“Idiot. I managed to get Denny an extension on her essay, and he said that if she can make her topic better fit the requirements, she can stick with feminism and how philosophy can and often does come across as misogynistic.”
“Now I remember why I’m not taking that class.”
He chuckles. “I’ll help her out with it. Don’t worry.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I watch as a couple students pass us by. “You got a crush on her?”
Callan shrugs. “Denny’s cool. Mostly, I just want to be friends with her.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you hear me say she’s cool?”
“Iknow that. So does Pecan?—”
“Don’t tell me, you think it’s so I can get closer to you two?” He hoots. “Don’t worry about it. I like hockey but not that much.”
Something about his droll tone makes me believe him.
He sounds… indifferent.
Which is very refreshing.
“She’s okay?” He tugs on his ear. “Looked like a lot of blood…”
“More humiliated than distressed, I think.”
“Not her first period, is it?”
“No. Doesn’t matter.”
“What doesn’t?” Denny asks when she steps outside, my hoodie still around her waist, but her expression’s less pinched now that the situation is under control.
Maybe, underneath, there’s still a measure of embarrassment, but I think she’s doing better.
Nothing could be worse than that blood bath of a pool party when we were fourteen.
And I mean nothing.
“We were just talking about Langton,” Callan inserts smoothly.
“What about that asshole? I tried to leave and then when I stood up and I’d bled on his precious armchair, you’d think I murdered his cat!”she proclaims. “Thank fuck that’s my only class today. I’m so ready to go home.”
“I’m done for the day too, but I have practice tonight.”
“I remember.”
“You wanna grab a bite to eat with us at our place, Callan?”
My generous offer is worth it when she beams a smile my way like I’m a toddler who learned to talk and walk at the same time. “That’d be awesome. You don’t have computer science until later, right?”
“You sure?” Callan asks, nervously eying me over—the fucker’s not a total moron, then. He’s picked up on the fact I’m not a big fan of his.
Denny elbows me in the side until I grate out, “Positive.”
TWENTY
STOP COCK-BLOCKING ME, UNIVERSE
