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What the fuck? “You used to hate me?” I scoff.
“Well, you did cheat on my sister and treat her like shit, so…yeah.”
“Ouch,” I reply. “But wait…why do you hate me now?”
“Oh, I don’t know…maybe because you embarrass me in front of my friends and only care about yourself.” Glancing over at her, I do feel a hint of remorse.
“Why do you care about those nerds?”
“Those are my friends, Beau. And if you haven’t noticed…I am also a nerd.”
“But like a cool nerd,” I reply, smiling at her. She rolls her eyes at me and stares back down at her phone.
When Sophie’s sister, my ex, started dating my dad a year ago…it was fucking awkward as hell. Made even worse by the fact that I was pretty sure Charlie’s mom and sister hated my guts. So I’ve been doing everything I can to make things less awkward. Which has basically turned into me being a fifteen-year-old girl’s chauffeur and D&D partner.
“I don’t like that wizard kid. He’s not your friend, right?”
Her head snaps up in my direction. “Kyle? Yeah…I mean, no. He’s not my friend, friend, but I sort of know him from school. Why?”
My jaw drops as we pull up to a red light and I stare at her in shock. “Holy shit…do you have a crush on that wizard?”
“No!” she shrieks.
“You do,” I reply with a smile.
Her expression turns sour as she shoots me one of those sassy head tilt glares. “Even if I did, you’re the last person on earth I would talk to about it.”
“Why? I give great dating advice.”
She laughs. “Your ex-girlfriend is now dating your dad, so…”
“Ouch again. You’re being mean tonight.”
“Well, it’s true.”
It still feels like an insult, no matter how true it is, but I don’t tell her that part. Instead, I continue driving, trying to look as unaffected as possible.
I’m not bitter about Charlie and my dad anymore. I’m over it. I don’t care. It’s not like I thought Charlie was the fucking love of my life or anything. We broke up. She was too needy and wanted way too much from me…which I guess, looking back, was literally the bare minimum but that’s why I’ve saidfuck offto dating all together. No matter what I do, it’s not enough, and I can’t keep anyone happy. And vice versa. No one holds my attention or makes me want to give them more.
Charlie is just better suited for my dad, and I’m happy for them. They can continue doing whatever the fuck it is they do at that weird club of his, and I can show up to Taco Tuesday every week with a smile on my face and it’s fine.
It’s fine.
“So are you going to talk to him?” I ask as we pull into Sophie’s neighborhood. “The wizard, I mean.”
“Probably not,” she replies, clearly forgetting that she just said I was the last person on earth she’d talk to about this.
“Why not?” My defensive instincts flex inside me, but I keep my cool. Sophie is as tough as nails, and I know she wants me to treat her like every other girl, but I can’t help but feel a little extra protective of her. It’s hard enough being a teenager these days, but then those fucking transphobes out there want to make it especially rough on her.
“Because I don’t want a boyfriend,” she replies in a flat tone as she types out a text on her phone. I furrow my brow at her, readying to ask my next question, which she clearly anticipates because she looks up and answers it before I get the chance. “And no, I don’t want a girlfriend either, if that’s what you were going to ask.”
It was.
“I just don’t want anything right now. My best friend, Chloe, has a boyfriend and it seems like a pain in the ass. So much work and stress.”
A laugh trickles its way out of my chest. “Smart choice.” I mean, if anyone knows what it’s like to be a pain in the ass boyfriend, more stress and work than I’m worth, it’s me.
As I pull up to her house, she starts to reach for the door handle, but I stop her. “You know, I think it’s smart that you avoid that drama. But if that little wizard fucker gives you any trouble, I’ll kick his ass.”
