Page 45 of Hypothetical Heart
“I can’t do that to her.”
“Yes, you can,” she argues, pulling me down a side hallway so we’re more secluded. “If you feel how we all think you do about her, then you should.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you right now.” I try to walk away, but she doesn’t let me.
“You’re not leaving,” she tells me.
“Yeah, I am.”
“No, you’re not.” She grabs me by the arm, and if I really wanted to, I could break from her grasp and leave, but I don’t.
“Gen, come on,” I sigh.
If there’s one thing to know about Genevieve, it’s that she doesn’t bluff. She also doesn’t tell you what you want to hear. I know she’s going to be completely honest with me, and I’m not sure I’m prepared for that.
“Winnie is not some random girl you have a crush on. She’s your best friend.”
“What? I had no idea,” I say sarcastically.
She smacks me in the back of the head. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Winnie cares about you, probably just as much as you care about her. You should really think about that before you let her go on a date with someone else.” Her advice only makes me more confused.
“Huh?”
“I’m not saying anything else about it.” Now, it’s her turn to walk away. “Think about it. It’s your decision to make.”
“You’re infuriating!” I yell.
“And you love me!”
I hate it when she’s right, which is more often than not because she’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. By allaccounts, Genevieve’s advice should be sound and point me in the right direction.
If only I knew what she meant by it.
14
“It’s St. Patty’s Day. Make sure you’re wearing green,” I tell Winnie as she lets me in her house.
“You’re going to be puking green by the end of the night,” she says, eying the bottle of green alcohol in my hand. “What even is that?”
“Green Hawaiian Punch and vodka.” She scoffs as we head up the stairs toward her room. “I have to be festive.”
“I understand that, but we’re driving your car. My seats are white, and I prefer them that way.”
When Winnie opens her closet, it’s an array of white, pink, and her navy blue school uniforms. “Um… do you even own anything green?”
She shuffles her hangers around, searching through her massive closet. “I think so.”
I take a seat on the bench at the end of her bed, watching her as I pet Suzie, who is lying on the floor in front of me. Finally, she pulls a hanger out of the back depths of her closet.
“This is green.” She smiles, holding up a tiny lime green T-shirt with a rainbow across the center.
“Winnie, that shirt looks like it fit you in elementary school. Why do you still have that?”
She shrugs. “I keep a lot of my old clothes. It will probably still fit me.”
Winnie walks into the ensuite bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and when she reenters the bedroom, I almost fall off the bench and onto my ass.
