“My friend Missy just texted me apologizing for people being mean to me yesterday. She invited me to her boyfriend Colton’s place next weekend for a party.”
Her level of excitement didn’t make sense to me.
Why in the hell would she want to hang out with people like that?
Just yesterday she’d left school early because of those dicks, and now she wanted to go to a party with them? That was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard.
And unfortunately for me, sometimes I spoke before thinking everything through.
My mouth parted as I blurted out that same exact thought.
I stared her straight in the eyes and said, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
18Karla
My eyes fluttered with confusion.
The stupidest thing he’d ever heard?
That was harsh.
And mean.
And hurtful.
I didn’t know how to react, because over the past few months of us knowing each other, Ash had never been harsh. Not for even a second. I didn’t even know he had it in him.
I felt sick as I narrowed my eyes. “That’s rude.”
“Sorry, I...” he started, but his words faded away. “Wait, no.I’m not sorry. Thatisthe stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I was embarrassed. Then within a flash, I felt rage build up inside of me instead, because how dare he be so rude? I was so excited about Missy inviting me to the party, and Ash wasn’t even letting me celebrate that news.
Why did he have to be such a mood killer? I washappy.
Missy invited me!Me!Little ole reject me who never got invited to anything.
Maybe this was my chance to get back to where I used to be. Maybe this was the shot I needed to get my friends back. Maybe this was the path for me to be normal again, and not the high school reject.
Why couldn’t he see that? All I wanted to do was be normal. This was my shot at that...
“It’s not stupid at all. They’re my friends!” I said sternly, puffing my chest out.
“They are not your friends. They are freaking assholes.”
“No, they aren’t. You don’t even know them.”
“I know how they talk to you,” he snapped. “I see how they laugh at you.”
“You don’t know,” I disagreed.
“They mock you and laugh at you all the time. Why the heck would you want to be anywhere near them? They don’t like you.”
“Yes, they do. Missy invited me!” She invited me. That meant something. It had to have meant something. She still cared. She still liked me. I wasn’t a monster to her. She was my friend. I figured it was just hard for her to be a friend to me after all the drama I’d brought to everything after the accident. I was sure she just had to figure out how to be my friend again.
Plus, Brian would be at the party. He’d help showcase that we were still friends, and to show our other friends that even though I was different, I was still the same in a lot of ways, too. It was a chance to reintroduce myself. It was a chance at being... me again.
All I wanted to do was be the old me again.
