Page 12 of Barron's Second Chance
When it was clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, he thought, ‘fuck it.’ He carried on casually seeing Lissa and hanging out with Brad. There was no going back to his old friends since he pretended they didn't exist all summer. He had well and truly burned that bridge.
When he saw Eden around school and watched her dejected demeanor and her embarrassment at the whispered stares from people, he felt ashamed. He willed her to look at him. If she could just grant him one look, he would be able to convey every emotion he felt toward her. They used to be able to communicate everything through a single glance. But she refused even to turn her head in his direction.
And the one time she did, he just had to be standing beside Lissa. The other girl had reached out to grab him as he walked past, pouting her mouth at him to wait for her so they could walk to class together. Even though he reluctantly agreed, Lissa kept her hand firmly on his. He saw Eden’s pained gaze trained on their clasped hands and most likely assumed they were lovingly holding hands in the hallway. He tried to surge toward her, uncaring if he made a scene, but Lissa’s stranglehold stalled him briefly. By then, Eden had rushed out of sight. His stomach clenched in remorse at the thought of his precious girl in distress by what she witnessed. What would he have said to her if he had been able to stop her? She wouldn't believe a word out of his mouth. Not that he could blame her.
He did try one more time to get through to her when he spied her alone in the library after school. He cautiously approached, praying that the public space would make her stop and listen. He underestimated how angry she still was. Seeing and hearing her spit fire at him, he felt all hope slip away. He had never seen her so mad. There was no coming back from the dumpster fire decisions he had made.
So he let her go. He always watched, hoping for a sign that she had softened towards him, but he decided not to invade her space again. It was clearly adding to her hurt; the last thing he wanted to do was cause her more pain.
He continued half-heartedly and casually seeing Lissa, letting her flirt and reciprocating her kisses. He was forcing himself to move on, to try and get over Eden. Was it hypocritical of him to hope that she never got over him? The thought of her kissing another guy - and more - had him seeing red, even though he deserved it.
"Oh, my God! You're kidding!"
His Mom's screech pulled Barron out of his thoughts. He frowned in concentration as her voice floated from his parent's room and down the hall. Carefully, he placed the picture frame back into his drawer and padded towards his open door.
"So wait, this is a legit agent?" He heard her ask. Who was she talking to?
“That's a huge agency, even I've heard of them. I’m always telling Eden that she should model. She hides behind her hair, but she’s gorgeous. Aren’t I always telling her that?”
His heart leaped at the mention of Eden. Agency? Model? What on earth was going on?
"I'm coming over; I wanna see her portfolio." Her Mom did a high-pitched squeal. "Okay, bye!"
Barron quickly ducked back into his room just as his parent's bedroom door flew open. He hid behind his door until he heard his Mom's footsteps hurry past and down the stairs.
He wanted desperately to ask her what her conversation meant. It was obvious that she was talking to Susan, Eden's Mom.
Model? Agency? Portfolio?
He frowned, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He couldn't reach out to his Mom for clarity, unfortunately. The one time Barron asked her if she had news about Eden, she had pinned him with a look meant to strip paint. She cooly informed him that out of respect to Eden and Susan; she would not disclose any information regarding his ex-girlfriend's condition.
"If you really care to know how she is, then you work to get back into her good graces and ask her yourself,” she had told him. Even his Dad was shaking his head in disappointment at him.
Yeah, his parents, although always supportive of him, had a hard time letting go of what he did to Eden. So out of respect for his ex, he refrained from asking them about her. But that didn't stop his ears from perking up at the slightest mention of her name.
Barron sighed before collapsing back on his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared at the stark white ceiling. Whatever was going on with Eden, it sounded big.
Winter break, Christmas, and New Year came and went. Senior year was flying by, and he and Eden were now eighteen.
It took everything in him not to stop by her house on her birthday. They always spent them together, so when he woke up the morning of his eighteenth, it was with a deep sense of melancholy. He didn't want to get out of bed; he didn't want to see his family or friends. He only wanted a birthday kiss from Eden and the customary cake she always baked for him.
He could hear his phone blowing up, but he wasn’t interested if they weren't from Eden. And since he was still blocked, the chances of her reaching out to him were slim. With the comforter pulled over his head, he seriously contemplated staying in bed until the day passed.
On the day of Eden’s birthday, he spent it thinking of her. He wondered what she was doing. What presents did she receive, did she go out for dinner or have a quiet night in with her Mom and friends? He found out later that she had been in New York, thanks to his eavesdropping moments. He swore his Mom spoke loudly so he could hear what a doofus he was for letting her go.
Eden apparently went to The Big Apple a lot, and he deduced that she had gotten some sort of modeling contract. But what kind of modeling contract had her going to New York so often? Lissa modeled every now and then and had been since she was a pre-teen. But her modeling gigs were local and ended up in local store catalogs. She never spoke about going to New York for gigs. Granted, he barely listened when she talked anyway.
He remembered his Mom's phone conversation where she exclaimed that Eden should model. He agreed. Eden was beautiful. She had cornflower blue eyes and light brown hair - hair she always described as mousy. But when the sun hit it, an array of gold and red shined through. He used to constantly pick up strands and rub his fingers through the silky soft texture. Eden also had full, plump lips with a square face that set off her high cheekbones. She was 5'9 and constantly complained that she was tall, skinny, and lanky. But he loved her long legs, especially when they were wrapped around his waist.
A smack to his arm brought him out of his daydream.
"Dude, you're staring at her again."
Ivan, one of the guys on the football team, leaned close and murmured that to him. Barron turned back towards the direction he was unknowingly focused on. Unsurprisingly it was the section where Eden, Sofia, and their friends sat in the cafeteria. He wasn't staring at her per se, but his head naturally swerved in that direction without thinking.
Barron shrugged, uncaring, before taking a swig of his soda. He covertly chanced another glance at his former friends. Seeing Eden sitting there again was a sight he was getting used to. After their break up - or rather, his epic fuck up - she had stopped sitting in the cafeteria during their lunch breaks. He had a sneaky suspicion that it had to do with the fact that Lissa liked to flaunt him in her face. Not that he blamed Eden for not wanting to be near them. He didn't necessarily shove Lissa off every time, especially after Eden made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.
Eden’s face broke out in laughter as she followed her friend Ryan’s antics. Barron watched in bemusement as Ryan, someone who used to be his good friend, confidently and flamboyantly strutted as a model would around their table, stopping near Eden to strike some sort of pose. Their table erupted in laughter as Eden clapped and high-fived him. A smile flitted across his lips at the show.
