Page 76 of Bad Crush
I pull away from the curb and head off-campus. “The usual?”
“Sure,” Ginny says and then starts messing with my phone to change the music.
Our usual is grabbing burgers and fries and driving around. It was something we started when she first got to Valley so I could show her around the campus and town, but now it’s just nice to spend some time with her away from everyone else.
Today, I head for the outskirts of town. Valley is a decent-size city, but there’s still plenty of desert land when you get outside the city limits.
“I heard you and Reagan went up Mount Loken to the drive-in last weekend.” Ginny scrunches up her nose. “You took her to your usual spot?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. She called me out on it too. I like it up there. It’s a great date location.”
“You need to get more creative.”
Oh, we did. I smile as I think about our night on top of the mountain. That’s the thing about Reagan. Even doing the same old things with her is fresh and exciting. I see things from a new perspective when I’m with her. But Ginny isn’t wrong.
“Any ideas or are you just gonna bust my balls?”
“Hmmm…” She chews and stares out the windshield. “Something uniquely Reagan, but that only you could give her.”
I wait for her to come up with something. She’s quiet for too long.
“Well?” I ask when I can’t take it anymore.
“I have no idea.” She laughs. “Sorry.”
My hands tighten on the steering wheel.
“Why are you so stressed about this? I’ve never seen you so spun up over where to take a girl on a date.”
“You were just telling me I need to be more creative.”
“Yeah, but I’ve told you that before, and you just brushed it off.” Ginny grins. “You really like Reagan.”
“Yeah, of course. She’s great.”
Ginny squeals—a high-pitched sound that makes me wince.
“I’m not sure why you find this so surprising. She’s your friend. You know how great she is.”
“I know, but honestly, I’ve been afraid you were going to break her heart.”
“No one’s worried about her breaking my heart?” I ask, shooting her an annoyed look.
Ginny rolls her eyes. “Please. You’re a pro at moving on to the next girl. Reagan’s been crushing on you for a long time. When you two got into it over the phone, she was a wreck.”
“Yeah, that was rough,” I admit. “But that wasn’t even about us. I was annoyed about Carrie weaseling her way back into Rhett’s life, and I got short with her.”
“Maybe it wasn’t a fight about the two of you, but it absolutely had everything to do with her concerns about you. She’s worried that what happened with Carrie will happen to her.”
“What? No.”
“Yes,” Ginny insists. “Carrie and Rhett broke up, and you’ve been very vocal in not wanting them to get back together. And I get it. I didn’t like them together either, but it’s very much your MO. You end things, and you move on, never speaking to them again. Reagan doesn’t want that girl to be her.”
“I don’t think I could ever move on from Reagan like that. If things didn’t work out with us…” My jaw tightens.
“Maybe you should tell her that, and I have the perfect plan.” Even with food in her hands, she manages to flail them around while she talks. She’s clearly excited about whatever she has cooked up, and I find myself hopeful that it will give me clarity on how to move forward with Reagan.
“Can’t I just text her and repeat what I said?” I’m kidding, but the outrage on Ginny’s face is totally worth it.
