Page 42 of Howl for Me
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“I’m on my way.”
“No, wait, I swear I didn’t drink!” I stretch, looking around the mess of the living room. “I did get high, but that’s different.”
She groans through the receiver. “Johnny…”
“I got high with Reggie and Teddy, alright? I was behaving all morning, cleaned up the place a bit, and did a little project. We ended up watching Scooby-Doo for like three hours. For Christ’s sake, I didn’t even leave the house.”
She goes quiet again. I can almost hear her trying to decide whether to believe me.
“I got you a car,” I add.
“...You what? Wait, you actually hung out with someone, hold on, what do you mean you got me a car?”
I grin and lean forward, eyeing the object in question still sitting on the coffee table.
“Well, I was bored as hell, and you mentioned liking blue once, so I built this little model car I had lying around. Not as easy as it looks, by the way. Took me all morning. Then when Reggie and Teddy showed up, we got high and decided it needed a custom paint job. So now it’s blue. Teddy even tried to add some cute little flowers.”
I pause, squinting at the thing.
“The paint job is… maybe not as great as I thought. The flowers look like, I don’t know, blue fried eggs or some shit. But it’s got heart.”
She laughs, and I can’t help the warm flush that creeps into my chest hearing it. That laugh.
“Well,” she says, still chuckling, “thank you very much. I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“Yeah,” I say, feeling stupidly proud, “we can take it to the event tonight. Which, surprise, I remembered.”
“Oh,” she says casually, “I appreciate the ride, but I already have one. I’ll meet you there. And you better be on time.”
I sit up straighter, frown tightening.
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t we ride together?”
There’s a pause, just long enough to make me nervous.
“I have a ride,” she says, evenly. “I have a date.”
The ache in my chest turns to heat, fast and searing. “What the fuck do you mean, you have a date?”
Her tone shifts instantly. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Hugo. He works in set design. I met him yesterday, and he asked, so I said yes.”
“Hugo?” My voice sharpens. “You said yes to some guy you just met?”
“You didn’t exactly ask me to go with you, Johnny. I figured you’d have a date lined up already.” She says that last part with a level of sass I would usually find attractive, but right now I’m too pissed.
“Are you kidding me?”
My heart is pounding now, and I don’t even know why I’m so goddamn mad. Maybe because I can picture it, her in some little dress, smiling at some studio hack who probably thinks he’s God’s gift to set lighting. My Cassidy. My mate.
“I’ve been staying in and behaving. I built you a damn toy car,” I snap. “And you’re going to the party with fucking Hugo?”
“You’re making this a bigger deal than it is.” Her voice softens, but not enough.
“Oh, am I? Because it sure as hell feels like a big deal.”
