Page 22 of Eleanor & Grey

“Because most girls act like everything I do and say is magic when really I say a lot of stupid things. I would say a good ninety percent of what I say is just bullshit.”

“I’d round it up to a hundred,” I joked.

He snickered. “See? Things like that. Other girls would never say that. It’s like they like this guy they made up in their head, and they have no clue who I actually am. You didn’t care about me at all.”

“You want to hang out with me because I don’t care about you?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

I chuckled. “That seems messed up.”

“Maybe, but it’s true. Plus...with your mom being sick…” His words trailed off and I felt a strange tug in my gut.

“I don’t want you to hang out with me because you feel bad for me,” I told him. I didn’t need his pity.

“No, it’s not that. I mean, I do feel bad, but I don’t know how to explain it.” He raked his fingers over his forehead. “I guess, I just mean, when my grandpa was sick, it was all I could think about, and I remember wishing I had someone to take my mind off of him being sick for just a little while. I wanted to do that for you. I wanted to give you something else to think about, and I didn’t want you to feel alone.”

I wasn’t certain that this boy was real.

Even in my novels the heroes weren’t that sweet.

I bit my bottom lip as I ate my ice cream. “Oh.”

That was all I could say, because my emotions were choking me.

“Which brings me to our next topic.” He linked his fingers together and stretched out his arms before placing them on the table. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

"We have to keep seeing one another, at least once a week to keep you from going insane.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to drive yourself crazy worrying about your mom seven days a week. Trust me, I know. I have lived that life.”

“I’m fine,” I argued.

He cocked an eyebrow. “How often do you do internet searches on cancer?”

Hmm…

One, two, skip a few…

“Only a couple of times,” I lied.

He smiled. “Every day, huh? I bet it leaves you feeling worse, too. Therefore, once a week, you have to take your mind off cancer. That’s why my grandpa had me go with him to the movies on Tuesdays—to clear my head. It helped a lot.”

“You want me to go to the movies every Tuesday with you?”

“Nah, we’ll do different things. The main point is to get you to stop overthinking sad things at least for a few hours. After that you can return to your sad internet searches,” he semi-joked.

I narrowed my eyes. “Only once a week?”

“Yup, I just need three or four hours of your time. It’s a win-win deal for both of us.”

“How is it a win-win deal for you? I mean, I get why it is for me, I get a break from reality, but you don’t really get anything from it.”

“I get to hang out with you, which means I don’t have to be so lonely.”

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