“Trent doesn’t have a date either, so we’re just getting a big group together. Why don’t you and Landon join us?”
“Oh,” I said. “I think we’re good.”
Chip’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”
“What what?”
“You made a face.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You did!”
To be fair, the statistical likelihood of me making a face at the mention of Trent Bolger was definitely non-zero.
“You’re doing it again!”
“Doing what?”
“That face!” Chip poked me in the little crease between my eyebrows.
I leaned back.
“Don’t.”
“Sorry. But what is it?”
I sighed.
And then I said, “Why do you keep trying to get me to hang out with him? You know he hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“Well, he’s never been nice. Why are you friends with a guy like that anyway?”
As soon as I said it I wished I could take it back.
You couldn’t just say things like that to someone. Try to control who someone was friends with.
But then I said, “I get you have to deal with him because of Evie and stuff, but...”
Chip shook his head. “It’s not like that. I mean, we’ve been friends ever since preschool. You remember?”
“I remember you and Trent calling me Doofius.”
Chip lowered his eyes.
“Sorry.”
“Whatever. We were kids. But now, you’re...”
“What?”
“You’re nice.” I swallowed. “I mean, the last couple months, you’ve been nice to me. Ever since I got back from Iran. And Trent is still... kind of mean.”
“You just don’t know him very well. That’s all. It’s his sense of humor. He’s just teasing.”
“It doesn’t feel like teasing,” I said. “It never has.”
