I sighed theatrically. “The curse of being funny.”
She studied me for a long moment. “God, I hope you pass your sense of humor on to Mitchell.”
“MGM,” I corrected.
She laughed, her first real one since getting un-engaged in front of the entire neighborhood.
“Fine, call him what you want. Just give him a personality, so he doesn’t end up like me.”
“Right, because it’s such a burden to be beautiful, smart, and wicked cool all at once.”
Her expression softened, her voice small. “If I’m all those things… then why don’t you love me?”
“April…”
“It’s fine. I get it now,” she said, her voice wobbling. “I tried. Like, really tried. But you can’t force love. My first day of freshman year, I saw you walk into the cafeteria, and I swear I couldn’t breathe. I told myself—one day he’s going to notice me, I imagined it a million times.” Her eyes dropped. “But you never did. Not really. Not until that night. And you were drunk. The next morning, you couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”
“I’m sorry. That was crappy,” I admitted. “In my defense, I wasn’t exactly a one-woman man back then.”
Her brows lifted. “And you are now?”
“I could be.”
“With Michelle?”
I nodded.
“What does she have that I don’t? Money? Sophistication?”
Her eyes searched mine for an answer that made sense on paper. But there wasn’t one. Not when it came to Michelle. I couldn’t explain why I liked her. I just did.
I let out a slow breath and shook my head. “I don’t know,” I said. “But something about her feels like… the starting line. Like everything before her was just me killing time.”
April sat with that for a moment before nodding, as if finally reaching her own conclusion.
“Then fight for her.”
“How?”
“Show her she can’t live without you.”
“Except you forget one thing. Michelle can live without me… and a lot better at that.”
“Who says?”
“Common sense.”
“And when,” she said, “has love ever been rational?”
April’s words hung there, cutting through the noise in my head. I’d spent weeks convincing myself Michelle wanted a bigger life than anything a guy like me could give her. I had never let myself consider she might not want that life without me in it.
15
MICHELLE: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
I trailed behind my father into the study where my mother and Melanie were waiting. Melanie’s eyes widened at the sight of my tangled hair and rumpled clothes. If my sister had come for a show, she wouldn’t be disappointed.
My mother let out a single, cold puff. “Honestly, Michelle. Have you no shame?”
