It's Not You. It's Me. And No! He is Not My Boyfriend!

"Oh Crap," Carter exclaimed staring at the caller ID of his cellphone. "I forgot I had to babysit my brother tonight!" he answered the call. "Hey mom. I know. I'll be home as soon as possible."
He hung up the phone with an unconvincing upset sigh.

"Sorry pumpkin. I gotta jet. The moms needs me. I'm sure you can get a ride home, right?" he pecked me on the check, grabbed his stuff, and headed back towards the cars. I glowered, watching him leave, knowing that there was a huge smirk on his face.

"Where's Carter going?" Carmen occupied the space that Carter had vacated.

"Oh he had to go baby sit his brother. Urgent stuff."

"I always knew you two would get together!" she wrapped me in a tight hug. "The way you two flirted?"

"Flirted. Since when has relentlessly insulting each other constituted flirting?"

"Since forEVER! It's like a telltale sign that a guy likes you!"

"I always thought it was roses,"

Carmen laughed loudly and gave me a shove. It was easy to make Carmen laugh. She thought breathing was funny.

"Hey Ellis!" I cringed at the sound of his voice.

"Who invited you? I MEAN. Hi,"

"Damien invited me. The guys are starting a fire. Wanna sit next to me?"

Stupid basketball brotherhoods. I rolled my eyes while Carmen wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Not only did she completely forget that I had a 'boyfriend,’ but she also didn't seem to get the message that Matthew was not my cup of tea. I noted that I had to pants Damien in school on Monday.

"Sure," I replied through gritted teeth as Matthew held out a hand to help me off my blanket.

The fire was blazing. The couples were snuggling, and I wrapped my arms around knees my in a protective bubble. It was a perfect opportunity for Matthew to try and win me back with his charm, not that it would work, but I wasn't going to give them a chance.

"Hey where's Carter?" Harry, one of the boyfriends, asked obviously a little slow on the uptake.

"He had to go babysit his little brother, leaving me stranded on the beach," I let out an overacted exasperated sigh.

"I can give you a ride home!" Matthew jumped in before I could finish my fake sigh.

I gave myself an internal smack in the head. I was trying to keep Matthew and his weird obsessiveness away from me, not letting him give me rides. In his car. With no witnesses. At the risk of being cliche however, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, I needed a ride home and I couldn't just say no to Matthew and then accept another ride. He was dense, but not that dense.

"Um. Sure. Make sure we take no short cuts though."

"Why not?"

"Because there are no witnesses on back roads."

Matthew's face twisted in confusion.

"I mean, if we break down or something. We'd be better off on the main roads, " I chuckled nervously, giving myself another internal smack for my nasty habit of not thinking before speaking.

"Oookay," his confused expression grew deeper with my lame save.

"Sorry for making you leave the beach early," Matthew apologized once we were, thankfully, on the main road back to my house. "I promised my mom I would be home at eleven."

"No problem. I didn't want to stay out too late anyway."

Awkward silence. I knew it was coming. His face had that searching-for-the-right-inoffensive-words look.

"I don't get it," he finally said.

"Chemistry eludes me too."

"No not that. Well, kinda that, I just," he stopped mid-sentence.

"Just what?"

"This whole Carter relationship thing doesn't make any sense to me. I mean you broke up with me a week before school started, and then you were dating Carter. It doesn't add up."

"Well love is weird sometimes I guess."

"But I just don't get it."

We pulled in to my neighborhood.

"I guess some things are supposed to remain an enigma."

"No it's just," Matthew paused nervously, "What does Carter have that I don't?"

We were on my street now, and Matthew's car had slowed to a stop in front of my house.

"I don't know. He's just the guy for me ya know?" I could feel my badly grilled hot dog coming back as I thought of Carter being 'the guy for me,’ but it was the easiest way to deal with Matthew's questions.

"Oh um okay."

Matthew got out of the car and followed me to my door.

"But he's always so mean to you."

"He's sweet in private."

"Well I think you could do better," Matthew stated before crushing his lips against mine.
He kissed me as if his kiss was supposed to suffocate me. He was not good at the spontaneous passionate kiss thing. I did enjoy the kiss for a few seconds, he still was a nice specimen of a man, before pushing him off.

"What are you doing?" I screeched. "You know I'm with Carter! Giving me a stupid kiss is not going to change anything you pig!"

I deserved an Oscar for my impeccable acting.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" he stuttered. "I didn't know what I was doing."

I crossed my arms indignantly over my chest.

"I think you should leave."

"I'm really really really sorry! I guess I'll see you on Monday?"

"I guess," I replied curtly before turning my back to him.

I let myself into my house as Matthew slumped away dejected. I deserved two Oscars.