“Oh, yeah, why is that?” I slide the seed off the knife with deliberate slowness, letting it plunk into the trash can.
He pushes off the door and kicks off his sneakers before stepping out of the foyer. “You weren’t there.”
That warm sensation ballooning inside me is the last thing I wanna feel right now, especially since I promised myself I’d stay away from him. My heart does a stupid little flip, but I squash it down like I’m mashing the other half of this avocado.
“I thought I’d give you and your girlfriend some time alone.” I scrape the avocado flesh into a bowl, refusing to look at him.
“She’s not my girlfriend, and you know it,” he fires back. The kitchen counter rattles as he drops his backpack onto it.
“She ought to be,” I say, matter-of-factly. “You’d be great together. The whole school would rejoice. Paige and Theo, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N—“
“Is that what you want?” He crosses his arms, his voice dropping to a more serious tone.
I focus on wiping the knife clean under warm water. “Doesn’t matter. What you do is your business.” I’m surprised I don’t choke on my own words. I decided to push him away to avoid getting hurt. So why does it feel so wrong?
“You don’t mean that.” He takes a step closer.
The kitchen suddenly feels too small. I slide around to the other side of the counter, putting the island between us. “Actually, I do.”
He runs his hand through his hair, leaving parts standing on end. “I know you’re mad,but—“
“Quite the opposite,” I say, one hand on my hip. “I’m over it.”
He blinks twice. “You are?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” I grab lime from the fruit bowl and squeeze it over the avocado. The juice splashes, stinging a tiny paper cut I didn’t know I had. I wince but try to hide it. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.” Theo drums his fingers against the countertop. “You’re stabbing fruit and avoiding me.”
“I’m making guacamole,” I correct him, mashing the avocado with unnecessary vigor. “And I’m not avoiding you. I’m right here, talking to you, aren’t I?”
“After hiding at home all day.” He circles around to my side.
I step away, nearly bumping into the refrigerator. “So where was I supposed to be? Front row at the Paige and Theo show?”
“There is no show.” His voice rises with frustration. “If you’d just talk to me—“
“Things were perfectly fine before you told everyone we live together,” I cut him off, pointing my avocado-smeared spoon at him. “I don’t mind if we talk at home, but at school? Best if we keep to ourselves.”
Theo’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? You think things were fine before?”
“Yes, Theo,” I say, exasperated, slamming the spoon down. “You screwed it all up.”
“By being honest? By not wanting to lie about where I live?”
“By complicating everything!” My voice cracks embarrassingly. “Do you have any idea what people are saying?”
“I don’t care what they’re saying. Why do you?” He can afford to say that. I can’t.
He shakes his head, almost in disbelief. “Hiding isn’t the way to get through high school. Is that what you’re planning to do forever? At college? At a job? Just run away from anything uncomfortable?”
His words hit too close for comfort. The truth in them stings worse than the lime juice in my paper cut. I scoff at him, my voice sharp. “I don’t see how that’s any of your concern.”
“Isn’t it obvious? I care about you,” he says, his voice softening. “More than you seem to realize.”
No, I can’t let him get to me. Not when I’ve just decided to protect myself. “Well, don’t. It’s a waste of your time.”
His jaw clenches as he rubs his neck, and heat singes my cheeks as we just stand there in a standoffish silence. It’s as if there’s a fuse between us burning in opposite directions from the middle. Who will blow up first?
