SWEET SPOT

Hot Sauce 9

Nyla

I frowned at him, crossing my arms tighter over my chest. “Well, he told me you two had a fight because of me. Why would you even go and fight with him? I didn’t tell you he did anything to me.”

Garrett sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “But you were crying yesterday. You threw away the necklace. It really seemed like he was at fault. So I wanted to know what happened.”

I shook my head, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment and frustration. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

I paused, the words catching in my throat. Garrett waited, watching me closely.

“He just…” I sighed softly and looked down at my shoes. “I have feelings for your friend.”

His eyes widened. “What? What did you just say?”

I swallowed hard and forced the words out again, clearer this time. “I said I have feelings for Ezekiel.”

Garrett stared at me like I had grown a second head. “You like my best friend? Are you crazy?”

“Yeah, call me crazy, whatever you want,” I snapped, my voice rising. “But I don’t like him anymore.”

He blinked, still looking completely lost. “You don’t like him anymore because of some girl called Aida? Like Aida Simpson?”

I nodded, feeling my cheeks burn. “Yeah.”

“Do you know her?” he asked.

“Of course. You wouldn’t know her. I mean, she’s your best friend’s girlfriend. She also takes some of my courses too.”

Garrett stared at me for a long second… then burst out laughing.

He actually laughed hard, like I had just told the funniest joke in the world.

I glared at him, anger flaring hot in my chest. “What is funny? What the hell is funny about what I’m talking about right now?”

He tried to stop, but another chuckle escaped. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry — it’s just… Aida? Ezekiel’s girlfriend?” He shook his head, still grinning. “Nyla, you’ve got it all wrong.”

I crossed my arms, refusing to let go of my irritation. “Then explain it to me, because right now I feel like an idiot.”

Garrett’s laughter finally died down. He looked at me more seriously, but there was still amusement in his eyes. “Ezekiel and Aida are not dating. They’ve never dated. They’re just… complicated. Aida has been chasing him for months, but he’s not interested. At least, that’s what he’s always told me.”

I stared at him, my mind struggling to catch up. “Then why were they hugging today?”

“Hugging?” Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Maybe she was saying goodbye or something. Or trying one last time. I don’t know. But trust me — Ezekiel isn’t with Aida.”

The relief that washed over me was so strong it made my knees feel weak. But it was quickly followed by embarrassment. I had cried, thrown away the beautiful necklace he gave me, and pushed him away… all because of a misunderstanding.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, covering my face with both hands. “I’m such an idiot.”

Garrett chuckled again, softer this time, and pulled me into a side hug. “You’re not an i***t. You’re just… twenty. And you have a massive crush on my best friend. Which is still weird, by the way.”

I groaned into his shoulder. “Shut up.”

We started walking again, the silence between us more comfortable now. My mind was spinning with everything I had just learned. Ezekiel wasn’t dating Aida. He had fought with my brother because he thought he hurt me. And I had pushed him away for nothing.

I didn’t know whether to feel relieved… or terrified about what I was going to do next.

The next day at school, I found Susie waiting for me at our usual spot near the lockers. The moment she saw my face, her eyes widened.

“Okay, spill,” she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me into a quiet corner. “You look like you didn’t sleep at all. What happened after I left yesterday?”

I took a deep breath and told her everything.

I told her about the fight between Garrett and Ezekiel, how I had misunderstood the relationship with Aida, how I had thrown away the necklace in anger, and how Ezekiel had pulled me out of class… kissed me.

Susie’s mouth fell open. “Oh my goodness… he kissed you?!”

I nodded, cheeks burning. “Yeah. It was my first kiss, Susie. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I just froze. And now I’m so embarrassed I can barely look at him.”

She squealed quietly, bouncing on her toes. “What next? Are you guys together now? What did he say after the kiss?”

“Together? Girl, you are crazy, but right now, I don’t know,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “I pushed him away and told him to leave. I feel so stupid. I thought he and Aida were dating, so I acted like an i***t. I even gave him that look of ‘dude I didn’t want to see you ever again.’”

Susie’s eyes were wide with shock and excitement. “Wait… you got kissed by Ezekiel and made him think it’s over? Girl, are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice small. “I feel bad for thinking they were dating. It wasn’t wise of me to act like that. I was just… hurt.”

We were still talking, heads close together, when Aida suddenly appeared in front of us with her usual bright, confident smile.

“Hi, girls!” she said cheerfully.

We both looked up, surprised. Aida was standing there in her cheerleading uniform, looking effortlessly pretty as always.

“I’m looking for new girls to join the cheerleading team,” she continued. “We have a few spots open. You two should try out! It’s really fun, and we need fresh energy.”

Susie’s eyes lit up immediately. “I’d love to! Nyla, you should join too!”

I started shaking my head. “I don’t think—”

“Come on, please?” Susie begged, grabbing my arm. “It’ll be good for you. Something fun to take your mind off… things.”

I hesitated, then sighed in defeat. “Okay… fine.”

Aida smiled brightly. “Great! I’ll send you the details later.”

After Aida walked away, Susie was practically glowing. I, on the other hand, felt nervous. Cheerleading? Me?

When school finally ended, I packed my bag quickly and headed home, wanting nothing more than to hide in my room. But as I approached our house, my heart stopped.

Ezekiel was standing right outside my door, hands in his pockets, looking like he had been waiting for a while.

My heart beat so fast I thought it might explode. I even hid behind a tree for a second, peeking out at him. But then I realized how ridiculous I was being. If I kept hiding, I would never face him.

I took a deep breath and walked up to him.

Ezekiel looked up when he saw me. For a moment, we just stood there in silence, staring at each other.

“What are you doing in front of my place?” I asked, my voice quieter than I wanted.

“Your brother asked us to meet,” he replied. “Are you back from school?”

I nodded.

There was another awkward pause. Then I gathered my courage.

“I think I’ve changed my mind,” I said, holding out my open palm. “I want the necklace back.”

Ezekiel looked at my hand, then at my face. He sighed softly.

“I’m sorry, Nyla,” he said quietly. “But I lost the necklace.”