“None of that matters, Livi. He did it.That’sthe only thing that matters. He did it, and he lied.”
“What do you mean he lied?”
I sigh heavily. In order to fully sulk through this pain, I need to tell her all of the details. So I do. I start with that day in homeroom, and the flirty texts at lunch, and then the date. I tell her about how I opened myself up to him, let him know all kinds of things about me.
Her lips dip into a frown as I tell her the worst part. “He looked me dead in the eyes and said he didn’t know who did it.”
I laugh deliriously. “The funny part? I actually believed him. Ikissedhim. I believed him and I let myself like him, and I kissed him and all along, he was just pulling one over on me. He knew the whole time and he just lied.”
“Maybe he was falsely accused,” she says.
I shake my head. “The principal had all this evidence. Apparently, every other guy on the team has an alibi for that time and he doesn’t. He admitted it, Livi. He’s going to pay for the damage and he has to help me rebuild it.”
She crinkles her nose. “Do you think you can handle being with him to rebuild it?”
I shrug. “I haven’t gotten that far, yet.”
She puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Rissa.”
I grab a slice of pizza and take a bite just so I don’t have to talk for a minute. I’m still hungry, but thinking about seeing Gavin again makes my stomach hurt. How can someone so cute be such an asshole?
“We could find something he loves and vandalize it,” Livi says with an evil, but playful grin.
“His truck,” I mutter, remembering how he went on and on about how much he loves it. He keeps it clean and smelling like Armor-all. I sigh. “Not really, Liv. Stop that scheming face. We are better than this.”
She pouts. “We should still make him pay. And not just monetarily.”
I nod. “I’ve been thinking about it. I’m supposed to make a list of all the materials he has to replace, and now I’m thinking of making him help me rebuild an even better greenhouse.”
Livi’s eyes narrow. “I like where this is going.”
“One with better insulation, and lighting…” I take a notebook off my desk and start jotting down ideas. “All of the things we thought about adding the first time but we didn’t. I was afraid the project would be too hard, but with someone else helping me who isn’t as old as Grandpa…we could make it better.”
“And more expensive,” Livi says.
“I just don’t know if I can handle it.” I drop the notebook on the floor. My chest clenches up tightly like it did that whole first week after Shawn dumped me. Nothing hurts more than feeling like a huge fool. A joke. Someone who was lied to and manipulated. I can’t believe I kissed him. I got all swoony eyed and giddy and stupid over him.
“God, I hate him!” I say through clenched teeth. “I hate him so much!”
“Listen, Rissa. Screw that guy. Like, seriously. You’re better than him. Make him rebuild your greenhouse and then never talk to him again. This ishisissue, not yours.”
“That’s just it. He should build the greenhouse to make up for what he did, but I don’t even know if I want a new greenhouse anymore. I can’t trust him to build it without my guidance, but I don’t want to be around him.”
“Yeah, I understand that,” she says, her voice solemn. “Can you maybe hire a contractor to help you?”
“It’s too expensive,” I say, shaking my head. “Even Gavin probably can’t afford that much, and contractors won’t let me help them. And Ihaveto help build it, or otherwise there’s just no point. The whole reason I’m doing this is for my grandmother’s memory.”
There’s a knock on my door and we both jump. I’ve been so caught up in my own misery that I completely forgot where I was for a minute.
“Come in,” I call out.
Mom opens my door and pokes her head in, a big smile on her face. “Hey, girls!” she says cheerfully. I’m not an idiot, though. I know she’s checking to make sure we haven’t flung pizza all over the walls like some kind of barbarians.
“I just wanted to check in and have some girl talk,” she says, stepping into my room. She tucks her brown hair behind her ears and grins at me. “How was your date?”
I’m speechless. Mom only knows that I went out with a guy. She doesn’t know the end result, and I’m not about to tell her.
Luckily, Livi speaks up before too much time has passed. “Not that great,” she says. “That’s why we’re having pizza and talking right now. Taking our mind off idiot boys.”
