Page 19 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
She leans over her desk to whisper, “Phoenix and I call her The Harpy.”
I stare at her for a few seconds. Then I laugh so hard my desk nearly tips over. “Harpy? That’s awesome.”
“Shh!” She motions for me to keep it down as her head spins toward the door.
That just makes me laugh harder. “That’s the perfect name. She really does screech like a harpy.”
She joins in the laughing, and we’re both rolling so hard that my stomach is on fire.
“Stop,” she says between laughs. “It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is.”
We both stop and look at each other. Then we start chuckling again.
“You’re so bad,” she says as she clutches her side.
“You’re the bad one. You gave her that name.”
“Actually, it was Phoenix.”
“So let’s blame Phoenix.”
And we start laughingagain.
It feels so…good to have fun with Katie. The last few days have been so awkward, and I thought she and I would never be friends again. I can’t remember the last time I had such a belly laugh. I think she feels the same, because she massages her cheeks like they hurt.
“We seriously need to stop,” she says.
I wish we didn’t. I love seeing her face brighten like this. She always seems so sad.
“You’re right,” I say. “We’re being a little mean. Even if it’s true,” I add with a chuckle.
“Don’t you start again,” she warns.
I hold up my hands.
The room has gotten so quiet. Painfully quiet. What a difference it was to thirty seconds ago.
She glances at me and I glance at her. Then we both laugh lightly.
“Sorry,” she says. “About everything.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I assure her. “I told you I get it.”
“But I ruined band practice on Saturday.”
“Well, I was the one who ruined practice.”
“Because of me.”
I shake my head. “How about we forget the last few days?” I suggest. “They never happened.”
She raises her eyebrows. “What never happened?”
I grin. “Cool.”
“Cool.”
