Page 45 of Falling for my Best Friend

T H I R T E E N

- Lucy -

“Alex?” I said, knocking on the door.

“Whaaat?”

“It’s Lucy. Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

I opened the door to my brother’s room and stepped onto a visible patch of carpet. The floor around me was covered with clothes that would no doubt all fail the sniff test, and his desk was covered in half eaten sandwiches, most of which were probably delivered by my Dad.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” I said. “You’ll get a new girlfriend in no time with a bachelor pad like this.”

“Did you come here to torment me?” he asked, sliding his guitar off his lap and leaning it against his bed.

“No, I came here to cheer you up believe it or not.”

“Just cause I believe it doesn’t mean I think you can do it.”

I stepped carefully over to the end of his bed and sat down.

“Plus, I don’t want cheering up,” he said, “I want Ceci back.”

“Wanna tell me what happened?” I asked, wishing I’d come armed with Febreeze.

“She said she fell out of love with me.”

I dug my nails into the palm of my hand so I wouldn’t laugh. I knew better than to think making light of his young love would help anything. “She was your first serious girlfriend, huh?”

He shrugged. “She was my first a lot of things.”

“Aww.” I reached over and rustled his dirty hair. It stayed rustled when I pulled my hand away. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

“I can’t imagine ever feeling that way about someone else, ya know?”

“You will though. In time.”

He shook his head.

“So what’s the plan? Spend the rest of the summer sulking in here so you look like a vampire the first day of sophomore year?”

“It’s not the worst idea. Chicks dig vampires, right?”

“Only vampires that have been in the movies.”

“Damn.” He pulled at the strings on his hoodie.

“I know you don’t want to hear this,” I said, “but the chances of you and Ceci working out long term were pretty slim.”

“Why? Cause she’s in a sorority?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“She was always going to these parties with all these other guys. It used to make me crazy, and she basically had to go so I couldn’t say shit or I looked jealous. Which I was.”

“See. That’s something good. Now you don’t have to deal with that bullshit anymore.”

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