Chapter 4 - Redirect

Jameson and Kelly have a meet up after school.

Jameson asked for a meet u, he has a plan to help Oliver get Ryo back….

And the plan starts with Kelly.

She’s the other key to making sure Ryo and Oliver end up together.

A conversation over pancakes

“What are you mad at me for?” Kelly asks staring at me. She blinks putting her hands flat on the table. I can tell she’s already on the offense. She doesn’t know why I called her here but I have a feeling she has some idea.

I was hoping she would be more open to talking about it but she’s clearly not. I wonder if it’s because she had a talk with Ryo. If my conversation with Oliver is anything to go by, Ryo is not interested in making things work.

“I’m not mad at you.” I say and she rolls her eyes at me. I smile at her gesture, she’s lucky I like her as a friend. I don’t like people that roll their eyes. It makes me uncomfortable; why not use your words?

“Then why are you looking at me like I disappointed you or something?” She asks smiling at me.

“I am disappointed in you, a lot.” I say and she frowns. She raises her brows at me and I smile. Kelly has so much attitude in her face. I wonder how her boyfriend deals with it. I’m too sensitive to deal with her unveiled emotions. She can’t hard anything she’s feeling. I would hate to see her hurt, disappointed or mad at me.

“Oh?” She says smiling slightly. “I so much hate disappointing you. I would apologize but I’m afraid it won’t make a difference.” She says sarcastically.

“Your sarcasm is not helping at all.” I say and she smiles.

“Oh I’m sorry.” She says even more sarcastic.

“I need your help with Ryo and Oliver.” I say and she sighs, looking away.

“I don’t want to get in the middle of those two’s drama.” She says and I sigh disappointed. I expected her to say no but I had some hope she would see how necessary this is and help me out. I mean she loves her friend and she wants the best for her right? I’m not saying Oliver is the best thing for her. But it would be wrong if they didn’t try. They like each other a lot and they need our help.

“You’re already in the middle of it.” I say and she makes a face at me.

“No I am not.” She says shaking her head at me. “You’re making me get in the middle of it.” She adds staring at me.

“You encouraged Ryo to go on a date with that guy.” I say and she frowns at me surprised.

“How is that a bad thing?” She asks shifting a little in her chair.

“You know Oliver has a thing for her.” I say and her mouth drops open in even more shock.

“What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to watch her hurt waiting for something that’s never going to happen?” She asks blinking rapidly. She’s breathing heavy and she’s a little mad. “Was I supposed to watch her heart break because Oliver might change his mind? I won’t let my best friend pine over a guy that will never be with her.” She says looking at me like I’m asking for the impossible.

“Oliver is crazy about her.” I say repeating myself. I don’t know how else to say this without sounding like a broken record. That’s all I can say right now, that’s what I know without a doubt. He likes her a lot, he might not know how to show it but he does.

“I don’t know that. Why are you saying it like its common knowledge?” She asks placing her hand over her heart like I hurt her feelings.

“Because it is common knowledge.”  I say offended that she’s pretending not t know the truth. I know she’s very aware of how Oliver feels about Ryo.

“All I know is that Ryo gave herself to him on a silver platter and he wasn’t interested.” She says shaking her head like she’s remembering what happened. “Ryo was ready to date and be in a relationship with him but Oliver wasn’t interested.” She says her voice getting slightly louder.

“The situation is more complicated than that.” I say and she scoffs at me.

“The only reason you and I are having this conversation now is because Ryo decided to move on with her life.” She says and I frown at her. Why must everything be so black and white for girls? There are other reasons for a guy to change his mind. It doesn’t have to be jealousy. “Your friend is feeling a little jealous and he thinks he wants Ryo. He’s mad she’s not running behind him begging for his attention anymore.” She says and I feel my emotions get high. I can feel myself get mad and I don’t want to do that. That’s not why I came here, I want Kelly and me to find common ground and fix this.

“So what if he’s jealous. Isn’t that a good enough reason for him to want her back?” I ask and she laughs.

“Jealousy is a terrible reason to get into a relationship with someone.” She says and I sigh.

“You can’t decide when and how he her.” I say and she nods in agreement. “Relationships are not black and white.” I say and she shrugs.

“You’re right, I can’t but Ryo can.” She says and I sigh in disappointment. That statement tells me Ryo is not willing to let him back in. It’s going to be harder than I imagined convincing her to give Oliver a chance.

“Is she already over him? Has she moved on already?” I ask holding my breath. I don’t think I want to hear the answer.

“You can’t get over someone that quickly.” She says and I breathe out in relief. “She is making peace with the fact that they will never be together though. She knows that Oliver will never like her the way she likes him and she’s coming to terms with that.” She says and I block out the rest of her statement. All I need to know is that there’s some hope. She still has feelings for him, that’s all that matters.

“I need your help to get them together.” I say and she looks at me sideways. “They like each other so much hell they might even love each other. But they are too stubborn to see that. They need help to see that they are good for each other.” I say and she shakes her head at me.

“I told you, I’m not getting in the middle of this. I don’t want any part in this.” She says and I smile.

“You’re part of the reason they are in this mess. So you’re going to help me fix it.” I say and her mouth drops I surprise.

“I can’t believe you have the nerve to blame me for this.” She says and I look at her sideways and I give her the; are you serious right now? Look.

“You’re the one that made Oliver jealous with Ryo’s date. You made sure he found out before the date happened. And you’re the one that pushed Ryo date other people. I’m saying it’s your fault but I’m saying it’s your fault.” I say and she sucks her teeth at me.

“I think you’re giving me too much credit. I don’t have that much power over anyone.” She says and I smile at her. She doesn’t know the power she holds. She can help me make the greatest love story in history come true.

With her help I know we can convince those two they are meant for each other. Oliver knows he wants to be Ryo but he doesn’t know how to get to that place. He’s afraid to reach out and make it happen. I can admit I’m to blame for his hesitation. I told him to stay away from her. I told him he’s going to break her heart.

I know my words are playing over and over in his head. He wants to be with her but he’s afraid that my words will come true. I know he’s second guessing his every move right now. I need to fix this for him before he loses his mind.

Seeing Ryo with that guy really messed him up. I know he feels like shit right now. She was his to take and he didn’t, instead he listened to me and he’s left with heart break.

I need to fix this before it gets worse.

“What’s in it for you?” She asks suddenly. I look at her trying to decide how to answer this one. Do I just tell her the truth? I’m ashamed of my part in this mess. I’m still trying to figure out if I want to own it yet.

“I want to see my friend happy.” I say and she blinks a few times.

“So I ruined everything and you’re coming in to save the day?” She asks staring at me.

“Yes.” I say and she looks at me suspiciously.

“I could have sworn you hated the idea of Oliver and Ryo together. I bet you even told Oliver to stay away from her.” She says leaning in a little closer to me. “What changed?” She asks blinking at me rapidly.

“I changed my mind.” I say avoiding her main question.

“I get that you changed your mind. I want to know why you changed your mind.” She asks looking at me closely.

“I was wrong okay.” I say and she smiles. “I didn’t know what I was talking about but I now I know I was wrong and I need you to help me fix the mess we made.” I say and she smiles.

“I’ll help you.” She says and it’s my turn to smile. “But I don’t want to say this.” She says and I frown. “I don’t think you and I can anything to change their minds but I’ll try with you.” She and I smile. That’s good enough for me. I just need her to work on Ryo and I’ll work with Oliver.

“I have faith in us.” I say and she sucks her teeth sitting back in her chair.

“What’s your plan?” She asks and I smile happy. I love that she’s getting on this as soon as possible. I love someone that is ready to take action.

“I need to get rid of the new guy first.” I say and she shakes her head at me.

“Ryo really likes him. I don’t know how you’re going to get rid of him.” She says and I scratch my head in frustration. I was hoping this new guy is just a distraction. It’s going to be hard to get rid of him if she actually likes him.

“I’m going to find a way.” I say and she frowns.

“Will I have to sign a non disclosure agreement on this conversation?” She asks after a long pause. I look at her trying to figure out if she’s going to tell one me. I know she and Ryo are close but is she going to tell her about this meeting? I bet she’s going to tell her.

“I don’t know, are you planning on telling her?” I ask and she shrugs.

“I can’t lie to her. I can’t keep this from her. This is happening to her.” She says and I nod in agreement.

“I’m counting on you telling her we had this conversation.” I say and she looks at me surprised. “It’s going to be to my advantage if she’s constantly thinking about it. I want her t imagine what might come next. That way she’ll be open to anything we throw at her.” I say and she nods in understanding.

“Okay.” She says and smiles at me. I want to ask what she plans to do but I don’t want to push her. She might be working with me to get Oliver and Ryo together but she’s still Ryo’s best friend. She will always side with her.

I need to play this well so it ends in Oliver’s favor.