Brynn?â
I froze. Brynn was standing there with a book open like she was reading, but that wasnât what she was doing, because when Matt pointed to her, I saw her look down. By the time Iâd walked into the gates, Brynn was gone, but sheâd seen us. It shouldnât matter that I was walking with Matt, but I knew it did. I decided to say something to Brynn, but she beat me to it. After morning assembly, Brynn came up to me.
âI saw you this morning.â It was her way of saying she saw me with Matt and didnât approve.
âWe just walked to school together,â I said. âItâs nothing.â
âFirst in your front yard. Now, walking to school.â Brynn shrugged. âIt doesnât seem like nothing.â
It was the first time Brynn had brought up the front yard sighting. Iâd been hoping she wouldnât, that it would somehow magically have disappeared from her memory bank, but clearly it hadnât. Now I felt like I had to defend myself. âHeâs my next-door neighbor,â I said, like that explained everything.
Brynn looked at me in this weird, blank way. âHmmm,â she said.
I wasnât completely sure what âHmmmâ meant. I took it to mean, âI canât wait to tell Billy what I just saw.â Iâm not certain she had told Billy when she saw Matt and me in my front yard, but now Iâm pretty sure sheâs told him about both sightings, because she and Billy werenât in the cafeteria at lunch, and I didnât see Billy for the rest of the day. I was hoping that he would call tonight or at least text. But he didnât.
Not a good sign.
True friends stab you in the front.
âOscar Wilde
Saturday, February 1, 9:42 a.m.
Problems
I just called Billy to see if he wanted to hang out today, and Iâm pretty sure by his reaction that things between us have changed. He said, âStudent government is getting together to make posters for the dance. I have to go. Iâm late.â His tone was informational. He didnât sound like the Billy who had called two nights earlier and said, âI miss this.â The only reason I could think of that his attitude had changed was because Brynn told him about seeing me with Matt, and heâs pissed.
When I hung up with him, I called Brynn to see if she wanted to hang out. I wanted to see if I could get out of her what sheâd said to Billy. But she didnât want to hang out. âIâm getting together with the student government dance committee to help make posters,â she told me.
âI thought you were just observing what they do and writing an article about it,â I said.
âThatâs all it was supposed to be,â said Brynn. âBut Iâve been spending so much time with them, they made me an honorary member of the committee.â
CRAP.
4:38 p.m.
Weirded out
In more ways than one
Iâm sure Brynn told Billy about seeing me with Matt. I get why she would. If she likes Billy (which clearly she does), she knows how sensitive Billy is about the subject of Matt and me. She knows that if he heard I was hanging out with Matt, thereâs no chance Billy would like me. But hereâs what doesnât quite add up:
Itâs not like Billy and I act flirty when weâre together, especially around Brynn, so she doesnât have a reason to think he likes me and not her. Unless sheâs just worried about the fact that he used to like me.
Or maybe she does have a reason. Maybe she knows Billy doesnât realize how she feels about him because heâs told her how he feels about me. But I donât think Billy would do that. Plus, Iâm not even sure how he feels about me.
I actually spent a big chunk of this morning looking in Momâs magnifying mirror, counting my pores and trying to imagine what those two must have been saying about me. The more I thought about it, the more my thoughts began to swirl
I froze. Brynn was standing there with a book open like she was reading, but that wasnât what she was doing, because when Matt pointed to her, I saw her look down. By the time Iâd walked into the gates, Brynn was gone, but sheâd seen us. It shouldnât matter that I was walking with Matt, but I knew it did. I decided to say something to Brynn, but she beat me to it. After morning assembly, Brynn came up to me.
âI saw you this morning.â It was her way of saying she saw me with Matt and didnât approve.
âWe just walked to school together,â I said. âItâs nothing.â
âFirst in your front yard. Now, walking to school.â Brynn shrugged. âIt doesnât seem like nothing.â
It was the first time Brynn had brought up the front yard sighting. Iâd been hoping she wouldnât, that it would somehow magically have disappeared from her memory bank, but clearly it hadnât. Now I felt like I had to defend myself. âHeâs my next-door neighbor,â I said, like that explained everything.
Brynn looked at me in this weird, blank way. âHmmm,â she said.
I wasnât completely sure what âHmmmâ meant. I took it to mean, âI canât wait to tell Billy what I just saw.â Iâm not certain she had told Billy when she saw Matt and me in my front yard, but now Iâm pretty sure sheâs told him about both sightings, because she and Billy werenât in the cafeteria at lunch, and I didnât see Billy for the rest of the day. I was hoping that he would call tonight or at least text. But he didnât.
Not a good sign.
True friends stab you in the front.
âOscar Wilde
Saturday, February 1, 9:42 a.m.
Problems
I just called Billy to see if he wanted to hang out today, and Iâm pretty sure by his reaction that things between us have changed. He said, âStudent government is getting together to make posters for the dance. I have to go. Iâm late.â His tone was informational. He didnât sound like the Billy who had called two nights earlier and said, âI miss this.â The only reason I could think of that his attitude had changed was because Brynn told him about seeing me with Matt, and heâs pissed.
When I hung up with him, I called Brynn to see if she wanted to hang out. I wanted to see if I could get out of her what sheâd said to Billy. But she didnât want to hang out. âIâm getting together with the student government dance committee to help make posters,â she told me.
âI thought you were just observing what they do and writing an article about it,â I said.
âThatâs all it was supposed to be,â said Brynn. âBut Iâve been spending so much time with them, they made me an honorary member of the committee.â
CRAP.
4:38 p.m.
Weirded out
In more ways than one
Iâm sure Brynn told Billy about seeing me with Matt. I get why she would. If she likes Billy (which clearly she does), she knows how sensitive Billy is about the subject of Matt and me. She knows that if he heard I was hanging out with Matt, thereâs no chance Billy would like me. But hereâs what doesnât quite add up:
Itâs not like Billy and I act flirty when weâre together, especially around Brynn, so she doesnât have a reason to think he likes me and not her. Unless sheâs just worried about the fact that he used to like me.
Or maybe she does have a reason. Maybe she knows Billy doesnât realize how she feels about him because heâs told her how he feels about me. But I donât think Billy would do that. Plus, Iâm not even sure how he feels about me.
I actually spent a big chunk of this morning looking in Momâs magnifying mirror, counting my pores and trying to imagine what those two must have been saying about me. The more I thought about it, the more my thoughts began to swirl
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