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“No, but something funny did happen.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“You wrote me back, or I assume it must be you since you told me you were the one to write the notes.”

“I can explain.” Felicity reaches out and tries to grab my hand but I pull it away. “I didn’t write the notes. When I saw what you were talking about, I worried you were falling for someone else, and I know it’s not right, but I wanted you for myself. I was worried you would choose her over me.”

“I don’t even know who she is. If you had just been honest with me, I could have explained that all to you. Now, I feel like I can’t trust you.”

Felicity throws her hands in the air. “Whatever, Marjorie. If that’s how you feel, there’s nothing I can do.”

“So, that’s it? You’re not even going to try?” Even though I now know I can’t trust Felicity, I still want her to prove me wrong. I want her to say something that shows me that I saw the real her. That she’s not the person Lydia, Abby, and Marcus claim she is.

“You’ve made your choice.” Tears come to Felicity’s eyes, but there’s something off about them. “Just leave me alone, Marjorie.”

She walks away from me and I’m left by myself, completely dumbfounded. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do, but since I had gym last period and am still in my workout clothes, I walk a few feet to the track and start to run. I run until my legs and lungs are both burning.

Once I catch my breath and stretch, I walk to my car. I’m so thankful I didn’t ride to school with Felicity today, because I don’t want to explain to anyone how I ended up stranded. All I can think about when I walk into the house is stripping out of my clothes and taking a nice, long shower. Only, when I walk past Marcus’s room, I hear voices that stop me in my tracks.

“What the hell are you doing?” Marcus asks, his voice more angry than I’ve ever heard it.

“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you don’t want this.”

Felicity?

“You kissed me. Of course I don’t want this. I have a girlfriend.”

“We’re in high school. People break up all the time.”

Before I can think better of it, I barge into Marcus’s room and find him sitting on his bed with Felicity hovering above him, a scene that would have looked very bad for him if I hadn’t just heard their conversation. “What the hell is going on here?”

Marcus jumps to his feet and puts both hands in the air, slowly backing away from me as if he’s worried what I might do. “Marjorie, I swear this isn’t what it looks like.”

Instead of addressing him, I turn my attention to Felicity. “You kissed my brother?”

“Whatever.” Felicity rolls her eyes and laughs, and it amazes me that someone can be such a snake. She walks over to me, putting her hand on my arm and leaning in the way she always does when she’s flirting with me. Fake flirting? I don’t even know at this point. “By the way, I’m not actually gay, but for what it’s worth, you’re a much better kisser than your brother.”

She walks out of the room without another word, and I’m left wondering what the hell just happened. I don’t know whether to cry at the fact that my dream girl completely played with my feelings for her own selfish pleasure or laugh because it’s all so ridiculous.

“Shit, Marjorie.” My brother throws himself back onto his bed and runs his hand over the little bit of facial hair he has.

I sigh and sit down next to him. “You can say it. You told me so.”

“I wasn’t going to say that. I was just going to ask if you want to go to Abby’s with me and get wasted with us tonight.”

“Just the three of us?” I’m surprised Marcus is willing to let me interrupt their alone time.

Marcus shrugs. “Why not?”

“I told myself I was done drinking until after basketball season. Especially after getting sick at Thalia’s party.”

“First of all, basketball hasn’t even started yet. Second of all, I feel like you could use this.”

My brother is saying so much without actually saying it, and for the first time today, I’m happy. “Can Lydia come?”

Marcus puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter 9