“How’s it going?”Maddie rolls her eyes. “Good.”
I’m no body language expert, but hers was screamingsomeone come rescue me from this loser.
“So like. I know we don’t know each other that well—but like, I thought maybe it would be nice to, you know. Go to a movie or something? Uh. Together.”
Now I had her attention. She stood up straighter, finally looking me in the eye rather than rolling hers.
“Together. Like a date?”
I nodded, shoulders slouching in relief. She understood. She’d figured it out without my having to explain.
“Yes.”
She laughed, tipping her head back. “No.”
Just no, followed by the slamming of her locker.
All the scenarios I’d thought might happen, happened:
She laughed in my face.
She said no without hesitating.
After she slammed her locker, she walked away just like in the movies.
My friends saw it all.
I was publicly humiliated.
So yeah.
Fun times, but that’s the way the rubber ball bounces: with me getting slapped in the fucking face.
“Blah blah blah, long story short, I am now Harper Conrad’s little bitch boy.”
I wait for Harper’s reaction. She’s been listening quietly the whole time I’ve been speaking.
She stares at me slack-jawed, her expression so similar to Marcus’s I almost wince.
