Page 145 of The One I Hate
Wes: In what?
Oliver: I’m nervous.
Shane: What did you do…
Emmett: Oh, he fucked up. Bad.
Wes: Did his actions finally have consequences?
Emmett: Winner winner, chicken dinner.
Wes: We’ll be over in an hour.
Oliver: And we’ll bring pizza.
One hour and three minutes later, my brothers from other mothers come walking into my house. My back is to them, so I can’t see their faces, but judging by their silence, they’re probably pretty confused as to what they’re walking into.
“What the fuck…”
I turn around to see four blank stares. “What?”
“Did you make a PowerPoint?”
I look to my eight-five-inch television screen then back to them. “I did.”
“Can we ask why?”
They all take a seat on the various couches and chairs in my living room. But not before grabbing themselves a drink.
Shane grabs two.
Which, I get it. I’d probably need one too if I walked into a grown-ass man’s living room to see a presentation loaded with the title: “Help Me Unfuck Up.”
“As you were all clued in on in the text message earlier, the thing all of you predicted months ago has come to a head.”
“How did she find out?” Wes asks.
“What makes you say she found out?” I ask.
Wes narrows a look to me.
“She caught Simon and I in her office arguing about it,” Emmett says.
“What he said,” I grumble. “Though that does take away the beginning of the presentation.”
“Simon, as a teacher, I want to commend you on taking the time to make this,” Oliver says. “But can I ask…why?”
“Great question, number one best friend. As you all know, I have the tendency to act before I think about my actions. Or say things without thinking through them.”
“You don’t say…” Wes mutters.
“Enough from the peanut gallery.” I take the remote and switch it off the title slide. “So I was sitting here and sulking about Charlie, trying to figure out what I can do to get her back. It’s why you haven’t heard from me in a few days.”
“Didn’t notice,” Shane says sarcastically.
I glower at Shane. “When I get Charlie back, I’m going to look for a new group of friends who will miss me and realize without me saying anything that I’m going through something traumatic.”
“No, you won’t.”
