around. “What?”
“Excuse us for a second.” I start to nudge Ziah out of the booth, and she’s looking at me like she’s wondering what the hell I’m doing. But she goes. When we get to the hallway by the restrooms, I stop her. “You like talking about my brother?”
She crosses her arms. “No.”
“Good. I don’t like talking about your sister either. We separate them, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to want to chop our own ears off before long. At least if we do this together, we don’t have to watch Derrick pant around after her with his tail between his legs while Lora plays the sugar plum fairy filled with sugar and spice and everything nice.”
And as the words come out, I’m wondering why I’m bothering with this. It would be a lot easier to talk my brother out of getting married if he’s detached from his girl. Instead I find myself, once again, determined to make Ziah smile.
She’s close, but doesn’t do it. Damn, she’s a tough sale.
“Fine, but this doesn’t mean I like you.”
“News flash, but you’re not exactly my favorite person either.” Even though I do want to touch that one stupid strand of hair, just so I know what it feels like. And even though I just put us in a position to be spending a lot of time together.
I need to pull back away from this girl. “Look. I think you and I could work about a million times faster than those two. We can take pictures and pretend to play nice.” Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.
“Okay. I can do that.” She nods.
“Good.” We head back toward the table. As we walk around the corner, I see Derrick nuzzling Lora’s neck. I sort of want to puke again, but it’s Ziah who freezes, her whole body going still as though she is unable to move. She gasps a little like it actually hurts her to see them or something. I mean, I definitely don’t like seeing them together, but it seems different with her.
“Hey… you okay? You don’t seem like yourself.” Not that I know what herself actually is, but it works.
She bites her lip and turns to look at me. “How did you—” And then like she changes her mind she says, “Nothing. I’m fine,” before stomping back to the table.
I pray to God she didn’t bring her voodoo dolls with her.
Eight
~ Ziah ~
Christmas passes in a blur of me trying not to think about James and Alyssa or Derrick and Lora, or what it’s going to be like to go back to school with them and plan a wedding that I’m not sure should even happen.
I’m still pissed at Lora because freaking Dylan noticed something’s wrong with me while she’s still running around clueless. At this point, I’m not telling her out of principle.
***
Two days after Christmas, I’m almost home from my run when I see James on my porch. I want to turn around and run away, but two things stop me. First off, I’m stronger than that. And second… he saw me.
I slow to a walk, wondering what on Earth I’m going to say to him when we get close. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to know. The whole thing makes me sick, and it’s all bottled up inside me because I can’t talk to Alyssa, and my sister’s too busy with Derrick.
James’ voice pulls me into the present. “Ziah, I…”
“You do not want to hear what I have to say right now.”
I point at him and push past where he’s standing on the sidewalk. How long has he been standing this close? And wow, I just sounded way tough.
“No, no. I do. Let me have it. Say anything you want.” He keeps pace with me. “Anything so we can be back to the way we were.” He’s been crying, no doubt.
“Tell me everything.” I stop to stare.
He needs to say what actually happened, all of it.
“I told you already,” he pleads. “I texted you everything.”
Right. The texts I didn’t read. “Well. What would you say if I said I’d talked to Alyssa?”
I haven’t talked to Alyssa, of course. I haven’t read texts or email, but I
“Excuse us for a second.” I start to nudge Ziah out of the booth, and she’s looking at me like she’s wondering what the hell I’m doing. But she goes. When we get to the hallway by the restrooms, I stop her. “You like talking about my brother?”
She crosses her arms. “No.”
“Good. I don’t like talking about your sister either. We separate them, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to want to chop our own ears off before long. At least if we do this together, we don’t have to watch Derrick pant around after her with his tail between his legs while Lora plays the sugar plum fairy filled with sugar and spice and everything nice.”
And as the words come out, I’m wondering why I’m bothering with this. It would be a lot easier to talk my brother out of getting married if he’s detached from his girl. Instead I find myself, once again, determined to make Ziah smile.
She’s close, but doesn’t do it. Damn, she’s a tough sale.
“Fine, but this doesn’t mean I like you.”
“News flash, but you’re not exactly my favorite person either.” Even though I do want to touch that one stupid strand of hair, just so I know what it feels like. And even though I just put us in a position to be spending a lot of time together.
I need to pull back away from this girl. “Look. I think you and I could work about a million times faster than those two. We can take pictures and pretend to play nice.” Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.
“Okay. I can do that.” She nods.
“Good.” We head back toward the table. As we walk around the corner, I see Derrick nuzzling Lora’s neck. I sort of want to puke again, but it’s Ziah who freezes, her whole body going still as though she is unable to move. She gasps a little like it actually hurts her to see them or something. I mean, I definitely don’t like seeing them together, but it seems different with her.
“Hey… you okay? You don’t seem like yourself.” Not that I know what herself actually is, but it works.
She bites her lip and turns to look at me. “How did you—” And then like she changes her mind she says, “Nothing. I’m fine,” before stomping back to the table.
I pray to God she didn’t bring her voodoo dolls with her.
Eight
~ Ziah ~
Christmas passes in a blur of me trying not to think about James and Alyssa or Derrick and Lora, or what it’s going to be like to go back to school with them and plan a wedding that I’m not sure should even happen.
I’m still pissed at Lora because freaking Dylan noticed something’s wrong with me while she’s still running around clueless. At this point, I’m not telling her out of principle.
***
Two days after Christmas, I’m almost home from my run when I see James on my porch. I want to turn around and run away, but two things stop me. First off, I’m stronger than that. And second… he saw me.
I slow to a walk, wondering what on Earth I’m going to say to him when we get close. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to know. The whole thing makes me sick, and it’s all bottled up inside me because I can’t talk to Alyssa, and my sister’s too busy with Derrick.
James’ voice pulls me into the present. “Ziah, I…”
“You do not want to hear what I have to say right now.”
I point at him and push past where he’s standing on the sidewalk. How long has he been standing this close? And wow, I just sounded way tough.
“No, no. I do. Let me have it. Say anything you want.” He keeps pace with me. “Anything so we can be back to the way we were.” He’s been crying, no doubt.
“Tell me everything.” I stop to stare.
He needs to say what actually happened, all of it.
“I told you already,” he pleads. “I texted you everything.”
Right. The texts I didn’t read. “Well. What would you say if I said I’d talked to Alyssa?”
I haven’t talked to Alyssa, of course. I haven’t read texts or email, but I
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