Page 96 of Better Than the Movies
“Meh.” I dropped my backpack on the floor, drained from crying all the way home, and went to the fridge to scope for something good.
“Oh my God, I forgot—did you see Wes?” She looked up from her screen, nearly squealing those words, and I had to remember not to roll my eyes. It wasn’t her fault that the story line had changed.
“Um, yeah.” We were out of chocolate pudding, and that made me want to cry. Again.
“What is that face?”
I shrugged and shut the door. “Michael asked me to prom.”
“What?”Helena’s mouth dropped wide open. “You arekiddingme.”
“Nope.” I went to the pantry and looked for cookies, wondering if the feeling in my stomach that wouldn’t go away was an ulcer.
I didn’t even really know what an ulcer was.
“Did you turn him down?”
“No.” I gritted my teeth. “Actually, I said yes.”
“You saidyes?” She said it like I’d just said yes to selling my organson the black market or something. “Why would you do that? Oh my God, does Wes know? Oh, poor Wes.”
I slammed the pantry door and grabbed my backpack.Poor Wes?Poor Wes had no real interest in Little Liz, but I didn’t have the energy to tell her that. Or to think about it for another second. Because in addition to how soul-crushingly rejected I felt by his apparent lack of feelings for me, I felt duped.
Betrayed by my own heart.
Because I had known better than to get drawn in by him; I’dalwaysknown better. Yet it had happened. I’d fallen for basketball shorts and gross cigars and rain-soaked kisses. How could this have happened?
Beyond that, I’d schemed and lied and screwed up my very best friendship in the world. And—oh, yeah—I’d also gotten in the way of Laney and Michael, two people who actually seemed to be made for each other.
I said, “Yes, he knows, and trust me, he’s fine. I need to go study.”
“Liz?”
I stood still but didn’t turn her way. “What?”
“I know you thought you wanted Michael, but do you really want to stick with over-romanticized ideas when you can have an awesomerealthing?”
Over-romanticized ideas.As close as she got sometimes, Helena didn’t get it. My mother would’ve understood. My mother would’ve been cheering the entire time for me to go for the mark.
I’d ignored her golden rule and was suffering the consequences.
“Liz?”
“I have to go study.”
“Wait—are you mad at me?”
I hoisted my backpack and let out my breath. “Nope. Not at all.”
“Do you want—”
“No. God.” I said it through gritted teeth and it came out way harsher than I’d intended, but I couldn’t do this. Not with her. “I just want to be left alone, okay?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I am not running away.”
“Bullshit.”
