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“Deal,” she agreed, reaching forward to hug me.
I stiffened at first, but then returned the gesture.
Thea was sweet and she had good intentions. I also felt that Thea could be a bit naïve to the ways of the world. She had an almost childlike innocence that I was envious of. I’d walked face first into the harsher facts of life and there was no coming back from it.
I finally looked down at the tray of food. She’d gotten three to-go boxes full of food from the diner. “Do you really think I’m going to eat all this?” I laughed.
“Well,” she smiled, “I was kinda hoping you’d forgive me and we could share.”
This time it was my turn to say, “Deal.”
While we ate Thea did a good job of getting my mind off last night. She told me stories about being a kid and all the trouble Cade, Xander, and she used to get into. Apparently they were quite the troublemakers. Especially the boys.
Hearing Thea talk about her childhood made memories of mine spring to mine. I missed my friends. I missed Brett. I missed the future I could’ve had.
Brett and I were always close. We’d known each other since we were in diapers, thanks to our parents being friends. Not having him in my life anymore…at times his loss was crippling. I’d loved him.
I startled.
I’d loved him.
I was thinking of him in the past tense. Loved. I loved him once. No more. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. A part of me would always belong to Brett, but I was…I was no longer tied down by my feelings. And that…yeah, that was sort of freeing.
After we finished eating I got dressed for the day. Nova and I had plans to meet up around lunchtime to work on our project some more. It was coming together nicely and I could even see myself becoming friends with the purple-haired girl.
“What are your plans for the day?” I asked Thea, as I wiggled into a pair of jeans.
She sat cross-legged on her bed with a magazine in her lap. “Don’t know. I might go get my nails done. They’re looking shitty.” She held her hands out and wrinkled her nose at the chipping polish. I couldn’t help but look down at my own nails and the purple polish that adorned them. “Yeah, nails it is,” she nodded her head. “You’re welcome to come if you want.”
“Uh…” Rachael had loved getting her nails done. Rae, not so much. Rae did her own nails and a crappy job at that. “I’m supposed to meet up with Novalee to work on our project.”
“Invite her!” Thea chirped. “We can make it a girl’s day! Go to the mall! Come on! It’ll be fun!” She pleaded.
Sometimes I felt bad for Thea. In instances like this I could tell just how lonely she really was.
“I can ask her,” I shrugged, “but I doubt it’s really her thing.”
“You can let me know then,” Thea smiled, but I didn’t miss how her shoulders sagged.
I sighed, guilt eating away at me. “I’ll text her and if she’s not into it I’ll ask her if we can reschedule.”
“Really?” Thea brightened, her eyes wide and happy like a puppy’s.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Plus, I think you owe me after last night’s disaster,” I teased.
She frowned. “I really do.”
“I was only kidding, Thea,” I told her, grabbing my phone off the bed.
“I know, but you’re right. I don’t know how I’ll ever make it up to you.” She looked at me forlornly.
“You don’t need to make it up to me.” I wished now I hadn’t said anything, even if I had only been joking.
She gave me a look that said she clearly did. I ignored it and texted Nova.
Not even a minute had passed when she responded.
I looked up at Thea and grinned. “She’s in.”
