Page 27 of We Were Something
“You know you’re going to have to let this go,” she says. “And the longer you hold on to it, the longer you resist her as a component of our group again, the more likely it is thatyouwill be the only one feeling the brunt of exclusion.”
I gasp in disbelief that she would say such a thing.
“Think about it, Paige. Remmy is marrying Ben. Ben is Wyatt’s brother. Wyatt is dating Hannah. Hannah is Lucas’ sister. I’m dating Lucas.” She shrugs and looks away from me, gently rolling forward as the light turns green. “I’m not saying anything that isn’t simple truth. Do you think it’s easy for me to be super friendly with the woman who tried to manipulate Lucas?”
I purse my lips and look back out the window. “No.”
“No, but I’m working really hard at it. I’m trying to understand what life was like for her and hoping that will make me more empathetic. More forgiving.” She pauses. “I know forgiveness isn’t really your strong suit.”
I let out my own obnoxious snort atthatobvious statement.
“But maybe it’s something you need to start working on. Or at least…I don’t know. Learn to hide your displeasure better. Because I doubt Remmy is going anywhere. And if you want tokeepgetting invited to these family dinners, a good start is to not look like you want to murder the hostess.”
The tension in the car cracks at Lennon’s joke and I uncross my arms, settling back into the soft leather of my seat.
“Yeah, well…” I narrow my eyes. “Why do you have to be sologicalandrational?”
Lennon grins at me but doesn’t respond, instead making another turn onto a short residential street and pulling to a stop in front of Ben’s adorable little white house.
I’ve only been here once, not that long ago. I was with Wyatt, the two of us stopping by to grab Ben after finding out Ivy had been transported to the hospital. I stayed in the car as Wyatt sprinted inside, and then I drove us there, making sure he didn’t do something stupid behind the wheel while he was distracted and full of emotion.
That first time we pulled up, I remember wondering why on earth Ben would live in a house like this. I’d always assumed he was this cagey, bachelor type who should live in a luxury loft somewhere on the money side of town.
Clearly, I was wrong.
“Hey, listen,” Lennon says, turning the car off then shifting in her seat to look at me. “I’m wondering if you have some free time to help with Lucas and Hannah’s appointments at the hospital.”
“Sure,” I say, eager to help in whatever ways I can. “For the bone marrow thing?”
I don’t know a ton about the science behind what’s happening, but Idoknow Lucas and Hannah are donating bone marrow that’s going to hopefully help Ivy recover from PNH. It’s some sort of trial, an attempt at doing something new that hasn’t ever been done before.
“Yeah. ‘The Boss’ has been harping on me to hold more consistent hours.” Lennon rolls her eyes, and I try not to laugh at the way she refers to her mom. “I was hoping you could be there in my place.”
“You need me to be the hospital shuttle, I’m there,” I tell her with a smile.
“Well, it depends on the day, but they have to get a bunch of injections and they’re supposed to feel pretty achy. So, yes they need a driver. But I wasalsohoping you could go in with them, you know, especially if they’re going to be meeting with Dr. Becker about anything.”
I wrinkle my nose at the thought of sitting in an office with Hannah and Lucas withLogan.
“Shuffling them to and from appointments is fine, but…wouldn’t it feel weird for them to have a friend sitting in on their appointments? I’d feel kind of out of place.”
Especially after the way Logan has basically brushed me aside twice now, my very apparent interest clearly not returned.
“What happened to ‘It’s about time they invited us to family dinner’? It shouldn’t be weird for you to go to their appointment. Besides, I thought you’d be like…chomping at the bit to spend more time with thedoctor,” she jokes, saying the word with a silly tone to her voice that makes me laugh. “You’ve only been mooning over him nonstop since last weekend.”
I shake my head. “I’m not…mooningover him,” I say, rolling my eyes and giggling lightly at her ridiculous—though kind of accurate—description. “I just…kind of like him. A little.”
“Obsessed with him is more like it.”
“Am not,” I shriek, my voice bouncing wildly around the confines of Lennon’s tiny MINI Cooper. Then I narrow my eyes and lower my voice. “He was a possible hookup. Once. And it didn’t happen.” I shrug. “No biggie.”
Lennon scoffs. “No biggie?!Are you serious? I haven’t seen you with hearts in your eyes like this since…” She pauses, thinks, and then continues. “I take that back—I’ve never seen you with hearts in your eyes like this. Hookup, schmookup. You want to worship at the altar of hisgenius, science-y penis.”
I purse my lips and shake my head. “You’re being ridiculous. And schmookup is like, the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”
“You totally do! You can’t resist him. You’re like a moth to his flame, or like those sailors who get lured to the islands by sirens.”
“Do you not see anything concerning about that?”
