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I held my breath for a moment, waiting for Lizzie’s comeback, but when it didn’t come, I exhaled slowly and explained last night’s shenanigans in explicit detail.
“And then Gerard did something with his thumb and pointer finger,” I added, using my own hand to give them a detailed visual rundown. “And that was it.” I threw my hands up in despair. “I was dead, I tell you!” Planting my hands on my hips, I looked at both of them expectantly. “Well? Any ideas?”
“He made you come,” Lizzie replied flatly. “Congratulations.”
“Oh my god,” Shannon gushed between fits of laughter. “I’m so happy for you guys.”
“Don’t be,” I was quick to warn. “He was gone when I woke up this morning, and he’s been avoiding me like the plague ever since.”
“Sounds about right,” Lizzie deadpanned. “The typical MO of a fuckboy.”
“Stop it,” Shannon scolded, still smiling. “Gibsie is not one of those.”
“Except that he is,” Lizzie challenged dryly. “And Claire is just one more in a long list of Thor’s conquests.” With a despondent look etched on her face, she looked at me. “You’re such a fool.” Lizzie shook her head. “He’s going to ruin you.”
My hackles were immediately up, and I was instantly on the defense. “Like you’re in any position to judge me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Guys, stop, please…”
“You know exactly what that means,” I shot back. “So just think about it before you start name-calling.”
“Claire,” Shannon tried to interject, begging me with her eyes not to feed the fire. “Just take a sec, okay.” Turning to Lizzie, she added, “Nobody knows how Gibsie’s feeling except Gibsie, so please let’s just give him the benefit of the doubt here.” She forced a smile before saying, “He clearly has feelings for Claire.”
“Thanks, Shan,” I said, needing her reassurance in this moment.
“It’s true,” she hurried to soothe. “That boy worships the ground you walk on, and the entire school knows it. I bet you any money there’s a perfectly plausible reason for him missing lunch today. In fact, I could almost guarantee that if I walked out there and asked Johnny, he would more than likely say that Gibs has detention for some disastrous prank or other.” She offered me a supportive smile before adding, “Trust me, Claire, there isn’t one single believable scenario where that boy would choose to ignore you. He couldn’t if he tried.”
“But what if he regrets what happened between us?”
“He doesn’t.”
“But what if he does?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But what if…”
“Oh please,” Lizzie cut in, voice trembling. “You’ll be a couple by the end of the week.”
My heart hammered excitedly. “You really think so?”
“Of course,” Shannon agreed with a smile.
“And if that’s what you want, then go for it,” Lizzie added in a trembling voice. “I clearly can’t stop you. But don’t expect me to stick around to watch it.” Sniffling, she shook her head and moved for the bathroom door. “You’ve made your choice and it’s clearly him!”
“Lizzie, wait!”
She didn’t wait.
Instead, she stormed out of the bathroom, letting the door slam shut behind her.
“She’ll come around,” Shannon offered, chewing on her lip nervously. “Give her some time. You’ll see.”
33
Keep the Head, Lad
