Page 7 of Friendshipped
Trevor: Let me treat for the pizza, then. And, no sappy movies.
Lexi: I’m letting Jayme pick.
Trevor: Good call.
I take the stairs up to my bedroom two at a time, feeling a sudden burst of energy after Lexi’s texts. She’ll always have that effect on me. I’ve learned to accept it, and even appreciate it, despite the constant urge I fight to ask her for more. Been there, done that, got the broken heart to prove it.
I change into a T-shirt and jeans and walk across the porch to Lexi’s half of the duplex, not bothering to lock my door. When Dad bought this place, he had a contractor we know come in and divide the house in half. They renovated Lexi’s side to put in a kitchen and installed a bathroom upstairs for me. He left the basement connected.
The walls are pretty thin between the two halves, but it doesn’t bother us since we’re friends. If Lexi ever starts dating someone seriously and has him over, I’m pretty sure I’ll install soundproofing that day—industrial grade, resilient, impenetrable sound proofing. And I’ll invest in some of those sound-cancelling earmuffs used at a shooting range. And ear plugs to wear underneath. There are certain sounds I could do without hearing. Lexi enjoying time with another man definitely tops the list.
For now, we’re good.
Besides, I kind of like being able to hear her shout, “Goodnight, Trevor!” through our shared bedroom wall right before we fall asleep most nights.
I wonder how Lexi would feel if I had a woman over sometime. Would she be as jealous as I would be of any man who dated her?
Probably not. She’s comfortable with our friendship and would more than likely treat any woman that wasn’t Meg like a long-lost sister. She never did warm up to my high school girlfriend Meg for some reason. And Meg was the one girl who ever made me feel anything remotely near to what I felt for Lexi. She didn’t come close, but still.
I suddenly realize I’m staring at Lexi’s door while my thoughts drift into the future possibility of one of us pairing up with someone. She’s got me in knots.
Normally Lexi and I don’t knock when we come into one another’s homes, but since Jayme’s here and I don’t know what condition she’s in, I rap twice. The music blares so loudly they don’t hear me, so after a second attempt, I cautiously open the door and walk into the front living room.
Lexi stands with her legs spread apart on her couch for balance while she swings her head back and forth and belts out a line to a Taylor Swift song about never getting back together. Her hair sways and flies around while she does a move that makes it look like she’s giving herself intentional whiplash. Jayme sits cross-legged on the other side of the couch probably questioning the sanity of agreeing to an overnight in crazy town with Lexi.
“Oh! Hey, Trev!” Lexi shouts from her perch when she raises her head. “We’re playing myget over himplaylist.”
“Sounds legit,” I say. I nod to Jayme and she gives me a weak smile, but it’s a smile, so that’s a win.
I’ve been through a few rounds of this playlist. It always felt like some twisted internal celebration. A breakup meant Lexi was no longer caught up in another relationship, but on the flipside, she was usually at least a little brokenhearted. It killed me to watch her hurting, but it always made me feel like she was mine again when another guy stepped out of the picture.
“Pizza’s on its way,” Jayme shouts over the music.
Basically, the whole second half of the song has the repeated line that goes something like: we are never getting back together nope never, never, never, never, never, never. Nope never. Ever.
After hearing this, I’m convinced I could so go into songwriting. I’m pretty sure all people need when their heart is ripping in two is some song that puts words to their angst. And apparently repeating those words does the trick because now Lexi’s pulling a hesitant Jayme up to stand on the couch with her. They are holding hands while Lexi tries to coax Jayme into twisting back and forth to the music. Jayme’s resistance seems half-baked.
Probably it’s only for my sake Jayme’s holding back, so I attempt to ease her discomfort by jumping up on one of the oversized chairs. I start shouting outnever, never, neverand shaking my head wildly. Both women stop and stare at me.
“What?” I ask, as the song comes to an end.
Lexi looks at Jayme and they bust out laughing.
I step down from the chair.
Looks like my work here is done. We’ve turned a disaster of a breakup into something we can laugh at. Life will go on after this pathetic excuse of a man who obviously didn’t deserve Jayme.
“That, my friend,” Lexi says to me, “was some dancing worthy of a music video if I ever saw it.”
Jayme smiles shyly, and she’s still smiling a little when our friends Laura and Shannon arrive. I open the door for the pizza guy, who’s on the porch holding a giant pizza and a two-liter of pop. Laura and Shannon are standing next to him.
“Hey, Decker,” I say, pulling out my wallet to pay.
Laura and Shannon nod to Decker and walk past me into the house.
“Hey, Trevor,” Decker says. “You-uns having a party?”
“Nah,” I tell him. “I’m crashing girls’ night.”
