Page 28 of Don't Fall

“Her car is full,” Drea explains. She’s always been the nicer one of us two.

“I was planning on driving,” Lane says, pointing at his BMW two cars over which as always appears to be excruciatingly out of place here. Kind of like he is. Or rather, Jules is, standing next to him. What the hell is up with that, by the way?!

No. Can’t go there. Not now. I didn’t get all hussied up to be worrying about the wrong guy all night. Determined not to let this set me back, I jingle my keys loudly, letting everyone know it’s time to load up and hit the road. Drea rides up front with me, while Scott and Jason spread out in the backseat, Bart having opted to ride with Lane and Jules.

“Did you know about this?” Drea hisses, gaping out of her window still trying to watch Jules and Lane in the other car.

My brow crinkles, trying to determine if there’s a way out of having this conversation. “That Jules was going to show up with a guy tonight? I think we all knew about that.”

She abandons the window to frown at me. “You know it’s not about bringing a guy, it’s about the guy! Did he tell you he was going out with Jules?” she asks, voice pitched high dramatically.

“He’s my roommate, Drea. He doesn’t have to share his social calendar with me.”

She grimaces, her non-audible way of telling me I’m full of shit. “Fine. What about Jules though, you don’t think it’s a little shady she went behind your back and asked him out?”

I peer into the rearview mirror to see if the guys are listening. They’re not. They’re completely engulfed in some video on Scott’s phone.

“No.” Lies. “I mean, I think it’s a little weird, yeah...but, it’s Jules. It’s not one of my favorite things about her, but it’s a side of her we all know and we all accept. It’s just...Jules. And, frankly, if he’s into her, then that kind of settles everything anyway.”

Drea’s quiet for a minute, staring straight ahead at the car in front of us. His car, in front of us.

“You like him!”

“What?!”

“You do. You totally like him. And not just for his pretty parts. You like, like him.”

My eyes meet the mirror again, this time in a panic. Even after her outburst, the guys still haven’t seen reason to tear themselves away from their video.

“I don’t like him, Drea. He invaded my apartment. He shows up everywhere to the point it feels like he’s taking over my freaking life. He makes me crazy. And not in a good way. In an I want to shave my hair a la Brittney Spears so I can’t yank it out with my bare hands crazy kind of way.”

She’s not buying it. “Or maybe you want him yanking on it. And maybe you want to shave it so you don’t have to imagine him yanking on it.”

“Are you insane?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re the one living with the Psyche Professor. You tell me.”

“Yes. Yes, you are.”

Drea’s hands come down to slap both knees simultaneously. “God! It’s so obvious now. I mean, I knew you were hot for him, but this is like...more.”

I’m shaking my head so hard it’s difficult to keep my eyes on the road. “No. No, it’s definitely not more. It’s so much not more, that I’m going to prove it by going through with your stupid plan and I’m going to sleep with the first one of Scott’s friends who volunteers to go home with me. Well, the first after Jason. I’m not sleeping with Jules’ sloppy seconds.”

Drea’s brow lifts suggestively. “Well, if you feel that strongly about it, you better not sit on this little crush of yours too long. We both know Jules isn’t the type to hold out on a guy. She’ll have him banging her head into his headboard before the night is over if she has her way.”

I didn’t think of that. Now that I am thinking about it, I’m not sure how I feel about it. That headboard is my old headboard. Right across the hall from me.

“It’s none of my business.” It’s the safest thing I can think to say.

“Most of what we talk about is none of our business. That doesn’t ever stop us.”

I can see the bright lights from the Basement up ahead.

“Whatever. We’re here. Can we please just drop this?”

“For now. But regardless of what you want to tell yourself, I know for a fact that Jules going out with him, settles nothing. Therefore, I want to reserve the right to resume this conversation at a later date.” She would.

“Fine. Provided we’re alone at this later date.”

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