Page 38 of Falling Too Late

“No, it's not.” He laughed, coming to stand in front of me. “Wren, I don’t know if you haven’t noticed yet, but my parents have more money than they know what to do with. This is nothing. Just take it and enjoy it.” He moved to lean against a couch. “Look, Alex is my best friend, and between you and me, I haven’t seen him much since you came into the picture.”

I could feel myself shrinking inside. The one thing I never wanted Alex to do was lose his friends because of me.

He continued, “And I’m not trying to say that to you to make you feel bad, but if you are going to be in his life, then you are going to be in my life too.” He smiled wide. “I just don’t want to lose my best friend. So it would help if you could be friends with Amanda and I also.”

Hell no.

The thought of being friends with Amanda was not something I was open to.

“What are you guys doing?”

Alex’s accusatory voice sounded behind me, and I turned, the dress still in my arms. His eyes moved from me to Jon to the dress. He was dripping water all over the floor like he had jumped out of the pool and run straight inside.

“Hey, man,” Jon piped up, straightening from his spot by the couch. “I got you guys some things.” Jon moved to the bags and picked one up that was overflowing.

Alex took it hesitantly, pulling out a sweatshirt and some other things.

“Thanks. . .” Alex glanced up at me, his eyes skating down my form before he set the bag down.

“Amanda picked those out for you since she knows all yourfavorites.” He waved to the other bags. “I also got some things for Wren since you mentioned she didn’t have anything.”

“Wow, Jon, that’s really great of you.” A smile split Alex’s face as he walked over to the bags. His mood switched so fast that I had to really watch him. One second, I thought he was angry, the next he was his normal self.

He picked up a bag and pulled out another dress, and held up some jeans and shorts. “This is great, Wren.” His warm brown eyes were on me, and all I could do was nod.

Jon ended up giving us a ride home. Gloria had already left for work. Alex carried all the bags into the house himself, not letting me help. I slipped into the bathroom and showered, cleaning myself of the sunscreen and chlorine. I emerged wearing some shorts and a tank top, my hair still damp.

Alex had laid out all the clothes in a neat pile on the bed. There was only one small bag sitting on the bed. He stood there, staring down at the pile, a hand running through his hair.

“I. . . Uhm. . . I wanted to get all the bags down to the dumpster before Ma saw. She sometimes feels guilty when she sees that Jon has bought stuff. But, uhm. . . I figured I’d let you go through that last bag.”

Confused, I walked farther into the room, about to look in the bag.

“I’m gonna go shower.” Abruptly, Alex left the room.

I reached into the bag, feeling a scratchy material. “What the. . .” I pulled out what looked like a scrap of cloth. Picking the other end of it up, I realized what it was.

A thong!? His sister picked out a thong for me?

It was a scrap of bright pink lace. I sneered at the offending clothing and dropped it on the bed. I turned over the bag, and out fell more scraps of pinks and purples, cream white and blue.

I would rather go commando than wear half this crap. I scooped everything up and shoved it back into the bag before hauling it outside and tossing it into the dumpster.

Yeah fucking right, Amanda and I would never be friends.

Back inside, I hung up what I could in the closet, the rest I folded and put on the closet floor where there was room.

I sat cross-legged on the bed, a book open. When I heard the shower turn off, I tried to keep my composure. It took like what seemed forever for Alex to come back into the room, dressed in his favorite sweats and a T-shirt. He stood there, a damp ring around his shoulders from where his hair was dripping.

“Your hair is still soaked,” I stated.

“Yeah, I forgot my towel.” He moved to the closet where we normally hung them up. Pulled his out and started drying his hair.

I tried not to look up at him. Still embarrassed, I flipped through the poisonous plant book absently.

“So. . . uh. . .” He started.

“Nope.” I stopped him. “I threw them away, and we aren’t talking about it.”

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