"She changed her mind."
He smiles at me. "Are you guys a thing now or what?"
When I don't respond, he says, "You should be. You're not as grumpy when she's around. And you smile, which almost never happens." He opens the fridge and takes out the spaghetti.
"I smile," I insist.
"Only when you win a football game. Otherwise you're all serious and shit."
"You have to cover it," I say, taking the spaghetti from him and covering it with a paper towel. I start to put it in the microwave but then set it down. "How much of this do you want?"
"I don't know. Just heat it up."
I scoop some out on a plate. "Is that enough?"
"Yeah, but why not just heat it all at once?"
"I'm taking it with me." I put the top back on the container. "Will you be okay here until I get back?"
"Yeah. Where are you going?"
"I need to talk to someone." I take the container and grab my keys and go to the door. "I'll be back later. Do your homework."
"Yeah, whatever," I hear him say.
On the bus, people give me strange looks for holding a container of spaghetti on my lap. I could've left it behind but I did promise her spaghetti and she left before she had any.
When I get to her building I ring her apartment to be let in.
"Hello?" someone says. It's not Brook. It must be her mom.
"Hey, it's Dean. Brook's friend," I say, in case she forget who I am.
"Is she expecting you?"
"No. I don't need to stay long. I just need to talk to her."
"I'll be right down."
"You could just buzz me in."
She doesn't respond.
Moments later Brook's mom appears, wearing black dress pants and a beige blouse. She was dressed up last time I saw her too. She has that rich person look. It's not just her clothes but the way she holds herself, with her shoulders back and nose in the air. She's probably a foot shorter than me but I feel like she's looking down at me.
"Brook is upstairs," she says, opening the door and letting me in the building. "I need to run to the office."
"Okay, thanks."
"Before you go up, I want to talk to you."
"About what?"
She glances at the container in my hand. "What is that?"
"Spaghetti. I thought Brook might like some."
"Huh. What an interesting gesture." She looks up at me. "Anyway, Brook just informed me she is no longer with her boyfriend. But as we both know, at this age breakups are common and rarely last. I'm sure Brook will be back with Chad by the end of the week, if not sooner." She smiles. "Just wanted you to know."
