AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How’d you find out?” I ask.
“I saw it on the news. They talked about it when you were missing.”
“Yeah, that’s not something I want to remember.”
“Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have said it,” she says, sounding nervous.
“Tara, relax. I’m not mad at you for bringing it up. All I meant is that it was a difficult time for me. I thought Dean was going to die. He’s all I have, and I almost lost him.”
“But he’s better now, right?”
“Yeah, he’s great. He’s doing well in school. He works out every day. And he’s one of the best players on the team.”
“He still plays football?”
“Yeah, he got a scholarship. He’s really good. He wants to coach college football when he’s done with school. I think he’s already got some interviews lined up.”
“That’s great. I’m really happy for him. And you.” She gives me that smile again and I feel myself smiling back. I didn’t realize until now how much I missed her. She used to be the reason I looked forward to going to school. I hated school when I was a kid, but I looked forward to seeing Tara. She always knew if I was having a bad day and would say something to make me feel better. I was sad when she moved away.
“So how did you and Troy get together?” I ask, wondering why she’d want to date a guy like him. She’s someone who always tries to see the good in life and all Troy sees is the negative. I know they say opposites attract, but she and Troy don’t seem like a good match.
“A few months ago, Sean came into the place where I work.” She points to her shirt. “It’s a pizza restaurant. I’m a waitress. Anyway, Sean showed up there with some girl he was dating and mentioned he was having a party that weekend. I thought it’d be fun to see everyone again so I went to the party. Troy was there, we started talking, and we’ve been dating ever since.”
I don’t say anything, my mind still trying to figure out why she’d pick Troy over some other guy. He’s got that bad boy thing going for him, which I guess some girls like, but Tara doesn’t seem like one of those girls.
“Jake?” Tara says, noticing how quiet I am.
“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“Your girlfriend,” she says like she’s certain that’s where my mind went. That’s where it should be, and yet it wasn’t. I was thinking about Tara. Seriously, what is going on with me? Just a couple hours ago, my mind was consumed with thoughts of Haley. I didn’t think I’d be able to get her out of my head, at least not anytime soon.
“It’s probably hard to think about anything else right now,” Tara says.
“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about her.”
“Then why were you so quiet?”
“I was thinking about you and Troy. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t get why you like him.”
“Why wouldn’t I like him?”
“He’s so negative. He always thinks everyone’s against him. Even just being his friend can be exhausting when all he does is complain.”
“That’s just because of his situation. He’s had a hard time lately with not being able to get a job and having to work for his uncle. And then his car broke down, which really upset him. He hates not being able to drive.”
“So does Sean. His car’s broken, but you don’t see him acting that way.”
“What way?” Tara asks, glancing at me as we wait at a traffic light.
“Yelling. Complaining. Making everyone uncomfortable.”
“Troy makes you uncomfortable?”
“Not just me. Don’t you ever notice how quiet everyone gets when he’s around? Nobody wants to say anything to upset him because we don’t want to deal with him blowing up at us.”
“He’s just really sensitive,” she says, continuing down the road. “Some people are like that.”
“But other people can control their temper. Troy can’t, and it seems like it’s gotten worse.”
