“Yes, Camden. Not that I owe you an answer about something else that is not your business, but yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been dating Eric for nine months.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to fuck him. Are you sure you were ready for that? You’re only––”
“So help me, if you say I’m only eighteen, I will gut you.” She was on her tiptoes now, so she wouldn’t be so short, and I lowered my head until we were eye to eye.
“Just because you’re eighteen doesn’t mean you’re ready…did he pressure you? He better not have because––”
“Ugh!” she yelled. “Get out of my way, you big baboon! You lost the right to have any say in my life a long time ago. I don’t know why you think your words make any difference to me. It’s not like you’re even my friend.”
We’d never fought. Not like this. We’d kept our distance and had edgy snippets of conversation occasionally, but the air between us was electric and raw. I couldn’t shake the way my heart twisted when I looked at her now. I hated it. I hated that I felt it and I hated thatsheseemed fine.
“You’re right.” I took a step back and held out my arm for her to pass. “Just because I’m trying to stop you from making stupid mistakes…it doesn’t mean anything.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said softly.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
She walked past me, opened Goldie’s door, and slammed it behind her.
I was by the lake, minding my own business, thank you very much, when Goldie and her date Ross came out, and behind them were Juju and Eric. I could tell he was a twat by the way he didn’t help Juju when they walked toward the water. She was wearing heels and a long dress, looking incredibly beautiful, but she also moved a bit like a baby fawn trying to make her way down to the sand. All the parents were out there, snapping pictures, while I stood on the sidelines wishing Eric would take his fucking hands off of Juju.
I had to get out of there, so I went to Jackson’s house. It felt safe there since Juju was at my house, but not even fifteen minutes after I got there, they all showed up to take pictures in the Fairs’ yard too. Fuck my life.
When I went home later that night, I went into the kitchen to make a snack. I hadn’t had much of an appetite all day. My mom turned from the pantry and smiled.
“Hey, you hungry?” she asked.
“A little bit.”
She grinned and waved a box of crackers that we both loved from Trader Joe’s.
“I have the perfect cheese to go with these,” she said.
I nodded. “Yep, that’s what I need.”
“Yay.” She did a little dance as she moved to the island. “I was actually hoping I’d see you before I went to bed. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She spread the crackers out on a plate while I cut thin slices of cheese and lined them next to the crackers.
She went to the fridge and pulled out two chilled bottles of Coke, holding them up for me to see. “Do you want?”
“Do you even have to ask?” I said, grabbing them and putting them on the island.
She laughed, and we sat on the barstools.
“Can we talk about Juju?” she said.
I sputtered on the sip of Coke I’d just taken. “I guess so? Wasn’t expecting you to say that,” I added.
“Well, it’s something I should’ve said a long time ago. I guess I was just waiting to see if…” She turned to look at me and put her hand on my arm. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. The way you’ve always looked at her. And I’ve talked to you about how sad I am that you’re not friends anymore, but I’ve never said what I’m about to…”
My heart thumped out of my chest.
“For you to still be thinking about her the way I know you must be, given your starry eyes whenever she’s close…”
