Page 25 of My Debacle with De Lorenzo

His smile widens. “It sounds like you’re jealous.”

I bite back my response because they’re friends and I don’t want him telling her, especially because I have no inclination to ever act upon whatever it is I feel for this girl. “I’m not jealous,” I finally say.

His expression tells me he knows I’m lying. “Hmm...but just in case you are, you shouldn’t be. It was the most awful experience of my entire life, and I have no intention of ever repeating it.” He nods his head toward his car. “Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to get back to the store.” He walks a few steps, then stops midway, turning to face me again. “Anime?”

“In moderation.”

He nods like he’s satisfied with my answer, then hops into his Camaro and drives off. I exhale a slow breath, trying to release the tension from my body. Isabella Diaz is a bright red flag. I punched a guy in the face today because of her, and I personally don’t have any issues with Steve. That is the kind of trouble she comes with, and all logical thought is telling me to stay away from her, avoid her like the plague, because I already have enough shit in my life. But I’m kinda addicted to my ten minutes in the morning. So, that’s what I’ll keep it at. Ten minutes a day and nothing else. I don’t need drama. I don’t need trouble. I don’t need to be getting jealous over assholes and random guys I’ve just met. I just need my ten minutes and then she can go off and do whatever the hell she likes.

5. Isabella

October 11, 2018

We agreed that whateverhappens in the bathroom, stays in the bathroom, but he’s changed over the last week and a half. I feel like he’s giving me mixed messages. His words and actions used to tell me the same thing before—he’s not interested. But now, his words only line up with, like, ninety percent of his actions. He still brushes me off or rejects my advances, but then there are these moments where he’ll just randomly touch me, and I don’t know what to make of that because that’s so unlike him.

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