“She must be why you don’t like the nickname I give you,” she says.
“Only at first.”
A sad smile washes over her face and disappears quickly as she places one hand on my shoulder. “Did I make things worse between you two? I’m sorry if I did.”
“Don’t worry.” If anything, I feel a little better now that she's here. I don’t understand how Carly can do that. She just appears with a few words to say, and I’m immediately calmer than I was before. I don’t know how, but she went from being the oneperson I wanted to avoid at all costs to the onlypersonI want to be around.
Asking about how Carly managed to insult my mother will be saved for another day, even though I can assume it’s about the hat.
“Maybe it’s time I give you a new nickname,” she announces.
I shake my head. “Nah, Movie Star is starting to grow on me. But enough about me, let’s head back inside.”
Carly furrows her brows. “Are you sure?”
I nod, more certain of it. “Tonight’s all about you, Firecracker. We’re not about to let my mother ruin it, aren’t we?”
I just know Carly wants to ask more. About why my mother and I are strained, or what she said about her—as well as Vinny and Ali—but she doesn’t. Carly doesn’t push unless it’s absolutely needed. Instead, she nods and slings an arm over my shoulders, where I swear I felt a jolt of electricity down my spine and the urge to bend down slightly and kiss the top of her head.
Her face begins to relax, that goddamn smile returning to her face, and she hooks her arm through mine. “You know what? She’s not ruining a damn thing.”
As I look behind me at the empty parking spot where my mother's car was only a moment ago, I can’t help but think back to then. Back when I was just a kid, who got forced into making a name for myself. When I left it all, I left the bashful and optimistic Crew behind to fend for the wolves.
“You know what?” She turns to me before we enter the restaurant. “I may not know about what happened between you two, but I’m proud of you, Crew. For facing it head-on.”
But then I take note of the girl next to me. The one who carries herself with a hop to each step, and I remember that there are still good people in the world. Not everyone is trying to tear me down. Some people lift me up.
I have Carly next to me, who reminds me of that every single day just by being herself.
Every day I’m around her, I feel a small piece of hope find its way back to me.
16
Wanna Talk About It?
Carly
Have you ever felt guilty for something that’s out of your control? Well, I’ve felt that at least once every goddamn day of my life.
This little moment isn’t one of those times, but trust me when I say that it happens a lot.
“What the fuck is that supposed to be?” Crew shrieks as he hides his face with a throw pillow.
I hold back laughter as we continue to watch my favorite film of all time:Alien Romulus.
Lots had changed after my celebration dinner with him, Ali, and Vinny. We still hung out a lot after, of course, but Crew and I went from hanging out primarily with Ali and Vinny to just the two of us. Sometimes, I’ll visit in between projects to say hi to Crew’s betta fish, and other times, he’ll waltz into my apartment while I’m in the middle of a movie marathon.
Yeah, I was in the middle of a rewatch when Crew came over. Obviously, I don’t mind at all because I love introducing my favorite franchise of all time to people. Especially towards theend of the film, when the xenomorph’s offspring makes its first appearance.
“That’s the Disney princess I told you about,” I hum, sipping on some water. “The xenomorph’s offspring.”
I once claimed that the Xenomorph was a Disney princess because theAlienfranchise is now under the company. Crew was the only person who thought it was funny because he didn’t know what it was.
Until now.
“Offspring? Like a baby?” He slowly removes the pillow from his eyes before quickly averting them away. “I work with animals, and this is not what offspring should look like.”
I nod. “That’s science fiction for you, Movie Star.”
