Page 22 of Buddy System

This seems unreal. I’m glad Brooke slowed us down a little though. I want to jump her bones in the worst way, but I’m also worried about what Levi might feel if we were to actually do what he says he wants. But Brooke blows my mind when she tells Levi, “I told you I thought Skyler was in love withyouthough—not with me.”

“Eh, we’ll see. He looks pretty fond of you to me.”

So the fact that I’m in love with him doesn’t faze him in the least? Does he even care? I hope this isn’t some weird game he’s playing. He looks pretty damn serious though.

Levi reaches for Brooke’s hand and places it right on his dick. “Feel this? I’ve had such a rough time with feeling anything for months, and now that I’m here with you and Skyler, I’m back to being me again. It’s like I love you even more than ever, and Skyler, you’re part of the whole picture now. I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but when I saw how effortless Juni, Jack, and Asher’s affection for one another is, I…feel…I feel like I needthat too. What they have seems beautiful and right. I know I’ve always had strong feelings for you, Skyler, but it’s only now that I also see it’s more than us being best buddies. It’s…everything.”

I want to respond to this, I really do. Levi has opened up in a way that I admire like crazy. He’s brave and deserves my truth. Unfortunately, as soon as I begin to try to unscramble my brain and get my thoughts in order, there’s a knock on the front door. My immediate thought is that I’m glad someone wasn’t trying to come in through the back where all the windows would have given them a clear view of our three-person pile-up on the couch. The knock sounds once more, and before I can stand up to go see who it is, the door opens, and a familiar—and unwelcome—squeaky voice calls out, “Skyler, honey? Are you home?” I ought to start locking the damn doors.

Chapter

Nineteen

Brooke

What the absolute fuck?Some chick just comes waltzing into Skyler’s house carrying a huge picnic basket and wearing the tiniest pair of red shorts I’ve ever seen. Sure, she’s cute and has great legs, but…come on! Obvious much? Okay, maybe this is judgmental and hypercritical of me after wearing a thong around Skyler, but why is she here, and why does she think she can barge in like this?

“Cherry!” Skyler exclaims as he jumps up off the couch like his ass is on fire. “What are you doing here?” He does not sound pleased.

“Silly, I told you yesterday that we should get together, and you agreed, so here I am.” She sets down her basket and strikes a “tah-dah!” pose—just in case anyone missed her.

“What, are you nuts? I didn’t agree to anything.”

“Sure you did, honey. You clearly said, ‘Uh huh!’”

I can’t help snorting and telling her, “When a guy says, ‘Uh huh,’ you ought to know by now it means he isn’t listening to you. Here’s a tip…look at where his eyes are focused. If he’s notlooking at you and grunts, you’re just part of the background noise.”

This Cherry chick ignores me like I’m invisible, but her eyes go wide as she catches sight of Levi and exclaims, “Ooh! You’re the ‘Oh Say Can You See’ guy from last night! You were really good! What areyoudoing here?” She seems to have developed a severe butt shimmy as she wiggles and giggles.

Skyler says a little too loudly, “Levi issupposedto be here, unlike you!”

As if she hadn’t heard Skyler, she continues addressing Levi, “It was a really hard song, and it musta been extra, extra hard to sing it Acapulco!”

I start to laugh, but quickly cover it with a cough.

She pries her eyes off Levi long enough to glare at Skyler. “But honey, Itoldyou I’d bring you a picnic. I thought we could have a romantic lunch out by the creek.”

“I don’t remember you saying anything of the sort. I never agreed to it, and I’m not your honey. I think you need to leave. We’re busy.”

Wow, she might be a tad—okay a lot—pushy, but that’s harsh. I didn’t know Skyler had it in him to be rude, especially when someone is delivering food—even though something in her basket smells burnt. I have to say my tummy is growling, even though I wasn’t hungry until she showed up. It dawns on me that I’ve only had coffee and one little scone all day. I have every right to be hungry. Maybe evenhangryby now with this charade going on.

“But I brought all of this fried chicken, potato salad, and a banana cream pie.” I can’t help whimpering as she whines this, even if something is burnt. Why does she have to mention all of this food? “I have wine too! And there’s enough to feed an army! And you said…”

Skyler semi-bellows, “I didn’t say anything!”

“Why are you in such a bad mood?” she asks him in a little girl voice that makes my head begin to ache. Maybe it’s my advanced state of hangrytude.

That’s when Levi looks at her with narrowed eyes and says, “I vaguely remember you from last night. You came up to us to talk, but weren’t you with your husband? Or boyfriend? I remember now he wanted you to quit talking and go sit down with him.”

“Oh, uh, we’re not married.”

“But heisyour boyfriend,” Levi persists.

“Uh…” she stalls. “Kinda, I guess.”

Levi scoffs as Skyler says, “Yeah, just like I was ‘kinda’ your boyfriend when you cheated on me?” He definitely looks steamed now. “I distinctly remember you agreeing to go steady with me, and the next thing I knew I saw you with Marty Brubacher making out in his car in the parking lot at the Sock Hop, and your blouse was on the dashboard.”

“Steady?” I ask Skyler with a tiny snort. “Who does that?”

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