Page 37 of My Rules for Revenge
I related to that more than he knew, but I held back on that. I didn’t want him to think I was some damaged soul.
“They disapprove of you doing something else?” I asked.
Eddy deeply sighed.
“Yeah. They almost tore my head off when I told them I didn’t want to be either of those things. I got a whole lecture thatinvolved a lot of yelling and fighting. I’m not that type of person, so I calmed them down by telling them I would compromise by going to college no matter what. What I’ll end up doing, though, is to be determined.”
“You don’t want to go?” I inquired.
“No. I don’t. I’m not interested in studying anything. If I somehow get a basketball scholarship to play at a community college, I’m out there in a flash. You couldn’t pay me to do anything else,” Eddy explained.
“If you get one, do you still have to go to class and study?”
“Yeah, unfortunately. I don’t know. I guess I’d just have to figure it out,” Eddy sighed.
I remained silent and thought about his situation. I wanted to give him a thoughtful answer. I didn’t think any of his friends gave him good advice. I wasn’t trying to be arrogant, but I had seen the way they interacted with each other. They usually looked like a group of prehistoric men who had just discovered fire in a cave.
“Well, I don’t know the best thing to suggest in that situation. I guess I should tell you that it’s important to follow what you want to do, Eddy. Your goal should be to make yourself happy, not your parents.”
It’s ironic that I, of all people, gave out this advice. There I was, telling Eddy to follow what made him happy while my parents decided my happiness. I was the best person at not following my own advice. It made me feel like a complete fraud, but I was determined to make a good impression on him, no matter what.
I never would have talked so much with any other guy. The only other person I possibly would have told this to would have been Heather. Her hatred of awkward silence is what drove me to talk. I felt like she would have pried my mouth open and forced me to speak had I chosen to remain mute.
“That’s good advice, Indira. I have to be honest; I didn’t know you talked this much. A couple of weeks ago, I thought you were really quiet. That’s why I didn’t wanna bother you or anything.”
“I’m not quiet with people I feel comfortable with,” I explained.
“I guess that means you’re comfortable with me?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Cool. We can be chemistry buddies then,” Eddy suggested.
“Yeah, chemistry buddies. I like that.”
“Hey, I have a question,” Eddy added.
My heart thumped in my chest. I had no idea what he was about to ask, but for some reason, I thought it was going to be something romantic.
“When you go away to college, do you think you’ll miss home? I’m still trying to figure that out myself. My parents can be annoying, but this town is still home for me. I don’t know,” Eddy said as he shrugged.
That immediately deflated me. That wasn’t the question I was hoping for. I knew I had my work cut out for me. Eddy wouldn’t fall in love with me in one day. I needed to continue to build on whatever we had that day. As for Eddy’s question, I didn’t even blink.
“When I go away to college, I won’t miss home at all,” I said with certainty.
Eddy curiously looked at me and waited for me to elaborate. I never did. I wanted to leave my parents’ house so badly, I dreamed of moving across the country to a beautiful college campus. Once I left them, I never wanted to talk to them ever again. As far as they'd know, I was as good as dead.
CHAPTER 9
HEATHER - PRESENT DAY
After the chaos that ensued in the cafeteria, I was in a rather chipper mood. My plan went better than I had hoped, and I wanted to go even further. I was far from done with Jacob. I was in the library at a computer station with Eddy editing a meme of Jacob as a woman-hating Hitler,which sounded much better than a woman-hating pig, as we were calling him before. I inserted various explosion graphics and GIFs to spice it up. This was going to go all over social media. I even used the photo editing app to give him aspecial look—it was Jacob in a Nazi uniform with a slogan that read, “Women Belong In The Kitchen.” I had made the perfect recipe to get an explosive response from social media and light every certified social media activist on fire.
“I still can’t believe Jacob said all of that out loud. What was he thinking?” Eddy asked.
“I can believe it. He’s a twat,” I said with a smirk.
“You think he’ll get canceled?” Eddy asked.
