Page 144 of Best Friends for Never

“Yes, that’s exactly why, Park.” He shakes his head with an eye roll, like he’s already exhausted with me. “This is something that nobody else knows except for two people.”

Okay, I so did not expect that.

“Wow. We really aren’t best friends, are we?”

He ignores me. “I saw you first.”

I squeeze my brows together, not following. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when we were kids, I saw you first. Noel and I ... Well, you know we used to be friends.”

“I remember. When I first moved here, you two were together a lot, then suddenly you weren’t.”

“We were. I’d even wager we were best friends, which is totally acceptable since we were kids,” he tacks on when I start glaring at him.

I nod. “Fine. I’ll allow it.”

“Anyway, we were out on the playground—that one in the town square—and jumping off the swing set, daring each other to do flipsand whatnot. Then we saw you. You were riding your bike down Borgen just a few days after the moving trucks left your driveway. You were heading into your mom’s new shop, and I instantly thought,That’s my soulmate.”

I pause, my drink halfway to my lips. I slide my eyes over to him. “I’m sorry. You thoughtIwas your soulmate?”

“You had a Huffy and aSpider-Manlunch box. Of course I thought you were my soulmate.”

I laugh. “That lunch box was sweet. I’m pretty sure I still have it in storage somewhere. Do you want me to get it out so you can fall in love with me again?” I bump my shoulder against him, though I’m sure he barely feels it.

“Anyway... I was so excited for school to start so I could officially meet you, but it wasn’tmeyou wanted to sit next to. It was Noel.”

I laugh. “I remember that. I thought you were terrifyingly large—kind of like now—and Noel was, well, not.”

A smile pokes through his thick beard. “I was so awkward then. So much taller and bigger than everyone else. It was a nightmare, and I even scared myself sometimes, so I get it.”

Coming to a new school was hard, and I was so young back then that I never even considered how it was for the other kids. As tough as Axel was on Noel and me, I’m sure he was even tougher on himself.

“What happened?” I ask. “With Noel, I mean.”

“You mean, why did we stop being friends?” I nod, and he sighs. “It was because of you.”

“Me?” I point to myself. “What’d I do?” I ask with a frown.

“You chose him.”

“I did not!” I argue.

He laughs. “You did. I don’t think you even knew you were doing it, but you gravitated toward him from Day One, and he did the same with you. And me? I waspissed. As angry as an eight-year-old could be. I was so damn jealous becauseIwanted you to bemyfriend. I wanted you to show me yourSpider-Manlunch box. I wanted to ride my Huffywith you. But he was all you saw. So I decided I didn’t want to be either of your friends.”

“And then started tormenting us?”

“I didn’ttormentyou.”

“You did too. Calling me Potty Parker and a theater geek, telling everyone I was a terrible kisser, yellingnerd alertany time I walked by,” I say, ticking off each mortifying experience on my fingers. “Should I keep going?”

His cheeks turn a deep shade of red. “I’d rather you didn’t.” He screws his lips up. “Man, I sucked, huh?”

“You did.” I pat his shoulder. “But you were also a kid, Axel. You didn’t know better. None of us did back then.”

“That’s no excuse. Not really, and I’m sorry about that, Park.”

I wave a hand dismissively. “I know you are. We’ve rehashed all this already. But you’re not that person anymore. You’re much better than that little twerp ever was.”

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