Page 7 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

Was I really talking to Nick about my body? It just sort of slipped out, but I’d caught him sneaking a peek at my growing boobs on several occasions, so I knew that he’d noticed.

Nick stopped and pulled on my hand, “Don’t do that, Jo. Don’t let anyone else question how beautiful you are. Daisy’s a toothpick. You’re… you’re perfect.”

I felt my cheeks heat. If it were any other day, Nick’s compliment wouldn’t have affected me, but it did today, and I didn’t know why.

“Thanks.”

“I mean it, Jo. I never want to hear you talking about your weight again.”

Who was this boy? Even though I didn’t want to admit it, Nick was right. When I didn’t think about how other girls looked, I felt much prettier.

“Maybe I’ll have a root beer, then. After all, it’s our birthday, right?”

The drink was one of my and Nick’s favorite’s.

“That’s more like it!”

Once we got our popcorn and drinks, we went inside the theater where the others were already seated. I followed Nick down the aisle. The first seat was empty. I found it odd that our friends hadn’t filled the beginning of the row, and then there was another one between Carter and Molly.

“You sit here.” Daisy pulled on Nick’s hand so that he’d take the first empty seat, and I felt my face heat with anger. Nick and I always sat together at the movies, especially on our birthdays. Why did Daisy have to separate us?

“Wouldn’t you rather sit with the guys?” I asked.

Nick shrugged, which again rubbed me the wrong way. As Nick took his spot, I frowned and moved over to the only other seat available and plopped down between two of my friends.

“Hey, cupcake girl.” Carter looked at me in a dreamy way before leaning in for a hug. “Happy Birthday.”

Carter had always called me cupcake. It just so happened that I’d dropped one in a school hallway once and then slipped on it, falling flat on my ass, and the nickname had stuck. He’d had a crush on me for a long time, but I never saw anything more in him than a friend. Besides, I was only thirteen, and my dad always told me that I’d have plenty of time to think about boys in my life after I finished school. That’s why he was so proud of my friendship with Nick. We looked out for each other like best friends should. When I leaned over and saw Daisy tickle Nick’s hand with her finger, I felt a shiver of jealousy hit me, so I leaned into Carter and held him for a bit longer than usual.

“Thanks, Carter. You must be excited about the movie.”

So was I, but we all knew that Carter was the biggest Transformers fan ever.

“I’m gonna see it again with my brother tomorrow.”

“But you don’t even know if you’ll like it.”

“Oh, I know I’ll love it. There’s no way this movie will fail.”

“Happy Birthday, Joelle,” Molly said from my other side. “Thanks for inviting us over.”

“You’re welcome. How’s your little brother?”

Molly’s mom just had a baby a month ago, so she’d been spending a lot of time outside the house to avoid the colicky cries.

“He’s gotten bigger, and Momma says that his tummy should settle soon and he’ll stop crying. She’s tried everything, I tell ya, but then we found this trick of turning on a hair dryer. He stops crying and listens to the buzzing as if it was the most fascinating sound in the world. Babies, I tell ya. I’m not sure I’ll ever want kids.”

“Well, you’re lucky you have a sibling.”

This was coming from a child who had always wished for a large family. But I always had my father, and that made me a very lucky girl because there were enough foster kids and orphans in the world.

“It doesn’t feel like luck right now,” she sighed.

“It will get better.”

“I hope so.”

I got another peek at Daisy putting her hand into Nick’s popcorn bag – as if she didn’t have her own – and fluttering her lashes. Didn’t he see that she was flirting? Why lead her on?

---