Complete Nothing (True Love #2)(60)

“You get to pick two flavors.” I put my hands on her shoulders and steered her toward the line at the counter. “Mom already picked her two and I get two. You should probably get something you know you like.”

“Okay,” she groused, slouching. “One I know I like and one new one.”

“Deal.”

The girl behind the counter turned around, and her face lit up. It was True. God. Was she ever not here? At the sight of her I got this horrible twist in my stomach. There was no reason for her to look that happy to see me. Unless she wanted to rub Claudia’s new relationship in my face on her behalf.

“Welcome to Goddess Cupcakes!” she announced. “What can I get you?”

“Uh, I got this text about a free half-dozen?” I said, showing her my phone. “Is this legit?”

“Yes! Of course! One hundred percent legit.” She looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “Tell me what you want and I’ll bring it out to you.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “We’re going to take them to go.”

“Oh. Uh, well, you have to have at least one in the shop.”

“Okay! I’ll have a triple chocolate!” Michelle said, rising up on her toes.

“Coming right up.”

True grabbed a plate and slid open the case.

“What do you mean you have to have one in the shop?” I asked.

“That’s how it works!” she replied, looking up at me through the glass. “The promotion. They want you to eat in the shop.”

My brow knit. I was so tired I felt like I wasn’t processing anything she was saying. “Okay . . . why?”

“God, Peter!” Michelle said, grabbing the plate as True slid it across the counter. “Just shut up and have a cupcake.”

True raised her eyebrows like a challenge. I sighed. My stomach was grumbling. “Fine. I’ll have one of the french toast ones.”

“I’ll bring it right out to you.”

“You can’t just hand it to me?” I said.

“Nope,” she replied. “Go sit. I’ll be two seconds.”

We locked eyes in a standoff. There was something shady going on here, but I didn’t have a clue what it was or why. Meanwhile, Michelle already had a table and was flagging me down.

“Get me some milk!”

Josie’s friends laughed mockingly over their coffees until my look of death silenced them. Yeah, my sister was hyper eighth grader with no boundaries, but she was still my sister.

“Two milks, too, please,” I said, fishing out my wallet.

After last night I was down to four dollars. I paid for the two small cartons of milk and sat with my sister, waiting for True to bring over my cupcake. I could tell Josie’s friends were whispering about me and I turned my back to them, hoping like hell they wouldn’t come over. The last thing I felt like doing was explaining their existence to Michelle.

“Here you go,” True said, placing a plate in front of me. Then she sat down.

“Um, what’s up?” I said.

“I have a fifteen-minute break, so I thought we could chat.”

“About what?” I asked flatly.

She turned to smile at Michelle. “I’m True.”

“I’m Michelle, Peter’s sister,” Michelle said, sucking chocolate off her thumb. “You have awesome hair.”

“Thanks,” True said, flipping it over her shoulder. “And you have really pretty eyes.”

Michelle almost choked. “Really? Thanks!”

“I only speak the truth.” True crossed her arms on the table. “So, what’s up with you and Claudia?”

Michelle’s very pretty eyes widened. She worshipped the ground Claudia walked on and basically freaked when I told her we weren’t together anymore. I shifted in my seat. “Nothing. We broke up.”

“I know. But what’s up? Do you still like her?”

The table of Josie’s friends had gone quiet. I didn’t think they were close enough to hear our conversation, but I wasn’t sure.

“Why? It’s not like it matters,” I said, pushing myself back in my chair. “She’s with that Traylor”—I looked at my sister and chose my words carefully—“guy,” I said, thinking *, jerk, dickwad.

“He’s her rebound guy!” True exclaimed, shoving my arm like we were old friends. “Trust me. She doesn’t like him.”

“She doesn’t?” Michelle asked hopefully, her mouth full of cake.

The twist in my gut loosened, and I got this fluttery feeling around my heart. “You think?”

“Of course not,” True said loudly. “Look, you broke her heart, but only you can mend it. You simply need to prove to her that you love her.”

I snorted an embarrassed laugh even as images of that day on the beach, the day I’d almost told her how I felt, flashed through my mind. Suddenly my throat closed over, just like it had that day too. I cleared it and ripped the wrapper off my cupcake, throwing it down on the plate like some kind of statement.

“No one ever said anything about love,” I told her, and took a big, casual bite of my cupcake.

“Well, but you do. Love her, I mean. Right?”