Seasons Change

9.

The drive to Dylan's apartment was not nearly long enough to pull myself back together, so I sat in the parking lot of the apartment complex, mopping at my wet cheeks and trying to straighten up my haggard appearance. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he had hurt me.

When I was at least a little more composed, I snatched a scrap of paper and pen from the center console, scrawling across the top:
Reasons why Dylan Olsen is the Absolute Worst:
1. He is dating Avery, even though he knows how awful she is to me.
2. He doesn't stand up for me when Avery is mean, even though he's supposed to be my best friend.
3. He sent Ben a picture of me and Will together to make Ben jealous, resulting in Ben breaking up with me.
4. He doesn't take me seriously when I talk to him. Whenever I open up to him, he says I'm being over dramatic.
5. His infuriating smirk and cocky charm whenever I try to confront him. The smug jerkface thinks I can't possibly stay mad at him.
6. He thinks that I'm secretly in love with him, even though all we've ever been is friends.
7. He stubbornly refuses to call me Lilly. I've never thought about it before, but it's weird that he calls me Faye, right?
8. He is shallow and blinded by attractive, mean girls like Avery.
9. He's dating Avery. Okay, I've already said that, but it's so terrible it merits being listed twice.
10. He promised my dad that he would look out for me. He lied.

With my list completed, I'd managed to push past my sorrow over my breakup with Ben, at least for now, and had summoned more rage for Dylan than I'd ever felt for a person in my entire life. I wasn't the kind of girl who got angry very often, but I wanted to punch Dylan in his smug, handsome face for getting Ben to break up with me. It might not fix my relationship with Ben, but it sure would make me feel a little better.

Actually, if Avery was there, I'd punch her too, just for the heck of it. Violence might not solve my problems, but words weren't doing such a great job right now either.

I got out of my car, slamming the door with more force than was strictly necessary and stomping up the stairs to Dylan's second floor apartment. I stood in front of his door and pounded, loudly.

A few minutes later, Dylan opened the door, looking confused. "Lilly?" he asked, holding the door half-shut so I couldn't step into his apartment. "What are you doing here."

"We need to talk," I said, my voice cold as ice as I repeated the very words that Ben had said to me earlier that day. The very same words Dylan had caused Ben to say.

"What's going on?" Dylan asked, glancing into the apartment behind him before stepping out into the hallway and pulling the door shut behind him.

"Unbelievable," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "She's in there with you right now, isn't she? But then, why should that surprise me? You and Avery are practically conjoined at the hip these days."

"Lilly, what's going on with you?" Dylan asked. "You're acting like a crazy person."

My eyes flashed wildly as I barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh I'm acting like a crazy person?" I snapped. "You are dating the craziest chick in the universe, but I come over here to talk to you, and now suddenly, I'm the crazy one?"

Dylan's eyes widened, and he held up his hands in an attempt to placate me. Well, it wasn't going to work. Not this time.

"How could you?" I asked. "Are you happy yet? You made Ben break up with me, and you're flaunting Avery in my face at every turn. Are you having a good laugh at my expense? Oh, poor, trusting Lilly, she isn't ready to grow up yet. She's so immature. Look at her, clinging to all of her old high school friends and acting pitiful because she doesn't want to go to parties every night. Well, news flash, Dylan, I don't need you. In fact, I don't even like you right now. You are so not the guy I thought you were."