Regretting You(19)
“So . . . you like him because he ignores you, eats suckers, and has a weird grandpa?” Aunt Jenny makes a concerned face. “That’s . . . those are weird reasons, Clara.”
I shrug. “I mean, he’s cute too. And apparently, he wants to go to college as a film major. We have that in common.”
“That helps. But I mean, it sounds like you barely know him. I wouldn’t take the unfollow too personal.”
“I know.” I groan and fold my arms over my chest. “Attraction is so stupid. And knowing he unfollowed me already put me in a shit mood, and it’s only seven in the morning.”
“Maybe his girlfriend saw the follow and didn’t like it,” Aunt Jenny suggests.
I thought about that possibility for a brief moment this morning. But I didn’t like thinking about Miller and his girlfriend discussing me.
My father walks out the front door, so Aunt Jenny gives me a hug goodbye and goes to leave because she’s parked behind both of us. I get in my car and text Lexie while I wait for Jenny to pull out of the driveway behind me.
I hope you got my text last night about me picking you up half an hour early. You never responded.
She still hasn’t responded when I pull into her driveway.
Just when I’m about to call her, she comes tumbling out of her house, her backpack hanging from the crease of her elbow while she attempts to slide on a shoe. She has to stop and press her hand to the hood of the car to finish getting the shoe on. She stumbles to the door, her hair in disarray, mascara still under her eyes. She’s like a drunk hurricane.
She gets in the car and shuts the door, dropping her backpack to the floorboard. She pulls out her makeup bag.
“You just woke up?”
“Yeah, four minutes ago when you texted. Sorry.”
“How’d the Tinder date go?” I say sarcastically.
Lexie laughs. “I can’t believe your family still believes I have a Tinder account.”
“You lie to them about having it every time you’re around. Why would they believe otherwise?”
“I work too much. All I have time for is school and work and maybe a shower if I’m lucky.” She opens her makeup bag. “By the way. Did you hear about Miller and Shelby?”
I whip my head in her direction. “No. What about them?”
She opens her mascara just as I pull up to a stop sign. “Stop here for a second.” She begins putting on her mascara, and I wait for her to finish whatever she was going to say about Miller Adams and his girlfriend. How random that it’s the first thing she brought up and it’s the only thing I’ve been able to think about since I gave him a ride yesterday.
“What about Miller and Shelby?”
Lexie moves her mascara wand to her other eye. She still doesn’t answer me, so I ask her again. “Lexie, what happened?”
“Jeez,” she says, stuffing the mascara wand back into the tube. “Give me a sec.” She motions for me to continue driving while she pulls out her lipstick. “They broke up last night.”
That’s my favorite sentence that’s ever come out of Lexie’s mouth.
“How do you know?”
“Emily told me. Shelby called her.”
“Why’d they break up?” I’m trying not to care. Really trying.
“Apparently, it’s because of you.”
“Me?” I look back at the road. “That’s ridiculous. I gave him a ride to his house. He was in my car for three minutes tops.”
“Shelby thinks he cheated on her with you.”
“Shelby sounds like she has trust issues.”
“That’s really all it was?” Lexie asks. “A ride?”
“Yes. It was that inconsequential.”
“Do you like him?” she asks.
“No. Of course not. He’s an asshole.”
“He is not. He’s super nice. Annoyingly nice.”
She’s right. He is. He’s only an asshole to me. “Isn’t it weird that my father thinks he’s such a bad person?”
Lexie shrugs. “Not really. Your father doesn’t even like me, and I’m awesome.”
“He likes you,” I say. “He only teases the people he likes.”
“And maybe Miller is the same way,” she suggests. “Maybe he only ignores the people he likes.”
I ignore that comment. Lexie focuses on putting on her makeup, but my mind is whirling. Did their fight really have to do with a silly car ride?
It was probably the car ride coupled with the Instagram follow. Which would explain why he unfollowed me last night. Which proves he’s trying to get her back.
“Do you think their breakup will stick?”
Lexie glances at me and grins. “What’s it matter to you? It was inconsequential.”
Jonah makes me call him Mr. Sullivan at school. I’m sure he’d like it if I called him Uncle Jonah outside of school, but he’s just Jonah to me. I haven’t known him long enough to feel like he’s my uncle yet, even though he just had a baby with my aunt Jenny. Maybe after they’re actually married, I’ll add the title. But for now, all I really know of him is what I’ve heard my parents say—that he broke Aunt Jenny’s heart in high school and moved away without warning. I’ve never asked any of them why he broke up with her. I don’t guess I really cared, but for some reason, I’m curious today.