'Don't Be Such a Cockroach'

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The holidays snuck in sooner than I expected. How great could things possibly get? The pure pleasure you get each time you wake up without the fear of meeting lousy teachers and completing random assignments.

I spent most of the day away from my house. Mostly at Shawn's place or at a shopping mall when the mood seizes Gemma.

Today, we were at Shawn's house. Charlie, Levi and Chad went to see a football match while Winston, Gemma, me and my jerk of a best friend were sitting on Shawn's extra wide bed gobbling down huge packets of potato chips.

Gemma yawned lazily, not bothering to cover her mouth or something. "I need someone to take me out." She reached out for my chips and I swatted her hand away.

Already she had consumed about four large packets of chips and wanted more. I swear the girl had the appetite of two elephants but it baffles me how she remained fit.

"Didn't you just go out with Charlie the other day? Don't be such a demanding brat." Shawn tapped something into his phone with his free hand, the one that wasn't wrapped around my shoulder.

Gemma ignored his casual insult and dug her fingers into Winston's snack.

"Food thief." He muttered, eyes lingering on her lips while she chewed the chips like a goat.

Those two resolved their issues after all. Don't get me started on how they achieved a truce. Gag me.

"You chew like a goat, Gem." I finally summoned courage to lift my eyes from a copy of Dennis Robins' To Love Again.

Gemma leaned over Shawn to flick my forehead. "Why do I get to be insulted today?"

Winston nibbled her earlobe making her eyes widen in surprise. "That's because you're being so bitchy today."

I rolled my eyes when she turned and cupped his face in her brown hands.

Shawn groaned. "If you two are about to suck your faces, at least give us a warning."

They pulled away from each other.

"Let's take a picture." Shawn suggested. I raised a brow. This was the same person that hated taking selfies and now he was suggesting we do the very thing he hated.

"No. I still need somebody to take me-"

A wolfish grin appeared on Winston's face. "You know I can do that for you. I could take you everywhere you want, on the couch, in the bedroom, in-" He got cut off when Gemma slapped his head.

"You're so immature." She grumbled. They both started arguing about a picture Gemma found on his phone.

I tuned the lovebirds out and turned to my best friend who was toying with my hair. "So, how was your day like?"

"Fine, I guess."

Shawn on a normal day would say something like 'awesome' or just 'good'.

"You've never said that before. Care to expatiate?"

Shawn smirked, probably at the word I used. "We went visiting my grandparents."

By we, he meant him, his parents and Allie. Practically speaking, his family.

"Yeah? So how was it? Better?"

Shawn's grandparents from his father's side never saw eye to eye with his mother, Tanya owing to their enmity with my family. Tanya had once explained that when her own parents died, my dad's own parents decided to take her in to live with them, not like a daughter though.

Some crazy stuff went down between my family and Shawn's in the previous years before we even met in the park. But all that died down, nevertheless, Shawn's grandparents' resentment for his mother remained.

"Yeah a lot better. I guess it has to do with them finding out that the crazy bitch my dad was supposed to get married to landed herself a seven years jail term. We enjoyed our stay there." Shawn smiled at the memories he was remembering from his visit to his grandparents.

I smiled too. His smile was infectious. It was difficult to not smile when he was smiling. I loved to see him happy. He had gone through rough times in the past, this was a great change from his old self.

I looked up to see Shawn studying my face like I was some prized item in a museum. My eyes hooked onto his and we remained there studying our eyes together, stupid as that sounds.

Someone nudged me. "Okay, married couple, break it up you two." Gemma. How did she get to my side of the bed. Last time she was sitting beside Winston.

"We're not a couple, we're best friends." I cringed at my own lame defence.

"Uh-huh." She laughed and wrestled her fingers with mine.

"Do you have an Xbox somewhere?" Winston asked abruptly. Shawn looked in his direction and nodded.

"Are you up for a game or two before the douchebags return? I'm bored." Winston climbed out of the bed and waited for Shawn who seemed reluctant to leave my side.

"Don't be such a cockroach, go ahead." I elbowed him.

He grinned and made a face at me before racing Winston out of downstairs. Boys.

Glancing at my companion, I observed she was in a pensive mood as her eyes were focused on an unrealistic object and her fingers locked together, twiddling up and down. This was what a bothered Gemma looked like.

"A hundred dollars for your thoughts." I spoke softly, snatching her attention.

She sighed and accepted my open hand. "It's just the usual. I only have fun when I'm with you guys. Home is always boring." She mumbled but I heard her because I was a good listener. Winston complained once to me that she had the habit of mumbling to herself when she was sad, nervous or tensed. I just noticed it now.

Gemma told me all about her family. Her parents were your perfect definition of workaholics. They were never at home even when we visit Gemma, that's why we insisted Gemma always hangs out wherever we are because her house is too depressing and the fact that we enjoying pissing the adults off. That's why Winston's dad warned us never to hang out at his house again.

So back to Gemma. Her parents could go for a lower, less demanding job. But they didn't. They were so stuck up in their Jobs that they always forgot her birthday. Note the emphasis on always. They both worked in the Foreign Exchange, a really tedious job if you agree.

Gemma's brother was married and hated coming home except on an emergency which was three years ago for her grandma's funeral.

So to say, Gemma's life was a complete definition of lonely. That's why she always hung around our group.

"I'm glad I  met you guys." Gemma admitted with a faint smile on her gorgeous brown face.  She was really beautiful but either she didn't know or chose to ignore the face.

"I'm glad I met you too, Gemma."

She studied my face for awhile before glancing away at Shawn's study desk. "You all made me feel so loved and welcome.  The family I never had is you guys."

I could tell she was on the verge of tears by her shaky voice and glistening eyes but I  wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Gemma, that's why we're friends. We'll always be there for you, for each other." I replied, staring off at Shawn's perpetually messy closet.

"So, you and Winston, huh?"

Gemma huffed. "Haze, we're not together and never ever will be together."

"Tell that to an idiot." I said, shaking my head. Despite her trying to deny it, we all see the signs of attraction between Gemma and Winston like the occasional lingering stares, the incessant blushing and sometimes you could even see the sparks if you looked close enough.

"What does that mean?"

I sighed checking for any new messages on my phone. Apart from the guys filling my phone with messages on the group chat, there was none. "The way you look at each other tells the whole story. And Winston seems to never leave your side-"

"-is he beside me right now?" Gemma gestured at the empty space beside her.

I ignored her. "Remember the last time Jerry touched your ass at school, Winston gave him a black eye."

Gemma smiled, probably remembering the events of that day. Had Chad and Charlie not held him back, Winston could have sent Jerry on a trip to the hospital.

The things people do for love.

"It's just a friend thing, I guess." Gemma inserted in a rushed manner.

I shot her a dry look. Who was she kidding? Then I  recalled what I said to her in the bathroom when I caught them kissing. But that was like ages ago.

"Gemma," I called, getting back her attention. "If it's about what I said, I don't want you to be scared about that. I didn't want either of you to be hurt and I still don't want that now. No one can help fall in love, so if it happens, don't mess with the flow."

Gemma nodded and fell back on a pillow with an airy smile. "Just like you and Shawn."

"Huh?"

Gemma rolled her eyes, tucking her arms under her hair done in two bunches. "I've noticed too. You always stare at each other when no one seems to be looking and Shawn's always willing to do anything for you, and-"

"-and what?" I snapped, eager to hear the rest.

Gemma smirks. "I think he likes you too." She fixed her brown eyes on me, hoping to catch even the faintest reaction.

Shawn and me, nah. Maybe there was just a tiny crush which was difficult not to have seeing he was cute and all that, but then me and him, just no.

I've seen him in all his embarrassing moments, he had thrown up on me countless times that I remember. He had blackmailed me into pranking his neighbors, for which we got into trouble with our parents. The list was endless, but there was absolutely no way me and Shawn was going to be together together.

I only chuckled nervously and jumped out of Shawn's bed, the one I've lain on countless times, not in the way you're thinking. "Yeah, as a friend. I know. Let's go check on the guys."

"No one can help fall in love. So if it happens, I want you to go along with it." Gemma laughed at her lame imitation of my speech. I glared playfully at her smiling face and left her alone in the room.

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*phew* How much busy could a girl possibly get? Work, school, family, wattpad, it's also insane.

I'm glad I got to update anyways.

❤