Page 54 of Rules for Rule Breaking
“Bobby. We’re seventeen. You take me to cooking classes and silent films and trivia nights. Sometimes I just want to play beer pong at Carly Bishop’s house, but I feel like I can’t tell you about it because it’s beneath you,” she said quickly, as if she were trying to chase the words out of her mouth. Bobby wished she wouldn’t cry because then he would probably start, and he was already dehydrated.
“So you did break up with me because I’m too boring,” he said as more of a declarative statement than a question. He wiped his face. This felt more to him like a breakup than their actual breakup had. He called to be broken up with a second time by a girl he wasn’t even dating anymore. His stomach was turning again. “Is it cliché to say that I think we grew apart?” Bobby asked.
“No, because that’s exactly what happened. You’ve always beenmy best friend before anything else,” Jacqueline said. “After our friend group disbanded, it was only me and you. I guess I thought that if we broke up, I would lose my only true friend.”
Jacqueline was a bit of a loner like he was, and that’s part of the reason they clung to each other. She always had strong opinions on everything, which would one day make her a very effective political analyst, but it didn’t help her make friends in high school.
“We haven’t been friends in a while, though, Bobby,” Jacqueline continued. “I tried so hard to get you to be present, but you’re always in your head. You never let yourself have fun, and it was miserable to watch.”
“Do you think you would ever want to get back together with me?” Bobby asked, and immediately slapped himself internally. He was winning this breakup. Why did he say that?
Jacqueline cleared her throat. “Aren’t you dating Winter Park now? Why are you on a trip with her?”
“It’s... complicated. My parents forced me to bring her, but I promise we’re not dating.”
“I don’t know if I believe you. You’ve always been suspiciously preoccupied with her.”
“We’re not even friends. As soon as we’re home, we’re going to go right back to ignoring each other.”
The word vomit was pouring out of his mouth worse than the real vomit.
“I don’t know. This conversation is outside the scope of what I wanted to discuss. I only wanted to see how you were doing, and I guess I’ve done it. Goodbye, Bobby.” She hung up without another word.
Bobby’s head flopped against the edge of the tub. He gave himself exactly two minutes to wallow before he dragged himself out of thebathroom. Winter was standing in the doorway of their adjoining rooms when he walked out.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to check on you,” she said, tight-lipped.
“Oh. Did you hear me... on the phone?”
Winter was stone-faced. She didn’t have to reply. He crawled into bed and put a pillow over his face.
Winter Park
25. WE WILL NOT DESTROY EACH OTHER’S PROPERTY
Winter hated to admit it, but Bobby had hurt her feelings. Only hours before, he’d told her that he had always wanted to be her friend and he was glad that they were getting along. What he said to Jacqueline was a completely different story. They would go back to ignoring each other once they got home? Maybe they weren’t meant to be friends. Not that she believed in fate. She only believed in the stars, and they apparently didn’t want to align for the two of them.
She ripped the covers off Bobby and opened up the blackout curtains. He winced and hissed like a vampire being exposed to the sun.
“We have to go, Bobby,” she said. “You must be better already. If we leave now, we can even walk around the Princeton campus ourselves without the tour and still make it to Boston by nightfall.”
“I feel like garbage,” he replied, shielding his eyes with his arm. “You’ll have to drive us.”
Winter froze. “I don’t have a license, remember?”
Bobby scoffed. “You must have your permit. You’ve driven before, right?”
“Yeah...”
“Well, you were the one who wanted to do all this rule breaking. So here’s the rule. Break it.”
Winter gulped.
Driving was the one thing that made her extremely nervous.There were too many variables. She could go the exact speed limit, use her signals, and observe all traffic laws, but all it would take would be one asshole in a rush running her off the road, and all of a sudden, she’d have killed a family of five and she’d be in jail for vehicular manslaughter. It was way too much pressure.
“I don’t— Don’t make me tell you that I’m bad at driving,” Winter said, clenching her fist.
