Let Me Fall

I reach for my messenger bag and start to pack up my things. Dr. Morgan wasn’t kidding when he said that we’d be going over the syllabus today. When I looked at the one page document, I didn’t think that it’d take that long to go over, but he spent the full hour talking about it. However, part of me is thankful that that was all we discussed today since I’m still fighting away drowsiness; the soda I grabbed earlier clearly hasn’t been helping very much.

“So, what are you up to now?” Brian asks me as we walk out of Abnormal Psych together.

I adjust the strap of my bag as we head down the hall to the stairwell. “Um, well, since I don’t have any more classes after this, I was just going to head home. What about you?” I query, turning my head to look at him.

“Thought I’d grab some lunch,” he replies, glancing over at me. “Think you’d like to join me?”

I bite my lip for a moment. “I don’t know… I’ve got some stuff that I have to do at home. You know, for my parents and all.”

He nods his head. “I understand. I just thought it’d be nice to have some company. Maybe next time.”

“Wait, you’re going to be by yourself?” I ask; a little surprised. I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to be Mr. Popularity or anything like that, but I had figured he’d have someone to eat lunch with.

“It looks like it. All of my friends have class right now, so I can’t exactly ask them.”

“And you can’t wait until they’re out of class?”

“A guy’s gotta eat when a guy’s gotta eat,” he replies with a grin as we make our way down the steps.

“So, what are you gonna do, just sit there at the diner all by yourself?” I ask him, picturing it in my head. And I must say that it’s sort of a depressing thought.

He shrugs his shoulders as if it’s no big deal. “Probably. But it’s not like I won’t have anyone to talk to. Loretta will be there and everything.”

“Yeah, she will…” I trail off, still not entirely wild to hear that he’s going to be alone. I know from firsthand experience that it’s not exactly fun to go out to eat by yourself; it gets lonely.

We walk out of the building and I’m about to tell him bye when I realize that it looks like he’s going to be heading in the same direction as I am. I guess we ended up parking in the same lot again. Chewing on the inside of my bottom lip, I debate whether or not joining Brian for lunch would hurt. I mean, he does seem like a nice guy and everything; maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if we became friends. But I do have Trevor to think about, and no matter how much my mom has encouraged me to make some friends, I know that Trevor has to come first.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you Monday?” I ask as we approach my car.

“Unless I decide to drop all of my classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, then I’ll definitely see you then,” he says with a smile.

“Alright, then I’ll see you Monday,” I reply with a chuckle.

“You have a good weekend, Piper.”

“Thanks, you too, Brian.”

He gives me one more smile before continuing on to his Impala, and I watch him walk away for a moment before unlocking my car and tossing my messenger bag in the backseat. I close the door and start to reach for the handle of the front driver’s side door when I spot Kendall heading in my direction. I take a quick look around the parking lot and notice his car parked in the row ahead of mine. Shit, I hope he doesn’t see me.

“Well, I see that you’re still stalking me,” his all-too-familiar voice calls out, making me freeze.

“It’s not stalking if I didn’t know you parked here,” I reply, doing what I can to keep my voice steady and hide my nerves.

“Didn’t know I parked here? Oh, Piper, that’s hard to believe seeing as how my car is right there,” he says, pointing to his silver Saturn. “And I know that you remember it.”

“That doesn’t mean I saw it when I parked here. I have better things to do than look for your damn car in a parking lot.”

“What, like that little bastard of yours?” he queries, a sick smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

I swallow hard, hoping I don’t lose my composure. “Trevor is not a bastard.”

“Isn’t he? Neither of us wanted him, remember?”

“I did want him,” I mumble, biting my lip. “I was just scared.”

“Yeah, scared that I would find out that he’s not really mine. Face it, Piper, you only had that little shit because you thought I’d go back to you.”

“But he is yours. I even had that damn paternity test done to prove that to you.” I gulp and exhale shakily. “And I don’t understand why you don’t love him.”

“Aw, is little Piper gonna cry now? Where’s that meathead from the other day, huh? That one who thought you were such a sweet girl. Did you run him off when he found out that you’re not as sweet and innocent as he thought you were?”

I lick my lips, wishing that I had gone to lunch with Brian after all. Maybe then I wouldn’t have run into Kendall again, or at lease he’d have left me alone. “He had plans today…”

“I’m sure he did. I bet he took off the moment you told him about that little brat of yours. I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again, Piper, you’re damaged goods. So you can spread your legs for however many guys you want, but none of them are ever going to love you or that little brat of yours,” he says, his dark eyes locking onto mine.

I blink, fighting back the tears that are welling up in my eyes. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I know he’s right. I’m damaged-- too messed up for anyone to ever love. I don’t bother to even try to find someone because I know that none of them will accept me once they find out about Trevor. What guy at my age would want to jump in to be a father to a kid that isn’t even theirs?

“Well, I guess you should run off to that little son of a bitch before your parents get sick of taking care of him for you,” he says as he walks off to his car.

I stare out blankly after him. I’m not sure what just happened, but it feels like he just won. Or at least he had the last word, which sure as hell makes me feel like he just had a little victory over me. And I guess he did; he succeeded in making me feel like shit, yet again.

Sniffling, I get into my car. I sit behind the wheel for a little while as I take deep breaths in and out to calm down. I can’t go home looking like this; like a wreck because of Kendall. My mom was nervous enough about me going to school here because she knew there was a chance I’d have to deal with him, and I had assured her that I wouldn’t let him get to me. I guess I forgot just how far he can knock me down.

I wait a couple more minutes before pulling out of the parking lot and heading on home. But as I’m driving, I decide to make a detour and drive by the diner. I notice Brian’s Impala parked in the nearly empty lot, and on impulse I turn and park my car beside his. I turn off the engine and reach into the backseat to get my phone out of my messenger bag so I can let my mom know that I decided to stop for lunch.

I hang up and slip my phone into my pocket when I’m done calling her. I make sure to grab my wallet from my bag before I get out of the car, and I make my way to the restaurant. I reach the diner’s doors and exhale heavily as I open the door and step inside. The first person I see when I enter is Loretta. She gives me a smile as she takes down a table’s orders, and I smile back. She glances briefly to my right and I follow her eyes to see Brian sitting down at a booth not too far away, his back to me. I mouth a quick thanks to her before heading over to his table.

“Fancy seeing you here,” I comment, standing next to the table.

He looks up from his menu and grins. “What are you doing here? I thought you said that you had chores to do at home.”

“I did, but it’s not going to take me all day to do them, so I should be alright,” I answer, smiling. “So, would you mind if I joined you?”

“Not at all; take a seat.” He gestures to the empty space across from him, and I slide into the seat.

But as soon as I do, I’m not exactly sure what to say. Maybe stopping by wasn’t such a good idea after all. To be honest, I’m not really sure why I decided to take that detour and check if he was here. I mean, I knew he would be; he even said that he’d have Loretta to talk to while he had lunch. So why did I feel compelled to come here?

“Is everything okay, Piper?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I look up from the table and give him a tiny smile. “Yeah, everything’s alright. Why do you ask?”

“Because you just look like you have something on your mind, that’s all.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I was just checking because you just seem a little…” he pauses, trying to find the right word, “upset.”

“Is it that obvious?” I ask as I look back down at the table.

“No, it’s not obvious.”

“Then how come you were able to tell?” I gently pat at my face to feel for any dried or drying tears that may have slid from my eyes earlier. “Do I have, like, tearstains all over my face or something, or are you just really observant?”

“I guess I’m just observant,” he says with a shrug. “Your shoulders are a little slumped over and you were sitting there like you have a lot on your mind. But if you don’t want to talk about, then you don’t have to. I’m more than happy to distract you from whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

“Thanks, Brian,” I reply, smiling at him.

Maybe that’s why I took that detour, because I wanted someone to talk to. I mean, he already knows what a jerk Kendall is and he seems to understand just how much the guy gets on my nerves. However, I’m not sure if that’s a really good idea; the last thing I want to do is bog him down with my silly drama with my ex. Who wants to be friends with someone who is constantly dealing with drama?

“Not a problem, Piper.”

“So, what are you getting?” I ask, peering across the table at his menu.

“I’m still deciding. What about-- You don’t have a menu. Or a drink.”

“It’s alright--”

“I’ll see if I can get Loretta to come by,” he tells me, looking over his shoulder to see where she is.

“I can just look off of your menu.”

“But don’t you want something to drink?”

“I’ll just order that when she comes by. Really, Brian, it’s not a big deal,” I assure him with a smile.

“Are you sure? You can have my Coke, it you want it. I haven’t touched it yet,” he says, slightly pushing the glass towards me so I can take it.

“I’m sure. But thank you.”

“Well, do you want to come over here so you can see the menu a little easier?”

“Um,” I chew on the inside of my lip, contemplating the proposition, “I don’t know…”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he tells me. “I was just suggesting it so we can figure out what we want faster.”

I glance up over at where I last saw Loretta and realize that business as started to pick up since I walked in. I guess now is when the lunch rush hits.

“Sure,” I concede, not seeing the harm in it.

I get up from my seat and walk over to his side of the table. He scoots down a little bit so I have enough room, and I sit down beside him. Brian opens up the menu and sets it down between us so we can both look at our options. I look over the menu, trying to figure out what I want this time. The chicken sandwich that I had last time was excellent, but I’m in the mood to try something different today-- I’m just not sure what.

“Any luck yet?” Brian asks me, and I lift my head to look at him.

“Not really. How about you?” I ask in hopes that maybe his decision will help me come to mine.

“I think I’m leaning towards these two options,” he replies, pointing to a cheeseburger and to a breakfast option.

“A cheeseburger or…breakfast?” I query, a little confused.

“Yeah.”

“Why breakfast?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Just kinda in the mood for it. I didn’t really eat much this morning and I’m sort of craving eggs.”

“Why didn’t you have much to eat this morning?”

“I woke up a little later than usual and had to rush to get to class.”

“You can’t live very far, then, because you got to class before me,” I point out. “And I was running a little late, too.”

“I’m sorry about that. Did I keep you out too late last night?” he asks, and I look up at him.

“No, it wasn’t that. At least I don’t think it was. I just slept in, that’s all. Still feeling a bit sleepy now, actually, so I probably just didn’t sleep well.”

“I’m sorry.”

I smile at him. “It’s not your fault, Brian.”

“I still kinda feel bad about last night, though. I mean, are you sure your mom isn’t mad at me or anything, because I feel like I really messed up.”

“You didn’t mess up anything. Why does it matter so much if you did?”

“Remember what I told you last night? I’m used to parents hating me for being a bad influence and stuff. Since I’d like to be your friend, I don’t really want your parents to dislike me.”

“That’s right; you were the bad boy,” I reply with a tiny chuckle. “I wouldn’t really peg you for that, to be honest.”

“You wouldn’t?” he asks, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“Not really.”

“Thanks.”

“You actually struck me as more of the egotistical pretty boy,” I tell him with a small smirk.

“Ouch!” he says, chuckling softly. “Are you sure you were the quintessential good girl? Because that was pretty damn mean.”

“Just because I’m a good girl doesn’t mean I can’t be brutally honest.”

He smiles, shaking his head. “You sure are something, Warren.”

I laugh softly. “I try.”

“So, what has the brutally honest good girl narrowed it down to?”

“Not quite sure…” I trail off, trying to remember what Brian had the other day. “I did like the chicken sandwich, but I think I wanna try something different… Maybe a burger.”

“Well, like I said last time, everything is good here, so you can’t really go wrong-- especially when it comes to their burgers.”

“Wow, that really helps me narrow it down.”

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

“If you say so.”

“Sorry it took so long for me to get to you guys,” Loretta’s voice chimes out, pulling my attention away from Brian to her.

“It’s not a problem, Loretta,” Brian tells her.

“Well, now that I’ve kept you two waiting so long, have you figured out what you want?”

“Um, have we?” he asks, and I glance back at him for a moment before looking back down at the menu.

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” I reply as I quickly scan over the choices again.

“So what can I get for you?” she asks us.

“You go first,” I whisper to Brian so I can get a little extra time to decide.

“I’ll have the cheeseburger.”

“Alright. And what about you, Piper?”

“Um… I will have the bacon cheeseburger,” I say after spotting what Brian had the last time we were here. I pick up the menu and hand it back to her; she tucks it underneath her arm. “And may I get a Coke with that, please?”

“Of course,” she answers as she jots down on her notepad. “Anything else?”

Brian looks at me, and I gently shake my head. “I think we’re fine for now. Thanks, Loretta,” he says, smiling.

“You’re welcome. Your food will be out in a few minutes, and I’ll be right back with that Coke.”

“Thank you,” I tell her with a tiny smile.

She nods her head slightly, giving me a smile in return before she turns and walks away. I sigh as I look around the room, figuring that I should go back to where I was sitting since we’ve ordered. I get up and return to my seat across the table from Brian. He frowns at me.

“What is it?” I ask him, cocking my head to the side.

“You didn’t have to move.”

“Well, I just figured it’d be easier to talk to you if I don’t have to turn my head to see your face.”

“So you want to look at my face?” he queries, a tiny smirk tugging at his lips.

“Eh, only because it’s polite to do so,” I reply with a shrug. “If it were up to me--”

“Don’t even finish that,” he says with a chuckle.

“Aww, why not? You don’t know what I was going to say.”

“I think I’ve got an idea, though. I thought we were being friends.”

“Friends can tease each other,” I reason. “Besides, weren’t you teasing me first?”

“I was, but only because you said you wanted to look at my face. I had to take the opportunity. You know, be the cocky jerk you think I am.”

I roll my eyes at the comment. “And just when you were starting to redeem yourself, Haner.”

“What can I say,” he shrugs his shoulders, “you saw through me, Piper. I’m just the pretty boy you thought I was.”

“I’m sure you are,” I reply, realizing just how wrong I’ve been about him so far. Everything Kendall had led me to believe about guys like Brian has been wrong. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Kendall ended up being exactly the opposite of what I thought he was…

“Pipe--”

“So here is your Coke,” Loretta says, cutting Brian off as she sets down a glass in front of me.

“Thank you,” I say with a tiny smile.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be back in a little while with your food,” she tells us before walking away again.

I lick my lips before bringing the glass a bit closer. But I’ve seemed to have lost whatever thirst I did have, so I just push the straw around inside the glass.

“Piper?”

I look up at him. “Hmm?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I answer, doing my best to give him a smile.

“Are you sure?” he asks, looking unconvinced.

I nod my head. “Mmhmm.”

“Okay,” he says, nodding before he starts to shake his head. “But I don’t buy it. Something’s bothering you, Piper.”

“It’s nothing…”

“Look, I know I said that I wouldn’t push you to talk about it, but it’s obviously bugging you a lot. What’s going on?”

I exhale heavily, not really sure if I should bother to tell him. “It’s just stupid,” I mumble, pushing my straw around.

“What is?”

“My ex…”

“Well, I can certainly back that up,” he says, and I can’t help but crack a smile at the comment. “What’d the idiot do this time?”

“I bumped into him again in the parking lot. It was basically a repeat of Wednesday, only worse.” I shrug. “It’s not a big deal, really. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to go to school here.”

“You did?”

“Well, I could figure, anyway. The breakup was pretty messy and I knew he was probably still going to be at the same school.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to harass you whenever he sees you, though. It’s not like he fucking owns the campus.”

“I know…But he’s just convinced that because I decided to go to the same school as him, I must be stalking him or trying to win him back or something. And it couldn’t be further from the truth, you know?” I lick my lips. “I’m just so sick of him. He’s wrong about everything.”

“Wrong?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Um, well, he’s one of those guys who try to pin down exactly what a person is like before really getting a chance to know them. I guess I ended picking that up. I mean, Kendall always said that guys like you would never give girls like me the time of day unless you just wanted to get into my pants; that you’re just a typical meathead.”

“Is that your word or his?”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Meathead, is it your word to describe me or what he’d call me?”

“It’d be what he’d call you,” I reply, recalling that Kendall actually did use the word today. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I don’t that’s the right term.”

“You don’t? Why?”

“Well, because when I think of a meathead, I think of some overly muscled jock whose neck is probably thicker than their head, and is completely dimwitted. Now I’m sure that he thinks I’m dimwitted, but I don’t think I fit the rest of that description, do I?” he says with an amused smile.

“No, I don’t think you do,” I answer, smiling a bit too. “I never even thought about that. I guess he was wrong about more than I realized.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I mean, I knew right away he didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about when he was calling you a whore.”

“You did?”

He nods. “Mmhmm.”

“But how did you know that? I mean, you don’t know me that well. And you sure as hell barely knew me on Wednesday. So why would you come to my rescue like that?” I ask, glancing across the table at him.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I just didn’t like seeing him yell at you. I mean, what kind of guy tries to humiliate someone like that?”

“Even though I was a huge bitch to you that day and probably deserved it?”

“You weren’t a bitch, Piper,” he says, his gaze softening.

“Yes, I was.”

“Agree to disagree, then. But you definitely didn’t deserve to have him treat you like that. You’re none of the terrible shit he called you.”

“How can you be so sure about that, Brian? What if I am everything he called me? What if I am a whore?”

“But you aren’t. You refused to even talk to me because you were convinced I just wanted to get into your pants. Piper, you’re not a whore.”

“Brian, watch your language,” Loretta scolds as she approaches the table. “Don’t you remember that we’ve got families coming in here?”

“Sorry, Loretta, it won’t happen again,” he apologizes.

“Uh huh,” she replies, sounding unconvinced, as she sets down our food in front of us. “Just try to watch it next time, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” he answers, beaming widely.

She smiles fondly at him before looking at me. “Do you two need anything else?”

“Um,” I look over at Brian for a second before shaking my head. “I think we’re fine for now. Thanks, Loretta.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiles at me. “Enjoy your food, and if you guys need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” we tell her before she leaves.

Silence falls over the table. I chew the inside of my lip and reach for my Coke, taking a long sip.

“So,” he says, picking up his burger from the plate, “Kendall must be pretty hung up on you, huh?”

“What?!” I exclaim, coughing as I choke on my Coke.

“Your ex, he’s still hung up on you.”

“Um, no. Absolutely not,” I tell him matter-of-factly.

“Why do you say that?”

“He has a girlfriend now.”

“So?” he asks, as if it isn’t a big deal.

“So, that means he’s moved on. He’s completely over me.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know about that. I mean, having a girlfriend doesn’t really mean he’s over you. He doesn’t act like he’s over you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the time, at least from my experience and seeing what my friends have dealt with, you can be civil with your ex. You may not be friends, but you aren’t causing a damn scene whenever they’re in close proximity either. And it sounds like every time you’ve run into your ex, he makes a big deal about it. He makes sure to acknowledge you in some way, no matter how unpleasant it is.”

“I guess…” I trail off. “But he’s over me. I’m sure.”

“I sort of doubt that. You seem like a hard girl to get over,” he tells me.

“And why do you say that?” I ask, interested to hear what he has to say.

“Well, you’re a pretty cool girl.”

“Cool?”

“You know,” he says, looking down at the table for a moment, “cool. Like, you’re smart and witty and not exactly bad to look at.” I start to smile. “A little on the paranoid side, maybe,” he adds on with a chuckle.

“Hey, you were the one who drove me into an empty parking lot in the middle of the night saying that it was the perfect place. I didn’t know what you were planning,” I defend.

“I think most girls would have assumed I wanted to hookup, not murder them and chop up their bodies,” he counters, his brown eyes glinting with amusement.

“Well, excuse me for being cautious.”

“A bit extreme, though, don’t you think?” he teases.

“You can never be too careful,” I point out, sighing heavily. “But you’re wrong about Kendall not being over me. We broke up over a year ago.”

“So? Like I said, I can see you being a hard person to get over.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” I answer, biting my lip as I recall the moment Kendall shattered my heart even more than I thought he already had.

“And how do you know that for sure?”

“Because less than a week after we broke up, he told me he was in love with one of my best friends.”

Brian stares at me for a moment. I can tell by the look on his face that hear certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that. But then again, how many people would have been? I doubt it’s something that people throw out very often.

“Seriously?” he asks, still looking flabbergasted.

“Yep.”

“But why would he tell you that?”

“I don’t really know why he was compelled to tell me, especially so soon after we broke up. Maybe so that it wouldn’t have knocked me off guard if I saw them together.”

“Is that why he broke up with you?”

I lick my lips as I think of the right way to approach the question. “No, that wasn’t the reason. He claimed that he never had feelings for her while we were together.”

“Then how the hell did he know that he was in love with her right after you two split?”

“Well, Reese was friends with both of us, so she didn’t really want to take sides when Kendall and I broke up. She would talk to both of us after the split, but I guess Kendall made more visits to her place than I had. At first, Kendall and I were trying to be friends, so I guess that was part of the reason he decided to tell me he had feelings for Reese. He said that after spending so much time with her, he fell in love with her.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not love; that’s a fucking rebound.”

I shrug, stirring my straw around. “Maybe not, because that’s the girl he’s been dating for the last year.”

“Are you kidding me?” he asks, looking surprised.

“I wish I was.” Chuckling humorlessly, I pick up a fry and tap it gently against my plate before taking a bite.

“So, one of your best friends is dating your ex-boyfriend, who I assume is no longer your friend since he harasses you for no reason whenever he runs into you. What kind of friend is she?”

“The former kind,” I mumble. “In the end, she took Kendall’s side over mine. She believed him when he told everyone that I was a lying, cheating whore, and instantly dropped me. So I guess she wasn’t a very good friend to begin with.”

“Definitely sounds like it. And how soon were they dating?”

I shrug, not really positive on. “I guess about a month after the breakup.”

“That definitely sounds like a rebound.”

“I suppose so…”

“It also sounds like this girl didn’t really care about you enough if she believed whatever the hell your idiot ex told her.”

“Yeah…” I trail off. I wonder just how many friends I ever really had since they all sided with Kendall. I guess none…

“Hey,” Brian says, pulling me out of my thoughts, “you’re better off without them.”

“I guess,” I answer, shrugging again.

“You are,” he insists. “He’s a jerk and she’s an idiot.”

“Or maybe I’m the problem. I mean, every one of my friends sided with him in the end.” I exhale heavily. “I lost everyone.”

“All of them took his side over yours?” he asks, again looking quite shocked.

I simply nod my head, wondering what’s going through his head right now. Maybe he’s starting to reconsider what he said about me not being a whore. If all of my friends believed him when Kendall told them I cheated on him, then I must be different than Brian thought. I can’t be the good girl he assumed I was.

Brian doesn’t say anything. He just looks at me, almost like he’s studying me. I can imagine him picking me apart, coming to the same conclusion that everyone else did-- that I’m a horrible person.

“So you had a bunch of shitty friends,” he concludes, breaking the silence.

Now it’s my turn to be surprised. I’m shocked to hear the words that just came out of his mouth. How can he say that? How can he just assume that I had bad friends after hearing that all of them chose Kendall over me? Shouldn’t he be thinking that maybe I’m not the sweet girl he believed me to be?

“What?” I query as he takes a bite of his burger. I’m sure I must have misheard him. Maybe he said that I was the shitty friend.

He swallows his food. “I said you had a bunch of shitty friends.”

“And why do you say that?”

“Well, if they believed that asshole over you, they must have been. Who just abandons their friend after hearing their ex talk shit about them? Friends, real friends, stay by your side.”

“But how can you be so sure that I’m not at fault?” I ask, tilting my head slightly.

“Well, I can’t,” he admits. “But I have a good feeling that none of that shit was your fault. You seem too good to be all the bad things I’ve heard him call you. Plus, he’s a total dick.”

“And you can tell that by running into him once?” I ask, somewhat amused as I take a bite of my food.

“Actually, I have one class with the guy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don’t think he recognized me. And if he did, he chose to ignore me. But the guy comes off as a total prick. He’s very smug and arrogant; seems to believe he’s the smartest person in the room, even when he isn’t.”

I swallow hard as I process this new information-- that he has a class with Kendall. “Yeah, he had a habit of doing that,” I agree, recalling how he was exactly like that in high school. Hell, he even thought he was smarter than the teachers half of the time.

“This might sound like a weird question, but what did you see in him? I mean, you just seem like the type of girl who would hate a guy like him.”

“And you’re probably right about that,” I acknowledge, giving an embarrassed chuckle. “But, I think I looked past that conceited attitude of his because I thought he was really cute.”

“Are you serious?”

“What? I was, like, sixteen, and he was the first guy who ever told me he liked me,” I say defensively. “You overlook a lot of stuff when you’re young and like someone a lot, like their obvious character flaws.”

“But he was a total jerk!”

“Which counts as an obvious character flaw,” I point out before sighing heavily. “I guess I thought that since he had never been a jerk to me that I would never have to deal with that side of him. There was a tiny part of me that thought that maybe I could make him a better person.”

“A lot of girls think they can do that, huh? They think they can just fix us if we have a quality that they don’t like,” he says with an amused smile.

“I suppose so. I’ve noticed a lot of us seem to gravitate towards a guy who is a bit of a fixer-upper. We end up thinking that just by being with us, whatever good qualities we have will rub off onto them. I used to think that girls who did that were stupid, and then I went and did exactly that…”

“You weren’t stupid, Piper.”

“Wasn’t I?”

“You said that you were sixteen and that he was the first guy who told you that he liked you, so I take it that he was your first boyfriend?”

“Yeah…”

“Almost everyone ends up doing something they swore they never would, like saying that you won’t let your significant other keep you from your friends or that you’ll never date someone who ends up being completely off their rocker and makes a shrine to you in their closet.”

“Completely off their rocker with a shrine in their closet?” I query, raising an eyebrow.

“She was cute, okay?” he says defensively. “I didn’t know that she had it.”

“And how did you find out about it in the first place?”

“She wanted me to get her jacket from her room. I didn’t see one out, so I just opened her closet to grab one… It was pretty scary to see your own face staring back at you when you least expect it.”

I can’t help but laugh a little. “See, now that makes me feel a bit better.”

“I’m so glad that my misfortune amuses you so much.”

“Sorry,” I say as I fight back my laughter. “You just don’t hear a lot of stories like that.”

“It’s alright,” he replies, smiling at me. “I’m glad I could make you laugh, even if it was at my mistakes. But that’s sort of the point that I’m trying to make, everyone fucks up sometime. What’s important is that we learn from them.”

“Does that mean you haven’t dated anymore girls with secret shrines to you?” I ask, taking a bite of my burger.

“If I have, I never found them,” he chuckles.

“I’m sure that’s quite the relief.”

“Definitely is.”

I smile. “Thanks for making me feel better, Brian.”

“You’re welcome. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

It’s so weird to say that; that we’re friends. It feels like I haven’t had friends in forever. And to think that I’ve befriended a guy that I would normally never speak to makes it even stranger. But it’s kind of nice that I can finally call someone my friend.

“So, um, I was wondering something,” he says, picking up a fry and dipping it into some ketchup.

I take a sip of my drink. “Hmm?”

“What do you usually do over the weekend?”

“Um…” I trail off. I’m not really sure how to answer that one. I usually spend my weekends taking care of Trevor, but I don’t exactly want to mention that… “Not a whole lot,” I finally mumble. “Just chores and stuff around the house… What about you?”

“Um, well, I usually go to my friend’s house for band practice.”

“That’s right, you’re in a band.”

“Yeah, and, um, that’s kinda why I asked what you usually do. I was wondering if you’d like to come check us out sometime.”

“Oh… Um, what days do you usually have practice?”

“Usually Saturdays, but sometimes we meet up on Sunday afternoon. It’s not super long or anything. Just a couple of hours, depending on how much we decide to goof off and whatever else we’ve got going on.”

“That sounds fun.”

“We have a pretty good time.” He grins widely. “And you wouldn’t be the only girl there. My friends have girlfriends who usually hang out with us, so you’ll have people to talk to if you get tired of us.”

“Are you guys so bad that I would get tired of you?” I question teasingly.

“We may not be everyone’s style, that’s all.”

“I see. So, what style would you be?”

“I really don’t like using labels, but we’re in the hard rock and metalcore range.”

“Oh…” I trail off. Isn’t that what Patricia’s boyfriend’s band fell under? Well, I guess that can’t be too surprising. It’s not like there can only be one college band in that genre…

“Let me guess, that’s not really your scene?” he says, reading the expression on my face.

“It’s not that,” I reply with a shake of my head. “I just… haven’t really heard a whole lot of metalcore, to be honest.”

“Well, then that gives you a chance to check it out,” he beams. “And like I said, if we’re not your style, there’s always the girls to talk to while you’re there.”

“That sounds good. Um, when’s your next rehearsal?”

“Tomorrow, actually. I know it’s sort of springing this on you at the last minute, but I wasn’t really expecting you to show up like this.”

“Um, I can try and see if I can get out of doing my chores tomorrow,” I reply. I think it’s enough of a head’s up for my mom and dad to watch Trevor for me… “How about I call you tonight to let you know if I can make it or not?”

“That sounds good to me. Now, there is one more very important question I need to ask you,” he says, his dark eyes locking onto mine.

“And what’d that be?”

“Do you think you’ll be up for a shake today?” he asks, flashing me a grin.

The corners of my lips curl upward and I nod my head. “Yeah, I think I am.”