door and walked over to hear dresser, pulled out her diary and wrote and entry while crying her pain away.

Dear diary.

I told you I was excited about this dance. I really was. Liam looked so cute. He left me at the dance to go hang out with his friends and he told them that Aunt Tori made him take me. I don’t know. I’m so hurt. If he didn’t want to take me then why did he ask me? Why did he kiss me? Did he know it was my first kiss? I never want to see him again. From now on, I will never be friends with Liam Belmont.

She tucked herself into bed that night and cried herself to sleep. At the dance, Liam was starting to feel guilty about leaving Andy alone.

“Hey um…I’m going to go to the bathroom.” He said to his friends and ran away from them to go inside before they could say something back to him. He went back into the gym and got a glass of punch to give to her, ready to apologize for leaving her alone for so long. He looked everywhere and he even had some of the girls look in the bathroom for her. He couldn’t find her. After a couple of hours of looking for her, the dance was ending and his mom picked him up. He saw his mom’s car outside and ran to it.

“Hey mom. Can you help me find Andy? I can’t find her.” He said at the window of the driver’s side.

“Oh honey, did she not tell you? She got sick and came home. She said she told you to stay and hang out with your friends.” He didn’t reply. He couldn’t reply. He knew he messed up. Somehow, she must have saw them outside since she knew he was with his friends.

He hopped in the passenger side of the car “Can I go see her and check on her?” he asked hopefully.

“Not tonight. Let her relax this weekend and get over whatever is making her sick. You can see her in school Monday.” He nodded, not wanting to listen to his mom, but he really didn’t have a choice.

Sunday came and he tried to go over and see her but Laura told him she wasn’t feeling well and was still in her room and to wait for tomorrow. He knew what was going on, she was avoiding him. He tried later that day to go over but John told him the same thing, that she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to leave her room.

She was distraught. He broke her heart. She really liked him and for him to say those things really hurt her. She called Jayme Sunday morning and told her what happened. “Do you want me to kick him in the nuts?” she asked Andrea.

“No, he’s not even worth it at this point. I’ll just forget about him like I did before.”

“You know you’re not going to be able to do that Andy. He was your first kiss, that will always be there.”

“I know, but I can pretend.”

Later that night, right when the sun was going down, there was a knock on her bedroom window. Her bedroom is on the second floor of her home, so for someone to physically be knocking seemed impossible to her mind. She walked out of her bathroom and froze when she seen Liam at her window. He was standing on a ladder, knocking.

She opened the window so they could talk. “What do you want Liam. I don’t feel good. I just want to go to sleep.”

“I want to talk to you. Your mom and dad kept saying you were sick but I don’t believe them.”

“Believe what you want, but I am sick. I’ve been sick ever since the dance.”

“Then you won’t care if I come in and help take care of you?” he said and he pushed her out of the way and climbed into her room.

“No please, go home Liam.” She said trying to push him back.

“I want to help take care of you Andy.”

“You can’t because I don’t want you to.” She looked down at her feet, trying not to look into his eyes. She didn’t want him to see the emotions that flooded her.

“Why not?” He asked trying to look at her but she kept turning away.

“I want you to go Liam. I don’t like you anymore.”

“You don’t mean that. I know you like me and you know I like you too.”

“I don’t. I changed my mind.”

“You can’t do that. We’re friends and we like each other.”

“I don’t want to be friends anymore Liam. Please, go home. I don’t want to hang out anymore. I don’t want to talk. I just, I don’t want to be friends. I do not like you. I’m going to tell my mom that I don’t want us to have birthday dinners together. I don’t want to go over to your house anymore for weekly dinners. I don’t want you here. Just please, go home.”

“You don’t mean that Andy. Please let’s be friends.”

“Go home. I can’t be friends with someone who is going to pretend to like me when we are alone and then act like he doesn’t care when he is around his friends. That’s not what friends do.” She turned around and walked away from him, heading into her bathroom and locked the door. He walked over, pounding on the door for her to come out so they can talk and make up but she wouldn’t budge. After about fifteen minutes of trying, he gave up and he slowly walked back to the window and climbed out and down the ladder, knowing that he just messed up with his best friend and there was nothing that he could do to fix it.