“If you hadn’t missed your moment with Tate before, you sure as hell have now.”
“Why?”
“Is that the only word in your vocabulary now? You kiss a girl and suddenly can’t speak anymore.”
“I didn’t call you to criticize me.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly why you called me.”
“It wasn’t even supposed to be a date,” I argue. “Tate was supposed to come, and then she dropped out last minute and—”
“Oh my god,” she groans. “You have no idea why she backed out.”
“She told me she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Hey, Fletcher, why did Tate leave the Halloween party?”
“Because I ditched her.”
“And what were you doing when you ditched her?”
“Talking to you.”
“Okay… and?”
“And what?”
“She didn’t just leave the party because you ditched her, Fletcher. She left because you ditched her for agirl. She didn’t want to give you the opportunity to do that again. She’s not actually sick. She’s jealous.”
“Jealous?” I scoff.
“Are she and Casey friends?” She shifts closer to the screen as if she’s studying my reaction.
“Not really.”
“And how did she react when you initially brought up hanging out with Casey?”
“She wasn’t thrilled, but then she agreed.”
“And then canceled.”
“You think she did that because she’s jealous of Casey?”
“You once told me that during your first relationship, you basically cut Tate out of your life. I’m not saying she’s jealous because she’s in love with you, which is still a very real possibility. I think she’s worried about losing you.”
“I was a kid during that relationship. We’ve both dated since, and it was different.”
“Was it? Or did you convince yourself it was?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tate’s seen firsthand how she gets put on a back burner for a girl, Fletcher. Whether you realize you’re doing it or not, it obviously bothers her.”
“So, how do I fix it? Should I tell Casey not to come to Michigan?”
“You invited her toMichigan?!” Her jaw drops.
“I wanted to see her again, and we leave in the morning, so I wasn’t going to be able to see her again before we headed back.”
