Short Stories (bxb)

Remake Pt. 4: Wanted or Unwanted

"It's time for an intervention."

I looked up from my Calculus notes boredly to find three pairs of eyes on me. Lizzie was the one who'd spoken. "For what purpose?"

Joey put his hand over mine, only to take it off with an awkward cough when I gave him a What the hell are you doing? look. "It's Thursday," he said.

"I'm aware," I deadpanned.

"You and Aiden had your little falling out on Saturday," Peter said. "And you've been a depressing bundle off hormonal moodiness ever since."

I rolled my eyes. True, I hadn't sat at Aiden's lunch table all week, or gone over to his house yesterday, or so much as said more than two words to him since Saturday. But I wasn't that moody. "I'm fine," I said.

"Sweetheart," Becca said. "No you're not. And though you refuse to talk about what went down at Ashley's party, we've heard the details trickle in, and we think there might be a bit of a miscommunication problem. You see, we feel as though you two just aren't seeing each other's—"

"Alright, I'm bored," Joey interrupted. "What she's trying to say is that we think Aiden reacted the way he did because he's in love with you."

"Oh my god," I groaned. "This again, Joey? Seriously, move on. And lower your voice, would you?"

Even though we were pretty much the only students that were actually lame enough to come to the library after school; most students didn't even know there was a library at the school.

"No, listen," Joey said. "Have you ever read the article about the guy who never cared that his roommate was gay until he started bringing guys home, and he was really pissy and thought it was homophobia until he realized he was actually jealous?"

I frowned. "Okay, but if Aiden is supposedly jealous, then why didn't he care about Ashley?"

"Does it bother you to see him with girls?" Joey asked. I shrugged.

"Not really," I admitted.

     "Why not?"

     I thought about it for a moment. "I guess because I know he's straight and that I don't have a chance."

Joey nodded like he'd expected that. "Well how would you feel if you saw him with another boy?"

I was silent. I didn't really know how to respond to that, but I felt an uncomfortable twinge in my stomach at the thought. Joey took the chance to continue.

"Would you be more bothered knowing that he did like boys, just not you?"

•••

On Saturday, I got a text from Aiden. It certainly wasn't the first one I'd gotten from him in the last week, but it was the first I actually bothered to look at.

I know you're pissed at me, and I don't blame you, but please please please come over today - Casanova

I was still pretty mad at him. But I wasn't good at holding a grudge for very long, and despite how shitty he'd made me feel, I was starting to miss his stupid face.

It was awkward when I first arrived. Between the moment he let me into the house and the moment we entered his room, neither of us said a word to each other. The only people I talked to, or who talked to me, were his siblings, who greeted me with hugs and, in Abigail's case, the middle finger, as I passed.