Page 94 of It's in the Contract
We sit on Suzy’s bedspread, and I breathe a sigh of relief at being off of my foot.
Mr. Mochi is there in her cage on the floor, her little babies snuggled up against her. I sigh. “So cute.”
“Mmmhmm,” Suzy says.
“Did you pick a name for yours?” I should ask Suzy what’s wrong and get it over with, but I don’t want to hear it.
“Miss Boba. She’s actually a girl, too.”
“I love it. She’s perfect.” I glance away. “Suzy, I have to tell you something.”
Suzy looks at me and then leans back against the headboard. “Go ahead.” She crosses her arms over her chest.
I sigh. “Well . . . I haven’t been completely honest with you, and I feel horrible about it.”
Suzy just raises one eyebrow, which is not a good sign. I forge ahead anyway. “When we were first brainstorming ideas for how to win the crown . . .” I go on and tell Suzy the whole thing. I tell her about the contract with Zeke. I tell her how it became something more. I can’t help it when my eyes fill with tears, and I blink them away.None of it was real.
Suzy doesn’t say much, she just listens, which makes me even more nervous. Finally, I trail off. “So . . . I’m really sorry I kept this from you. Zeke and I promised not to tell anyone, but I should’ve told you.”
Suzy sighs. “You’re right. You should have. I’m . . . I’m disappointed.”
I look down. “I know, I’m ridiculous. A fake friend. Trying to get in with the nerd crowd while still maintaining the opinion of the popular crowd. Why did I ever think it would work?”
“Callie, no.” Suzy shakes her head. “I’m disappointed that you thought you couldn’t tell me about this. Don’t you know that I love you? I would support you in anything.”
I look up at her, my eyes filling with tears again. “Thank you.”
“So . . . Zeke. Zeke was never really your friend?” Suzy looks thoughtful. “I can’t believe that. He seemed so genuine.”
“There’s more,” I say, and I can’t hold them back any longer. The tears spill over and roll down my cheeks. I tell Suzy how I fell for Zeke, about the sweet and perfect way that he asked me to Homecoming, and how I said no.
But Suzy doesn’t react the way I thought she would. I wanted, I don’t know, maybe someone to push me, to say that it’s okay to go out with him. That I should just do it. But all she says is, “Well, maybe it’s for the best, Cal.”
My shoulders slump.
Suzy shrugs. “Zeke said it himself. He’s moving in a few months. Your relationship would already have an end date. And think of everything you’d be giving up.”
I swallow. “There’s always long distance . . .”
Suzy shrugs and looks away. “Yeah. Maybe.” When Suzy looks back at me, her face is serious. “You missed my tennis tournament.”
My spine goes completely rigid, and a twinge of pain goes through my foot and up my leg. “No. I didn’t. It’s next week.”
“It was yesterday.”
I fall back on the bed. “No.” I cover my hands with my face. “I’m so, so sorry. I wish you would’ve texted me.”
Suzy stares out the window at the rain pattering on the glass. “I didn’t have much time to breathe, let alone text. It was a busy day. I’ve been talking about it for weeks, and . . . it was really important to me. I thought you’d remember.” Suzy’s voice is tinged with bitterness, and I feel horrible. Awful. Completely rotten.
“I’m so, so sorry,” I say, even though it’s not enough. “I can’t believe I missed it. Did you win?”
“No.”
Just when I think I’m fresh out of tears, there’s more. “I’m so sorry, Suze.”
Suzy stands. “You should think about what you really want. And not just about which guy.”
I hobble to my feet, hurt and ashamed, and I make my way home as quickly as I can.
