Rules of a Rebel

Chapter 17: No Physical Contact

Rule #3: No Physical Contact

Hugging is an uncomfortable invasion of personal space.

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My friends are leaving today to go back to Chicago. They tell me that they want to meet their families in time for Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I'm devastated. This is mostly because I never really saw the appeal of Thanksgiving since a) I'm vegetarian and b) I hate my family.

"Gwen and Xavier broke up." Andrew tells me just as we shove Irene's stuffed suitcase (that woman packs more clothes than the rest of us combined) in the back of my dad's truck. I'm so startled by the change in subject that I hit my head on top of the car.

"They did?" I can't stop the triumph that takes over me. "Who dumped who?"

"Gwen dumped Xavier," He says, watching my expression intently. "It's blasting all over my Twitter account."

"You have a twitter account?" Jake, who's sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, jerks his head up.

"I follow health blogs for Irene, animal blogs for Peyton and car blogs for you. How do you think I know all those facts?"

"What's in it for you, then?"

"Blackmail, dude."

"Ah." Appeased with this answer, Jake rests his head back on Irene's shoulder, who rolls her eyes and continues sorting through her purse.

Andrew taps my shoulder. "You seem pretty happy about this."

"The sadder Xavier is, the happier I am."

Archer, who's sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, is too busy sketching something for Jake and Andrew on his paper to hear us. Besides, he's nodding to a beat on his headphones to even hear us anyways. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop his little sister, Julia, from overhearing us.

"Who's Gwen and Xavier?" She demands, her hands on her hips.

What a nosy brat. I wish she would have stayed in her room instead of helping us pack up.

"My ex-friend and my ex-boyfriend," My tone indicates that it's not something I want to discuss. As always, Andrew doesn't get the memo.

"I thought you had gotten over them." He slams the trunk closed and looks down at me. Andrew and Irene disapprove with my obsession with Gwen and Xavier, even if my interest just goes as far as wanting to see their downfall.

"I am. I barely think about them now." This, at least, is the truth.

Andrew opens his mouth, but my dad interrupts him. "Ready to go?"

"Not yet," Irene stands up and brushes off the dirt on her black skirt. "We still have to pass out the parting gifts. Yours in the house, let me go it."

"What?" I cross my arms. "But I didn't give you guys anything."

"Paying for the damage we did at Homecoming was enough," Andrew whispers to me, talking about the burnt speaker. I paid the receipt from the remaining part of my salary. "Besides, it's not just for you. We got stuff for Melody, James and Archer as well."

"You did?" Archer, who stands up when Irene comes out (now armed with dark purple shopping bags), lowers his earphones so he can properly hear us. "Why would you that?"

"Bro," He grabs one of Irene's bags and hands it to Archer. "I'd do anything for somebody gives me such a sick tattoo."

It turns out that Jake and Andrew gave him a new sketchpad and a penguin-shaped stress ball, which is good, because he needs one.