When I Leave, and Other Broken Promises

Boyfriends and Other Awkward Encounters

Candice had distanced herself from her phone for no more than ten minutes when it began ringing again. She'd already decided that if it was Curt, she wasn't going to answer it. Everything was still too raw between them. She walked over to her bed to glance at the screen. It was a familiar, yet unknown number. She knew at once it was Will.

"I've really got to add you to my contacts," she began immediately after accepting the phone call, "I'm already tired of wondering who's calling me when I see your number on my phone."

"Well, at least you're anticipating more phone calls from me. That's a good sign," he chuckled.

"What are you up to?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Not much. Just playing GTA. How about you?"

"Just fighting with Curt. No biggie," she tried to laugh to take the edge off.

"Does that happen often?"

"No, not really. He just wanted to hang out this weekend, but I hate hanging out at his house because his psycho girlfriends always show up randomly and totally ruin everything," she vented.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's always awkward," he agreed, "plus, it can't be easy watching some chick rub all over a guy who's basically your brother."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, wondering briefly how a guy she hardly knew could understand her discomfort so immediately while the guy she'd known for years seemed confused by her frustration.

"I used to be friends with this girl in junior high. Everything was cool until she got a boyfriend. I just didn't want to deal with it. I told her to call me when they broke up."

"Did she?"

He laughed ruefully before answering.

"No. She never spoke to me again after that. I never really understood why."

"See, that's what I'm afraid of. I don't want something like that to happen with me and Curt. I think I really ticked him off just now. I tried telling him that girls don't get our relationship, ya know? They see us talking together and they get really competitive. He doesn't understand how girls are. He told me he'd be totally fine if he saw me hanging all over some guy," she paused, "and who knows? Maybe he would. I just know girls aren't like that."

"He wouldn't be," Will answered decisively, "he says he would be, but he wouldn't. If he's anything like me, it'd drive him crazy to see you all over somebody. If a guy spends any amount of time with a girl, he starts to feel a little possessive, even if they're not going out, ya know? He says he'd be cool about it, but he'd go nuts if he actually saw it. I'd bet money on it."

"See, that's kinda what I thought too, but I'm not a guy so I didn't really know."

There was a break in conversation for a moment before Will spoke again.

"So...I'm getting the impression that you don't have any plans this weekend..."

"Haha, yeah," she laughed sarcastically, "you could say that."

"So, how's about hanging out over here? Chad, Andy, and his girlfriend are coming over Friday night. Andy's girlfriend would be stoked if there was actually another girl to talk to. Her name's Emily, by the way."

"Emily—?" Candice hinted, wondering if she knew her.

"Emily Jordan. She goes to West Steiner over in Dobson. You probably don't know her. She's kinda cool. Just a little wooden sometimes. She's alright though."