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“Pepperoni slice and a Dr. Pepper,” Sully said.
“No more caffeine, man,” I said, shaking my head and grabbing my purse. “And we’re getting you at least two slices. You need it.”
“Fine, then get me a Snapple. Raspberry Lemonade.”
After Naomi and I walked outside, she looked me in the eye. “Something you might not know about me: I’m a human lie detector.”
“What?”
“You’re not fine. Something’s off.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We were just talking movies in there—it’s what we always do.”
“I’m talking about just now…you looked at Sully’s mug and turned gray. I didn’t think your Simpson aversion was that serious.”
I laughed. “It’s not.”
“Then spill it. Come on, something is obviously bugging you, so why don’t you let it out? You know I’m not a gossip. Your secrets are safe with me.”
“I know; it’s not that,” I said, pushing open the door to the pizza place next door. My stomach growled the second I smelled the rich scent of garlic, butter, and deep-dish crust baking in the ovens behind the counter. Inhaling deeply, I savored the aromas. Considering how sensitive my sense of smell was, I was surprised that I still liked the smell of pizza after being right next door to this place several times a week. The other employees couldn’t always smell the scents wafting in, but I could. Always. And yet, it still smelled heavenly.
The line reached the door, which gave us plenty of time to talk, not that I was dying to tell Naomi everything that happened with Wyatt. But, reluctantly, that’s exactly what I did—from the root beer and cream soda to the empty apple fritter bag and the passionate kiss that followed.
She stared at me in amazement after ordering our food. “Wow.”
“I know.”
We stepped to the side to wait for our order. “So, what now?”
“No clue.”
“I mean, clearly you’re still into him.”
“Begrudgingly, yes.”
“And he obviously wants you. I mean, my boyfriend is sweet and all, but I doubt he’d hold on to an empty bakery bag like that. That’s a whole other level—it’s like Shakespeare shit.”
“Exactly. A Shakespearean tragedy.”
“Not necessarily.”
“I mean, who does that?”
“A guy who’s head over heels in love.”
“See, even you just saying that makes me feel like I’m gonna hurl.”
Naomi’s hand flew to her chest as her mouth dropped open. “Oh, my god, why? You’re into him, he’s into you, what’s the problem, girl?”
“That guy broke my heart, and I’m not just saying it like that to be dramatic or something,” I said, grabbing the pizza boxes that the manager placed in front of us. Naomi grabbed the door. “Like he took a sledgehammer and crushed it.
“O-kay,” Naomi said before biting down on her lower lip and shaking her head. “But didn’t you date that Oden guy, like, immediately afterward?”
“I had to…it was the only thing that kept me from drowning. Oden was…a distraction. I get that now.”
“Okay, so things are over with your distraction. You and Kevin have clearly gone your separate ways, and in walks the boy of your dreams. I don’t see the problem here…. It’s like life is handing you a second chance!”
“I can’t do that again. I can’t…be broken like that all over again. He’s the only person in the world who has that…power over me, and it scares me to death.”
