Now, as I meandered around the parking garage — I’d forgotten where I’d parked — my phone rang.
Lara is calling…
Shit.
“Hey bud,” I answered with a smile, hoping my internal cringe wasn’t readable over the phone.
“Are youfuckingkidding me? ‘Hey bud?’ That’s how you’re going to answer the phone right now?” Their voice bordered on panicked. “Talk. Now.”
“I’m super sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But I did.
Oh, but I did.
“Sure, sure, sure.” They laughed on the other end. “It’s just every day yourbest friendkisses AnselfuckingBarlowe and doesn’t tell!”
My heart dropped into my stomach; it was a wonder my phone didn’t slip out of my hand. Iknewwhat they were talking about… but to hear it?
“Haha, yeah…” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “Whoops?”
“No. Nope. No way. You’re notwhoops-ing your way out of this. Spill.”
“I will, I will,” I said as I slid into my car. “How did you know, though?”
“Girl,” another laugh. “You’re all over the internet right now. I’ll text it to you.”
My phone buzzed less than a minute later, and as I switched Lara to speaker and opened the link, my jaw dropped.
BARLOWE SEEN KISSING UNKNOWN WOMAN AT SEATTLE COMIC CONVENTION. IS LOVE IN HIS FUTURE?
“Lara,please. This is such a clickbait site!”
“That doesn’t change the fact that in that picture isyourcurly hair andyourridiculous episode two t-shirt that you’ve had for over a decade. You’re theonlyperson who still has that shirt, bitch!”
I cringed again, before diving into the absolutely insane story… The bar, the taxi, the napkin and the number… up until his ‘like’ on my comment and me blacking out and entering my card number for a day ticket to the convention.
“Holy shit,” they breathed on the other end. “And he just… kissed you?”
“It was crazy, Lara.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been flirting withAnsel Barlowefor several days and I didn’t know! Have you told Jess or Mikayla?”
“No, I wasn’t going to tell you!”
“That breaks like… every rule of friendship we’ve ever had, June. What’s wrong with you?” I could tell there was an air of teasing in their voice, but Ididfeel a little guilty.
The four of us — Lara, Jess, Mikayla, and I — had been friends for years. We connected online over a mutual love of ‘Battle for the Cosmos’, and for years the franchise was the sole pillar that held our friendships together. But we’d been young, and there is something so special about growing up with a group of friends that have seen the very worst of you.
And I mean… ‘monster smut fan-fiction’ worst of you, and stuck around. These three were mypeople. And to keep something like this from them… something thatallof our fourteen-year-old selves would have shit themselves over… it felt bad.
“I’ll tell everyone soon,” I conceded, turning my key in the ignition. “I promise.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have to, jerk.” They laughed on the other end. “But it’s your funeral, kid. Catch you later,” and hung up.
As I shifted into drive, I couldn’t help but feel like my stomach was going to fall out of my ass. I debated pinching myself just to see if this was some sort of fucked-up dream that I would wake up from soon.
I swallowed the urge, not wanting to give in to the compulsion. This was real. I was awake and alive, and I wasdocumentedkissing Ansel Barlowe, former heartthrob.
Holy shit.
