Page 48 of Perfect on Paper

“That’s not true.”

“Well, I don’t know what you want from me,” I snapped. “I’m not trying to not be friends with her. It’s not like I’m rude or mean or anything.”

“I can still tell, though. You should see your face everytime you’re near her. It’s like you give her daggers twenty-four seven, and she hasn’t ever done anything to you, Darc. It makes her uncomfortable.”

I pictured Brooke and Ray snuggled up on the couch, while Ray badmouthed me, told Brooke how cruel I was to her, howmeanI was, and Brooke agreed with her. Both of them saying how horrible it was to have me around. Like a joke I was the only one not in on.

I’d had no idea Brooke felt like that.

And, why? Because I didn’t light up with joy every time Ray burst in to stand between Brooke and me? Seriously?

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and spoke with a worryingly shaky voice. “It’s not about what she’s done to me. I feel weird about her because she was always so mean toyou.”

“That was in the past,” Brooke said in a firm voice. “I appreciate that you have my back, but you have to trust my judgment. If I think she’s changed, she’s changed. I need you to support that.”

“I’m not in love with the idea of unquestioningly supporting you if I don’t like a situation you’re in,” I said.

“Don’t do it unquestioningly, then. Do it logically. When was the last time you saw Ray be anything but gorgeous to me?”

I bit my lip. A little too hard.

Brooke took my silence as agreement. “See? She’s sweet, Darc. She’s fun, and supportive, and understanding. She’d never do anything to hurt me, never, and it’s ridiculous for you to be suspicious of her still.”

I crossed my arms and legs and scowled. How had we started out with me begging for my best friend back, and ended up here, with the Brooke-and-Ray team versus evilDarcy? Like I was the only one who made things weird—Ray had given meplentyof salty looks whenIcame in the room. So why was I completely at fault?

And as for “sweet,” and “supportive,” and “never doing anything to hurt Brooke”?

Hah.Hah.

“You have rose-colored glasses on,” I said stubbornly, “and you just can’t see you’re punching below your weight.”

I meant to say that she deserved better, but somehow those words had come out instead. Before I could backpedal, Brooke scanned my face up and down. “Seriously,whatis your problem with her? I know you, Darc, and the person I’m friends with is not a catty bitch who makes other people feel awful. It’s like I don’t even know you.”

What?

“Wow,” I cried. “I’m a catty bitch? Because I’m not as madly in love with Ray as you are? It doesn’t make meevilif I don’t share youropinions, Brooke. Do you even like me anymore?”

“Well, I don’t kno—” Brooke started, but she cut herself off straight away as I wilted. “I didn’t mean that. I do like you, of course I like you, Iloveyou. But I’m pissed off at you right now.”

My laugh was cold and harsh. “All because I’m the horrible bitch who sometimes gives Ray weird looks, and she’s the bundle of happiness and sweetness who never did a single thing wrong to anyone and so desperately needs your defending.”

“Yeah, you just about summed it up.”

“I amnotthe only shitty person in this situation, Brooke.”

“And yet I’m still waiting to hear a good reason to believe that.”

“Maybe you just need to trust me and my judgment.”

“Trust you? Just trust that you have a good reason for treating my girlfriend like a pariah? No, nope, doesn’t work like that. Either you don’thavea reason and you need to grow up and cut it out, or you know something I don’t and you’re not telling me.”

I bit my tongue so badly I cringed.

“You don’thavea reason,” Brooke said in a low voice, tinged with disdain.

I couldn’t help it; she was looking at me like I was nothing, and it wasn’t fair, and I hadn’tdoneanything, it was Ray who’d done something wrong, and it wasn’tfair.“I do.”

“You have a good reason?”

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