The Deep Spark by KttySaysRawr (recommended ebook reader .txt) 📕

falling.
"I'll drive you and let you sleep." Bewildered at his actions, she stared at him. "I can walk y'know." He frowned down at her. "I don't care."
Althea giggled and snuggled closer to him. James smiled and kissed the top of her head.

*****

James knocked on Althea's door the next day. Althea's mother answered and greeted him warmly. He asked where she was and her mother guided him to her room. James opened the door and leaned on the door frame, watching Althea organize her CD's. He knocked gently on the door and chuckled when she jumped. "Am I truly that invisible to you?" Althea giggled at his sarcasm.
"No, but you're like a freakin' ninja." Althea got up and hugged James before leading him into her room to sit down. He sat down on her bed while she knelt on the ground to gather her CD's. Once they were put away, she sat down beside him.
"How are you?" It was a simple question, but it held so much emotion, so much concern.
Althea shrugged. "Better I guess. I'm happy you were there though." Althea smiled and James couldn't help but return it.
"I'm always going to be there, Athena." Althea hit James' arm while he erupted into a fit of laughter.
"You know I hate it when you call me that!" James started to call her Athena for her feisty personality and it stuck. Althea suppressed a giggle and continued to hit him. Eventually, she got up and leaned on the wall, pouting in mock sadness. James followed her, still laughing, and leaned down to face her.
"Don't do that, Althea. You know I hate that." Althea giggled once more. She stared at James for a while before acting; she attempted to kiss him. James dodged and Althea almost fell over.
"Care to, um, explain what that was about?" Althea's face was flaming with indignation and she stared at James in disbelief.
He ran a shaky hand through his brown hair and stared Althea. "Althea, what happened last night…that kiss," he sighed, "it didn't mean anything." James words were soft, but they were as sharp as knives in Althea's heart.
He looked away and Althea felt the blood drain from her face. "H-how can you say that?" She reached for him, but he avoided her touch.
"It just wouldn't work. We're better off as friends."
Althea felt herself grow dizzy. "But our promise."
James looked at her. "Althea, we were kids. Kids who wanted nothing more than to be with our best friend for life. Marriage and a relationship isn't the only way we can stay together." He sighed. "I have to go. I'll call you later."
He walked past Althea and out of the house. She slid to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. How could he say that? Why would he say that?

She let go off the building tears and sobbed quietly.
James sat outside in his car for a moment. I hurt her. I know I did.

He drove home without a second thought.

CHAPTER 2

The weekend came and went with no word from James. Althea was remote at home, struggling to understand James' parting words.
"It just wouldn't work."

Althea's fine face twisted into a scowl. She didn't see anything significant that stood in their way. Sighing, she laid on her bed and looked at the ceiling. She had an intense urge to hit something from all the frustration.
"What the hell is his problem?" She bit her lip and looked towards her phone. She could call him, ask him and they could get this whole problem over with. She was confident that James would give her a reason.
She sat up and crawled across her bed to her night table. Grabbing the phone, she speed-dialed his cell phone and waited for it to ring. Instead, it headed straight to voicemail.
Puzzled, it took her a moment to realize that she was supposed to leave a message already. "Hey James, it's Althea." She paused. "I was, um, thinking about what you said the other day and," she sighed, "I just don't understand it."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "We've known each other since we were toddlers, so no secrets right?" She gave a shaky laugh. "I've liked you for a pretty long time now, maybe like 4 years, but I never told you anything cuz…" Althea's voice died off, leaving the sentence unfinished. "Well, I never thought you could be interested in me," she whispered. "You've always been so, so masculine and tough. You go out with girls that wear makeup and mini-skirts and I – " She struggled finding her voice, "I can never see myself like that."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she spoke. "Then Friday happened." She paused thinking that when he heard her message he might need it. "You tried kissing me, but Kurt showed up." She smiled at the memory. Her voice lowered. "And then after Guy, you held me." Althea let out a shaky breath. "I was sure I was dead. Only in my dreams had you ever held me so close. I felt so completely safe and all I wanted was for that moment to never end." Her voice cracked near the end of her sentence and she bit her tongue to keep from crying.
"I still do," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "But you know what really convinced it was a dream?" Althea licked her dry lips. "When you kissed me. Not one of those little pecks on the cheek, but a-an actual kiss. Did you know that was my first kiss?" She nodded as if he was in front of her. Althea sighed. "You don't know how glad I am that it was real."
She huffed and pulled on her hair. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like you a lot and I would really like to know how you feel about me. And if you don't like me then, why did you kiss me? Just call me back as soon as possible. Bye." She hung up and let the tears fall.
She clutched her pillow to her and cried, thinking of how this could change her relationship. Maybe if she hadn't said anything, if she had just been able to forget Friday. But somewhere inside of her, she knew that it was impossible.
Throughout the week, Althea tried to talk to James and ask him if he had gotten her message. By the way that he was avoiding her, it seemed that he had. If she was ever in the same room as him, he fled almost immediately. If he wasn't able to leave, he would avoid meeting her gaze, and begin to shamelessly flirt with the nearest girl. And every single time, the knife that had been in her heart since James departure was dug a bit deeper.
Althea just watched as James ignored her, feeling more rejected with each passing day. She stood at her locker one day, sneaking glances at the boy while he flirted with a group of girls.
She felt a frown set on her lips. They only flock him like that because he's graduating soon and because he's popular in general. She slammed her locker closed but couldn't help but feel some kind of emptiness when James didn't even glance in her direction. She hugged a textbook tight against her chest, feeling a swell of emotions getting ready to burst from within her and feeling like she would explode at any moment.
Althea walked briskly past James and his groupies, completely aware of the slight sneers she received from some of the girls. She didn't care. She only hoped James would at least look at her. She was strong enough to keep walking, but weak enough to look back. James was still talking and laughing.
Althea sighed. "So it's really over," She whispered to herself. She walked into her Chemistry class and dropped her bag onto the floor and book onto the table. She roughly pulled her hair back into a ponytail, trying to rid herself of her fury, and soon plopped down in her chair. Tears threatened, but Althea wouldn't give in.

CHAPTER 3

Althea sat in her room on her bed, brushing her hair. "It's a new day, Althea. You don't need him. You will be alright." She said to herself. She ran the brush through long curls a few more times before putting it on her dresser and pulling her bag onto her shoulder.
"Bye, Mamá!" Althea called as she left the house for school. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her cargo pants and breathed deeply. She had made a resolution the night before: If James was going to ignore her, she would ignore him.
"Two can play at that game," she said to herself in the darkness.
Althea knew it was a bit childish, but she didn't want to go down without a fight or a broken heart. She trudged to school and went to her locker first, trading books out of her bag and locker and running a hand through her hair.
"Good morning, Althea."
The female looked up and smiled. "Morning, Kurt. How are you?" Althea closed her locker and turned to face the male standing next to her. Kurt was very handsome; tall, tan, green eyes and brunette hair. He always reminded Althea of a cover model for Calvin Klein or something.
Kurt shrugged to her question. "I'm alright, I guess. Tired." He yawned, but laughed some. Althea laughed a bit and nodded. "Did you get the history homework yesterday?"
The two were walking to World History, comparing notes and answers, when they passed James and his crew. Althea didn't notice, but James glanced at the two. Neither she nor Kurt noticed the daggers James stared at Kurt, but instead kept walking and laughing and talking. Althea and Kurt made it to first period World History still talking and sat down together.
"Althea, are you doing anything tomorrow night?" Tomorrow night was Friday. Althea shook her head.
"Nothing besides watching reruns of old shows and reading books. What about you?"
"A few friends and I are going out. You should come. Mel told me how you don't get out much now." Kurt said. Mel was one of Althea's friends and she constantly bothered her to go out.
Althea sighed. "I'll think about it," she said with a weary smile.
He nodded, apparently pleased with her response. During the rest of class, she noticed that Kurt was paying more attention to her than usual. Or had he always been like that?
She shook her head softly. She should be concentrating on the exam review, not wondering over boys attention. Pleased with the mental pep talk she gave herself, she focused on Mr. Magher's review about the Chinese Dynasty's and promptly ignored the conversation starting remarks that Kurt made.
Once the bell rang, she was still scribbling down the last