Page 1 of Barron's Second Chance
1
Young Love
Then
Edentuggedonherskirt uncomfortably as her eyes flitted around the room in search of her friends. Twenty kids were crammed into Brad Templeton’s basement to celebrate the popular student’s fourteenth birthday.
There was a long table in the center of the room where Brad’s Mom had placed pizzas, chips, cupcakes, and sodas. After turning on their stereo system to the squeals and cheers of everyone when a popular boyband began playing, Brad’s parents placed a hand on his shoulder before disappearing back upstairs. They hadn’t returned.
This was her first “grown-up” party, and she had never felt so out of place. She was used to organized timelines - a clown, a bouncy castle, and a few planned games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey. She had never been to a party where the adults had just left the kids to have their own fun.
It was also her first boy/girl party, the main reason why she felt so awkward. She wanted to fit in with the other girls, so once she left her house, she promptly rolled up her skirt a few inches. At the time, she felt confident, pretty, even. But seeing herself surrounded by all the petite girls of her class, Eden was a little self-conscious at having her long legs on display. She felt like an ungainly giraffe.
She was also pretty sure that she was only invited because of Barron. Her best friend. Eden smiled as she thought of her blonde, hazel-eyed protector. Their moms were best friends. Had been since she and Barron were in Pre-K. It was only natural that their kids would spend a lot of time together. After a rocky start, where Barron had tried to steal a kiss from her before she socked him in the nose, Eden quickly forgot her animosity when he shared his Twizzlers with her. They’d been inseparable ever since.
If she knew then what she knew now, Eden would have let him steal a kiss from her. Because her feelings of friendship had grown into a full-blown, painful crush.
“Whatcha thinking about, E?”
Speak of the devil.
Eden’s face heated as Barron slipped an arm around her shoulder. She tended to blush whenever he paid her the slightest compliment, which had been more often than not lately. Sometimes, it was such an effort to keep her feelings for him a secret.
Still, she tried hard to treat him the same - pushing him when he was being gross, rolling her eyes at his cheesy jokes, high-fiving him when he did something awesome. But in moments like these - where Barron’s body was pressed up against her, and the smell of his deodorant with a subtle hint of sweat surrounded her senses - her guard came down. For just a moment, Eden allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to be Barron’s girlfriend and not ‘that’s just Eden, his friend.’”
“E?”
Eden quickly came to and peered up at her best friend. His eyes had softened, and his mouth was relaxed in a small smile. She was so close to him that she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes and smell the sweet tang of orange soda he had been drinking. She unconsciously licked her lips which drew Barron’s eyes towards her mouth. Curiously, a slight blush flared across his cheeks, and she felt his arm tighten against her shoulders.
A sudden shove from behind startled Eden, causing her to spill some of the drink she was holding down her top. Barron swore as he steadied her, grabbing her cup to prevent more spillage.
“Oops, sorry!” A sickenly sweet voice drawled behind them.
Lissa Kelston held her hand against her heart in the fakest act of shock Eden had ever seen. Even though it was her that had been shoved the hardest, Lissa’s gaze was locked on Barron.
Eden started flicking off the excess liquid, thankful she was wearing a dark top and drinking lemonade.
“Are you okay?” Barron ignored the other girl as he grabbed a few napkins from the table.
“I tripped over these heels. It’s my first time wearing them,” Lissa whined, knowing full well that Barron had been asking after Eden and not her.
“I think I hurt my ankle. I need to sit down for a moment. Barr, do you mind if I lean on you?”
“Uhh…,” Barron looked between them, clearly not wanting to leave Eden but not wanting to be a douche and decline to help a girl out. That was her Barron. Chivalrous to a fault.
“It’s okay,” Eden gave him a small smile. “I’ll just clean myself up. You help her.” Those last words tasted like ash in her mouth. She was well aware that the only thing wrong with Lissa was subtlety.
Lissa fixed Eden with a saccharine smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re so lucky you don’t have to wear heels, Eden.” And with that, she slipped her hand through Barron’s arm and hobbled away with him.
Eden clenched her jaw as a rush of jealousy seared through her. Lissa was the quintessential all-American blonde, blue-eyed and petite popular girl. She also played into her stereotypical role by being a complete bitch to her. Lissa was never outright mean or physically harmful to Eden. But she liked to shoot her daggers wrapped in backhanded compliments. Like pointing out her height, knowing that it was a physical attribute that Eden was self-conscious about. It wasn’t even like Eden was a giant, but she felt like a lumbering Goliath next to Lissa.
Another reason for Lissa’s disdain? The other girl had a not-so-secret crush on Barron. She had always been jealous of Eden’s friendship with him and would constantly make digs about how Eden was ‘just one of the guys.’
Barron was popular in their student body. He wasn’t only good-looking but was an excellent student, a bit of a class clown, but not in a nasty way. He got along with everyone and was captain of their soccer team. She loved watching him play, but it always killed her when Lissa would approach him for a hug in her cheerleading uniform after cheering him on. To his credit, Barron always kept their contact brief and rarely gave the other girl the time of day.
It didn’t make Eden any less jealous of her, though.
“Ugh, are you okay?” Sofia, her other best friend, took the soiled napkins from her and threw them carelessly on the floor. “That girl deserves a Razzie for her performance.”
