Page 50 of Let's Pretend I'm Okay

I nod, still partially zoned out. I should move, but I have no energy. Margo doesn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon either. “Aren’t you going to leave?”

She laughs. “Tired of my face again?”

There’s a tinge of guilt running through me for yelling at her the other day. “You have to admit it’s hard on the eyes.”

Her jaw drops, and she turns to me. I expect to see anger, but there isn’t an ounce. “Daniel I-don’t-know-your-middle-name Hansen, did you just make another joke?”

“Is that really so hard to believe?” I ask.

Her head tilts as she looks up at the clouds. “I’ll have you know my face isn’t hard on the eyes. You should be honored to see it at all.”

A small laugh escapes me. I stare up at the clouds along with her, watching them change shape little by little. I wait for her to talk, to tell me what animals she sees, but she doesn’t.

“Say something,” I say.

“Why?” she asks, squinting at the sky.

The quiet isn’t right with Margo. Margo is loud. She’s a bold font you can’t help but notice. At first I didn’t think I liked that, but now the silence is more distracting. “Because I’m getting used to hearing your voice.”

I almost can’t believe I said that. I study her face, hoping I didn’t make this awkward.

“What should I talk about?” she asks, holding her hands up to her face as if she’s taking a picture of the clouds.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want from me?”

Her nose scrunches up, and she twists her mouth. “I think we should wait until I find your father first.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think you’ll like it very much.”

That only makes me more curious. What could possibly be so bad she can’t tell me until later? “Who cares? You might as well give me time to prepare.”

She smiles. “I’ll wait.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“It’s complicated,” she says.

“That’s never stopped you before.”

Her head turns, and she looks at me. She bites her lip as she thinks it over. “You swear you won’t back out after I tell you?” I can already tell by the look in her eyes she doesn’t trust me.

“I doubt you’ll give me a choice,” I say. This girl is the type of person who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.

“True.” She nods, and I can see the wheels turning in her head. She may not trust me, but she knows I’m right. “I told you before that I’m known for getting things done, and there’s something I need to get done, but I can’t do it without you.”

“Vague much?”

Her eyes narrow. “I’ve never heard you talk this much before. I don’t know how I feel about it.”

I huff. “Don’t try to change the subject.”

She sighs, averting her gaze. “It’s silly. You won’t like it.”

“Tell me.”

Her words are so quiet I can barely make out, “There may or may not be a girl that likes you, and I need you to talk to her. Maybe take her on a date.”

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