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He pointed a finger at me. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Being defensive. I’m not here to get you wound up, buddy. I’m here as your best friend. You asked me if I had tips on how you could make this situation work with Stella, so you end up with what you want—the money to help your charity.”
“Yes.”
“So, this is me being a helpful friend. You gotta be nicer to her.”
“I’m not a nice person.”
“Bullshit. You’re the nicest person I know. You just don’t show the world it as often. Last year, when you were there for Aaliyah during our hardships, you were beyond nice. You were kind. And patient. And the best friend in the whole damn world. You are the most genuine person on this planet, Damian. I’m not saying you must be Superman to Stella, but… just ease up a little. It’s clear she’s sensitive.”
“She cries over everything.”
“And you cry over nothing. Complete opposites. Just meet her halfway at least. You aren’t alone in this crazy situation. Stella is living it out day by day, too. She’s not the villain in this story, Damian. She’s the leading lady. She’s a good one.”
“What if she isn’t? What if she’s awful and just hides it well?”
He shrugged. “You’re a master at reading people from the moment you spend more than five minutes with them. From the time you’ve spent with Stella, has she shown any signs of being cruel?”
No.
None.
The complete opposite.
Was she wacky as fuck? Yes. But cruel? Not an ounce.
“I’m not telling you to fall in love with her even though I’d be down for that, too. All I’m really saying is to give her a break. She’s going through this shitstorm right beside you. It’s you two against the world, really.”
I huffed and puffed, annoyed that he was spot-on.
“Are you guys having trouble?” Stella interrupted the conversation as she walked into the theater space. She was drenched, drying her curly hair with a towel. I was almost certain she’d taken a dive into the ocean like she’d done the night before.
“We couldn’t get it to work,” Connor said, holding up five different remotes.
“I can help you with that.” She walked over and grabbed the remotes. Within seconds, the screen powered on. She asked what we wanted to watch, Connor told her, and she set it all up.
“You can hit this button to shut it all off when done. And if you want, there’s a beverage fridge in the back corner right there. I can also make you some popcorn if you’d like,” she offered.
“It’s all right,” I said.
“I’d love popcorn!” Connor exclaimed as if he didn’t just eat two baskets of bread at dinner.
Without a second of hesitation, Stella went over and started popping fresh popcorn for my hungry friend. There wasn’t an ounce of annoyance or complaining from her. She just did the act and handed us two bowls of popcorn.
“If you need anything else, at any point, let me know. I grew up in this house, so I know all the ins and outs of it. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow for the big deal,” she nervously joked about the ceremony. Was she as nervous as I’d been?
As she left the room, I sighed, looking down at the delicious-smelling popped kernels in front of me.
“What is it?” Connor asked, noticing my sigh.
“She’s just like you and Aaliyah, isn’t she?”
“What do you mean?”
Rolling my eyes, I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth and chewed aggressively. “A good person.” He laughed. I groaned. “It’s not funny.”
