Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Take A Chance ❯ Chapter 1

"Come on Steph can't we just--"

"No."

"You could just ask--"

"No."

"Stephanie I think you should really--"

"NO."

Lauren then smacks me. "Can't you just listen for once? Or at least let me finish a sentence?"

I growled and started rubbing the area she smacked. "Fine fine fine. I'm sorry. What are you trying to suggest?"

"I think you should just go talk to her, like you used to. It isn't doing you any good by ignoring her, you know. And you haven't hung out with us in hecka long," she said.

I sighed. Just last week I told my friend Lauren that I had a crush on her friend, Michelle. Michelle is a year younger than us, a freshman, while Lauren and I are sophomores in high school. Lauren and Michelle met because they were in the garden club together and one day Lauren introduced her to me.

Since then, the three of us hung out together every weekend, whether it was going to the mall, eating like fatties at the local McDonald's, or just going to Michelle's house to play Rock Band.

My attraction to the freshman wasn't immediate. I didn't started liking her until that one day at her house, about a month after I met her.

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"What? Lauren can't come over?" I asked.

Michelle nodded. "She just called my cell. Her parents found out that she failed her Chemistry test and now she's grounded."

"I told that girl to study. But nooooo, she wanted to watch Gossip Girl." I sighed.

"Hey at least that means more chocolate chip ice cream for us," she smiled holding up a fairly big tub of ice cream. I laughed. Michelle then handed me a plastic spoon. I thanked her and both of us started to scoop up ice cream from the tub. We sat down on the wooden floor of her room, leaning against the wall and eating ice cream silently.

Today was unusual, well at least for me. This was the first time that it was just Michelle and I hanging out together without Lauren. It was either all three of us or just Lauren and I.

Time passed by, and the ice cream in the tub slowly began to disappear. I made a small burp and sighed out of satisfaction and fulfillment. Michelle sighed happily as well. She then sat closer to me and lay her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes. I was a little startled by this but I shrugged it off.

"I feel fat," she said suddenly.

I laughed. "Say what?"

"I feel fat. I need to burn all these calories off." Next thing I know she gets up, grabs a pillow from her bed and starts whacking me with it. "PILLOW FIGHT!"

I fell to the floor completely and I try shielding myself from her fluffy blows with my arms. "Hey hey hey! Aren't we too old for this kind of thing?!"

"If we're old then our parents must be ancient!" Michelle exclaimed, still smacking me with her pillow.

I made a lame attempt at a dodge roll to avoid getting hit again, making towards her bed for a pillow. Grabbing a "weapon", I turned to Michelle, my grip tightening on the pillow. "Anything you can do, I can do better," I said playfully.

"I dare you to try," she retorted.

For the next thirty minutes we had a fierce pillow fight, in the middle of the afternoon. I thought it was absurd we just had a pillow fight, but hey, she asked for it I suppose. We ended in a draw and the two of us were worn out. We rested ourselves side by side on Michelle's bed, still out of breathe, chests heaving, our heads on the same pillows we used to whack each other with.
 
"So, think you lost some weight?" I managed to exhale.

"Maybe a few calories hopefully," Michelle said in between breathes. Again she placed her head on my shoulder, snuggling into the crook of my neck. I blushed while watching her eyelids slowly closing. "I'm tired now..."

"Yeah..." I said absently. "Me too."

Michelle was soon sleeping soundly on me, instead of the pillow, a small smile on her face. A strange feeling was stirring in me as I watched her angelic face sleeping. I decided to think about it later. I closed my eyes and leaned my head gently on top of Michelle's as I fell into slumber.

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So that's how my unfathomable attraction towards this freshman started. But once when I realized that the feeling grew into more than just friendship... I got kinda scared. These were new feelings that I can't really comprehend. I began avoiding Michelle and if I had to converse with her it was brief and simple with little eye contact.

Lauren and especially Michelle noticed my strange behavior and only Lauren came up to me privately to question my actions. That was when I told Lauren that... well I liked Michelle and I was afraid of what she might think of me if she ever found out. And since then Lauren has been trying to persuade me to talk to Michelle again.

"She misses you, Steph. It pains her knowing that there's a possibility that's it's her causing you to be this way," Lauren said softly.

"I see. I... I miss her too. But I'm afraid... afraid that she'll think I'm some freak," I choked.

"You don't know that Stephanie. You'll never know the final outcome of how she will feel if you keep avoiding... and hurting her like this."

My eyes grew wide as realization hits me. "I'm hurting her... I'm hurting her aren't I? Oh god... I'm an idiot."

Lauren lightly chuckles and gently pats my back. "You're not an idiot. You're just confused. Heh I bet if I was in your position, I'd be thinking the same thing too. But now I'm curious... what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't want her to be in pain, especially because of me..."

"And you are gonna stop her pain how...?"

Lauren noticed my determined expression. I think she's got an idea on what I'm about to do.

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I rang the doorbell, waited outside the door on the porch of Michelle's house, and received a surprised face from Michelle as she opened her door to find me.

"Stephanie..." she said finally.

"Hey how's it going?" I asked casually.

Michelle smiled, something I haven't seen in so long. "I'm better... now." I smiled too. "You want to come inside, Stephanie? My parents aren't at home right now so it's fine."

"Sure."

We walked upstairs to Michelle's room and sat on her bed, a few inches of space between us. My heart was beating rapidly. I took notice that Michelle was also looking just as uncomfortable as I am.

"So," she began awkwardly. "Is... everything okay now?"

I immediately knew what she was talking about. "It's a little shaky right now... but it is getting better."

Silence. Awkward silences were just as bad. Then Michelle murmured, "Does it have to do with me?"

I felt a lump in my throat, but I had to answer. "Yes..."

"Stephanie please tell me," she pleaded. "What did I do? Did I do anything to make you avoid me like you've been doing? Whatever I did I'm sorry..."

"Michelle you've done nothing wrong. If there is anyone to blame it should be me," I said.

"But why?"

I took a deep breathe, exhaled, then looked directly into her eyes. "It's because I like you, Michelle," I answered. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaping open. "I-I was scared to tell you... so I avoided you. I was scared that you'd be freaked out by my feelings and you wouldn't want to be friends anymore. It's okay if you reject me... all I want is to be friends."

All of a sudden, Michelle launches herself at me and burries her face into my shoulder. Startled, I couldn't find any words to speak. This was definitely a reaction I was not expecting. I noticed she was quiet and still for a moment, until I realized her body was slightly shaking. Small sniffles filled the room; she was crying. I was about to ask what's wrong until I heard her mumbling into my chest.

"What did you say, Michelle?" I asked gently.

"I... I...." She paused, trying to calm herself down. She wiped away the tears still streaming down her cheeks and sharply inhaled before continuing. "I-I want... I want to be more than just friends... I want to be closer... to you.." she whispered so quietly, it was almost inaudible.

I was speechless. Michelle must have noticed and kept going. "At first... I just liked you as a friend. But there were times when I just needed to be around you, with you. I kept telling myself that I just wanted to know you better. That was until you stopped being around me, and barely saying a word to me. I began feeling lonely, empty... even if I was with my other friends or Lauren. And finally it dawned on me... I liked you." She began crying again, even harder. "AND THAT'S WHY IT HURT SO MUCH! IT HURT BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T TALK TO ME, IT HURT BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T AROUND.... it hurt so, so much... because you wouldn't look at me with a smile on your face and call my name..."

Michelle stopped and continued to sob. Before I knew it, I was crying to. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer. "I'm so sorry Michelle... I didn't mean to hurt you. I had no idea you were in pain too. I thought it was just me in pain, yet you were just in as much pain as I was. Could... could you forgive me, Michelle?"

She hugged me tighter, beginning to settle down. "Yes... I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I forgive you completely.."

"Michelle?" I said.

"Yes?"

"Can we... be together?" I asked hesitantly.

Michelle cupped my cheek and begin to bring my face closer to hers. "Yes... I'd like that."

Soon the distance between are faces diminished and our lips began to touch.

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"Geez guys you're late!" Lauren yelled.

"Sorry sorry, Michelle was having trouble choosing what to wear. She wanted me to help," I said. Right me beside was Michelle, my hand in her hand, fingers entwined.

"We were supposed to be at McDonald's ten minutes ago." Lauren sighed. "Whatever. Let's go already. I'm hecka hungry."

"Same here," Michelle agreed.

"When we get there, there are some guidelines for you two." Michelle and I looked at her quizzically. "One. No P.D.A."

I blushed. "Lauren we weren't gonna--,"

"And two! Please don't make me the third wheel. I don't like the feeling of being left out..." she said.

Michelle and I laughed at that.

"Hey you guys! I'm serious!" Lauren exclaimed.

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A/N: Like it? I've been typing this story since... September? Haha I finally finished it. Anyway thanks for reading. Feedback and reviews are always welcome. :D