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“For what?
She sighs as she puts her coffee down. “For that day at school.”
I take her warmed hands in mine. “You don’t owe me an apology for that. We were both upset. I hurt you—”
“I know, but it doesn’t excuse my behavior. I said some pretty harsh things.”
“We both did,” I say, the events of that horrible day coming back to me…
A Green Day song plays on the radio.
It’s the first day of junior year. I should be looking forward to it. I’m popular, have great friends, I’m on the football team…
Well, I was on the football team.
Dad’s drinking got worse over the summer, and Mom started working more to avoid him. Not to mention Birdie and I are still on the outs. After we chatted online that night, she’s been avoiding me like the plague. She even made sure she had all opposite shifts at The Daily Scoop. I’d see her sometimes during shift changes, but work was not an appropriate place to speak about whatever the hell happened that night.
I pull up to the school, and as luck, or bad luck, would have it, Birdie just pulled in as well. She’s driving her mom’s car, which means her mom is in town—that’s rare. I put my car in park and look up to find her trying to get out of her car as fast as possible. She’s obviously seen me and wants to high tail it into the school. In the process of hurrying, she drops some books and supplies all over the ground. I hop out of my car, using this opportunity to try and talk to her.
“Birdie,” I say as I kneel in front of her. “I’m glad I caught you.”
She glances up at me, her green- and gold-flecked eyes hesitant. It looks like she’s shaking. No wonder she dropped all her stuff. Do I really make her that nervous?
“I don’t have time to talk, Liam.” Her voice is so angry it makes me pull back a bit.
My jaw clenches. “We’re both early. Where do you have to be?”
She stands and I give her the few things I picked up. When our hands brush, she pulls away like my touch burns her. Now I’m starting to get angry.
Sure, I didn’t like her back, but she made me promise we would still be friends. She’s the one not allowing me to do so. Not me.
“Liam…” she sighs. “Just leave it, okay? I don’t want to do this right now.”
I run my hands through my hair, “Then when? You’ve been avoiding me all summer. You won’t even answer my calls or the door when I come over.”
She stands straighter and rolls her shoulders back. “I thought you were busy with Jen.”
“So that’s what this is about? You’re jealous.”
“You’re such an asshole, you know that? I’m over you, Liam. Just leave me alone and go kick a football or something!”
I let out a sad laugh. “I quit football.”
“What? Why?”
“Why do you care? We’re not friends anymore. You made that clear.”
Her face goes cold. “I have no idea why we were ever friends, Liam. You’re not who I thought.”
“I have no idea why I liked you at all. You’re such a shitty person.”
Right as I say it, I regret it. I’m just so angry and confused.
“Well, now we know the truth. Goodbye Liam. When you see me around, don’t talk to me.”
“Not a problem. You’re forgettable anyway.”
Lie. All lies. Nothing about the girl in front of me is forgettable. Fuck. This did not go how I wanted it to go at all. But this is better. I want to protect Birdie from my life, so this is for the best. Maybe we really were never meant to be friends, we did come from different worlds in some ways, even if we shared a lot of similarities.
