“You called me an asshole.”
“Because you are an asshole. You’re saying I’m a bitch?”
“I said you’re acting like a bitch. Two different things.”
“No, it’s totally not.”
Silence again.
I couldn’t stand his damn silences.
“If you were luring me out to your car to try to make out with me, rest assured, the answer would be no.”
“Here’s an idea. How about you just sit back and enjoy the drive.”
I went silent.
He said nothing else. The entire way.
And it just about killed me.
I knew why I was pissed at him. I’d been pissed at him for the last two years. But why was he being such a dick to me?
This was the longest conversation we’d had since I was sixteen, and it was broiling with tension. It was like we were hurling fireworks at each other. Angry, bitchy, accusatory fireworks.
By the time we pulled into my parents’ dark, silent driveway, I was even more pissed at him. For being so mean to me.
He’d never been mean to me before. I mean, he’d hurt me before. But not on purpose.
I took off my seatbelt. “I would say thanks for the ride, but it fucking blew, so.”
“Your parents know where you were tonight?”
I turned to glare at him. “Fuck off, Xander, okay?”
“I’m just wondering how stupid you were being,” he said, gazing through the windshield at nothing at all, as he sat there with one toned, tattooed arm resting on the steering wheel. Still not looking atme. “Like did anyone know where you were? Or would no one even notice you were gone until the morning, if you disappeared off the face of the Earth tonight?”
“You’ve been creepy enough for one night. Just quit while you’re ahead, okay?”
I went to open the door, but he locked them down so I couldn’t get out.
I blew out a breath. “See, you’re being a creeper again.”
He looked at me, but again, kind ofthroughme. “Yeah? What would you do about it if I was?”
“Okay, that was definitely creepy.”
“It’s just a question. What would you do if some guy locked you in his car?”
I made some sputtery noises that weren’t words. Then I managed, “Whatever, Xander. I’d stab him with my light saber, then melt the locks off. What kind of question is that?”
He looked away again. “Did you even think about that? You know, when you were lying to your parents about where you were going tonight?”
I just glared at the side of his head.
“Did you think about what it would do to your brother? You know… if something happened to you.”
I sucked in a breath, hard. I wanted to slap him for that. “How could you?”
