Page 62 of For The Chances We Take

I stayed silent, especially after he grabbed a bag and pulled out homemade bread, some fruits, and juice.

Being discreet and polite, Zach tried to justify with a small smile why he was walking around with what I’d call a feast. “Mom always sends too much. Good thing you’re here to help us.”

“I’m not hungry.” Just to make me a liar, my stomach chose that moment to make a loud noise. I expected some joke, but they ignored it and resumed talking.

Mia parted a little piece of the bread with her fingers, and as she munched it, she handed me the loaf in a silent offer. I shook my head, and my stomach grumbled again. Mia ignored the noise, and Zachary started talking louder, telling me all the good reasons for me to go to their place after school.

I was so hungry, I was even a little dizzy, but still, I couldn’t make myself eat and prove to them what a loser I was. By the third roar, Mia had had enough.

“If you’re hungry, why don’t you eat, damn it?”

“Mia!” Zachary warned quietly.

“I’m sorry, Zee, I know we’re not supposed to say a bad word”—they were that kind of family?—“but he’s clearly hungry and still not eating.”

“That’s his choice, and we need to respect it.” Not even once did they raise their voices. I was waiting for the moment one of them would lose it and start throwing punches, but that moment never came, and I didn’t know how to deal with that kind of dynamic.

The insistent girl turned to me again. “Why won’t you eat? Do you like something else? We can arrange it.”

“I don’t need your pity or your help. I still have my pride.” I was such a little shit.

“Pride?” She scrunched her nose in disbelief.

“It means I don’t need you to save me.” Which was a huge lie, as my rumbling stomach proved once again.

“I know what pride means,” she huffed, right before she mumbled, “it’s a fancy word for stupid.”

Zachary sighed and put a hand on her knee to calm her. “We’re sorry if we offended you. We just wanted to hang out, and if we could do it while eating, even better. My parents are really good cooks, and we wanna share it with you, but only if you’re comfortable with it.”

“Why? We don’t even know each other.” That didn’t make any sense. Why were they so nice to me? I had nothing to offer them.

“So you should definitely come to our place. That way, we can get to know each other.”

“And be friends like we’re supposed to,” Mia added. “You’re only getting in our way. This,” she circled her little finger, indicating the three of us, “is happening. Stop fighting it.” How can a thing so little be so bossy?

“We really want you to come.” There was something calming in the way Zachary spoke. Calm wasn’t something I had very often.

Without waiting for my response, Mia stood up. “I need to get some books, but I’ll see you both after class.” As if my coming with them was settled. Before she went off, she turned to me with shame in her eyes. “I’m sorry for calling you stupid, Benny.” That damn “Benny” again. “I thought you already knew. I promise the next time you’re stupid, I’ll try not to point it out.”

Is this girl for real?

As we watched her go away, Zach spoke up again. “We’re not inviting you over pity. We want you to come. We’ll have pizza tonight, and it’s Friday, so you could stay with us for the weekend, I could talk to your father to ask—"

“He doesn’t mind,” I answered quickly. The last thing I needed was hose people meeting the Devil. “Okay, I’ll go with you.” Better get it over with fast.

Zachary gave me a big smile that confused me even more. Why did they want me around? Why were they so intent on feeding me and inviting me over?

We stayed silent for a few minutes, both of us lost in our thoughts.

“She will, you know? Point out when you’re stupid, I mean.”

“So you’re sure I’ll be again?”

“Yes. We both will. When it happens, she’ll be there to point it out.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun.” A sarcastic little shit I was.

“I’d rather have her pointing out my stupidity than not have her around. You’ll realize that soon.”

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