Page 98 of Fostering Chemistry
“I did,” Diego finally said.
Mia’s jaw dropped, as did Aaron’s.
“Why?” I demanded.
Diego response was only for Mia. “I just felt so damn guilty. It was my fault you cut your leg in the first place.”
Aaron and I exchanged a glance, not sure why he thought that. But it didn’t matter. “So it was just out of guilt?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Bullshit,” I said, and to my surprise, Aaron nodded in agreement.
Mia looked thoroughly confused. “I don’t know what’s going on here. For a conversation designed to keep people from being uncomfortable, it seems to be doing the opposite.”
“I’m sorry,” Diego said. “But this is important.”
If it was so damn important, he might consider actually saying what he meant. For the millionth time, I wished I could find the right words when I needed them. To remind Diego that we were all adults, and that Mia was not a situation to be handled. But as usual, the words weren’t there. There was another way I could share my thoughts, but no one here would understand it.
“So what are you saying? That I need to make my love-life, if I even had one, public knowledge?”
“Not publicly,” Diego said. “But there are people here who need to know.”
“Including you,” Aaron said, coming around to my way of thinking.
Diego didn’t say anything to that.
“So I’m supposed to choose one of you, is that it?” I wasn’t sure the others could see the steam that was practically coming out of her ears, but I could. “Or maybe a coin toss would be more fair? Anybody got a quarter?”
I snorted out a laugh. This girl had spirit.
“Mia, we’re just saying—” Diego tried.
“I think you’ve said enough. I came here to Haverford with my sister. And then she left, right before I moved in here. And thenI had nobody, but somehow, amazingly, I moved into a house full of good people. People who’ve become my friends.” Her gaze swept over all of us in turn. “And now you’re saying I just have to choose one of those friends?”
Diego sighed, his hands folded on the table in front of him. “You can be friends with whoever you want?—”
“Thank you for admitting that,” Mia snapped.
“But if you want to be more than friends with someone, you should be open about that.”
“Why?”
“Because…” We waited a minute, but that was as far as he got.
“You don’t get to decide that. You don’t get to decide any of this. Maybe I’m a shitty person who enjoys toying with people’s emotions, ever think of that? You’re not the morality police. This is none of your business.”
“Except he wants to be part of your business,” I said quietly, and earned a glare from both Diego and Mia.
There was a moment of silence, and I hoped that my dig hadn’t hurt Mia. She pulled herself together and pushed her chair back from the table.
“Thank you for the lunch-slash-ambush, but I think I’ll go back to my room now.”
She stood up and Aaron popped to his feet, ready to escort her back to the house, but she waved him off, limping away.
Instead, it was Diego who called her name and went after her.
Leaving Aaron and me in awkward silence with a bunch of mediocre food on the table between us.
