Pride

“Mindy, I need your womanly advice.”

“Really, you should start paying me,” Mindy sighs, resting a manicured nail against her cheek. She leans forward to listen to me anyways. I really have no idea what I would do if I didn’t have Mindy to take advice from and listen to me complain about Kai. It’s not like I could talk to Kai about this since he is the problem.

“Kai has invited me to meet his boyfriend.” He invited me about a week ago, the night I apologized. He said he didn’t want us to continue arguing because of his stupid behavior and the discussion resulted with him inviting me to go out to meet Garrett.

It’s not like I don’t want to or anything! Ok, well it is. I really don’t want to meet Garrett but at the same time I feel like I should. Kai is my best friend and I’m the one who has constantly nagged him recently and now he’s willing to let me meet the one thing that was pulling us apart. Of course I should meet him! But my gut keeps twisting and every time I think about coming face to face with this boy I feel sick.

I don’t know what I should say or how I should react. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about it so much. I just need to meet him, act like myself and determine whether he’s right for Kai or not. Yes, I have to figure out if he’s right for Kai because as his best friend I have to watch out for him. If I get a bad vibe from this kid it won’t be good.

“So?” Mindy asks, breaking me from my train of thought. She reaches for her soda and takes a sip through the straw. “Go meet him.”

“I don’t know if I should. I don’t want to meet him but at the same time I feel like I should.”

Mindy looks at me suspiciously, her lips twitch upwards to a smile. The smile makes me concerned and patiently I wait for her to say something embarrassing because it’s obvious she’s about to. The red head leans in so close our breath mingles and for a moment, it looks like she’s going to kiss me. My stomach clenches as if to say don’t do it. But why wouldn’t I want her to?

Mindy is a beautiful girl. It isn’t strange for Kai and I to chase down guys who think they can take advantage of her. She gets admissions of love on a weekly basis. She’d be a great girlfriend, I know this…but I feel like she wouldn’t be a great girlfriend for me. Why is that?

Without warning, Mindy grabs my cheeks and squeezes. I yelp in pain but the girl laughs and pulls away shaking her head as she does so. Bringing a hand up to my cheek, I rub the now reddening skin and scowl. This girl, what the hell is she thinking?

“The hell was that?” I question her, scratching the back of my neck in confusion.

“Nothing special but I have an idea.”

I roll my eyes. “Do tell, wise one.”

“I’ll go with you.”

The soda I had in my mouth suddenly splattered across the room. Good thing mom wasn’t around or she would have hollered at me but if she heard what Mindy said she couldn’t blame me! Going with Mindy…it’d make it seem like a double date or something. Just thinking about it made my chest cave in on itself for reasons unknown.

“I must be going deaf…I swear you just suggested a double date of sorts.”

“That is actually what I suggested.” Mindy drums her nails against the kitchen counter. Evil, that is the only word I can use to describe the smile etched across her face. It’s as if she’s planning something so sinister the devil himself would cower in fear. “I talk to Kai a lot these days anyways so I think I should meet Garrett too, don’t you?”

The air feels tense and I swear the universe is telling me to decline the offer but I bite my lip. I’m sure whatever it is Mindy’s planning can’t be too bad. She always has the best intentions for both Kai and I. Then again, she is an evil bitch, who knows what she’s scheming in that mind of hers.

“I suppose,” I say rather suspiciously. “What are you planning?”

“I’m not planning anything. I’m hurt you’d ask such a thing!” Mindy gasps and places a hand over her chest dramatically. As she does this, the door opens and my parents walk in along with Shania with the groceries. They smile and greet Mindy and I, asking if I could help and Mindy offers to lend a hand in putting them away.

Later on that evening Mindy’s parents come and take her home. Once she’s gone I return to my room and pick up the phone. I better tell Kai that Mindy intends on tagging along with us tomorrow. When Kai answers I don’t even bother saying hello, I just spit it out. “Mindy is coming with us tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Kai sounds as shocked as I did when Mindy told me.

“I told her I was meeting Garrett tomorrow and she suggested coming with us and…fuck, I can’t say no. She would have killed me!” That isn’t quite true, it was more like a part of me didn’t want to say no. I want to see what she’s up to. Maybe she can help me get rid of Garrett?

“And I mean…she’s your friend too so I’m sure she’s just as curious about Garrett as I am. If you don’t want her to go I’ll call and tell her to fuck off-”

“No…it’s fine,” Kai cuts me off and sighs. “I’m s-sure Garrett won’t mind.”

“Ok…well…I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, night.”

When I place the phone down, I sigh and fall back onto the bed. As I stare up at my bedroom ceiling I think about the “double date” tomorrow. Although it isn’t a date I still feel like it’s going to be. Fuck. It might as well be. Thinking that it’s a date though…it makes me feel disgusted. I shake my head to disperse those thoughts and roll onto my side. Whatever, it’s nothing important.