Read Online fml by Shaun David Hutchinson - Free Book Online

on the brain of a moron. Because surely, I was the biggest moron who had ever been in love with a girl.
    Cassie stopped jumping. She was tethered to the earth now, a prisoner of gravity once again. “I know, Simon. You wear your feelings for me like a neon sign over your heart. What do you want me to do about it?”
    The words were deadly shards of glass. They sliced my skin,and I watched as my blood fountained from a million tiny wounds, spreading over the bed like a new duvet.
    â€œI thought—”
    â€œYou thought that since I dumped Eli, you’d lure me into my parents’ bedroom and make everything in my life all better because we jumped on a fucking bed? And then what? We’d ride the mattress into the sunset? You’re like everyone else. No, you’re worse because you’re so naive.”
    I grew smaller. I grew small. Insignificant. A worm not worthy of even her pity.
    â€œI only wanted to make you smile,” I said. And I meant it. “I wanted to make you happy.”
    Cassie laughed. It was dark and devoid of joy. “I don’t need you, Simon Cross. I’m capable of taking care of myself.” Cassie sat down and slid off the bed, slipping her feet back into her shoes, ignoring any pain from her injured foot. “You don’t love me. You love some girl you invented in your stupid pea brain. But I’m not that girl. She doesn’t exist.”
    When I said, “I do love you, Cassie,” my voice was as small as I was. It barely registered above the bass line of DJ Leo’s latest song. I wished that guy had a mute button. “If you’ll just let me show you.”
    Cassie crossed her arms over her chest. “How about a barter, Simon?” Her voice kept cutting me.
    â€œAnything.”
    The anger Cassie had loosed was fading, wrestled back into Pandora’s box along with that tiny flame of hope upon which myfuture happiness now rested. “Prove that you love me, Simon. Prove irrefutably that you love me, the real me, not just some idea of me, and I’ll give you anything you want.”
    And then she left.
    I was still standing on the bed, watching the space where Cassie had been, when Coop and Ben walked through the door hand in hand. Coop frowned at me while Ben just chuckled.
    Ben dropped Coop’s hand and leaped onto the bed. He hooted and jumped as I stood there bouncing in his wake, still stunned. He didn’t jump with the same kind of innocent joy Cassie had. Ben was a madman.
    I pushed Ben aside and got down off the bed.
    Coop grabbed my sleeve. “Simon, what’s up? You okay?”
    Explaining what had happened wasn’t at the top of my list of superfun things to do, so I stormed into the adjoining bathroom to get away from the boys. I shut myself in and sat on the floor.
    Hardly a moment had passed before Coop slid open the door and poked his head in. “Hey.”
    â€œWhat if I’d been pooping?”
    Coop plopped down cross-legged on the immaculate white tile. “Remember the eighth-grade DC trip?” I nodded. “Remember the free oysters in the hotel?”
    I chuckled. “We ate like a pound of those suckers. Stupid food poisoning.”
    â€œRight,” Coop said. “I’ve seen things coming out of both your ends that would make a garbageman bleach his eyes out.”
    â€œPoint taken.”
    Silence.
    â€œCassie hates me.” I told Coop everything. More than he probably wanted to know. When I was done, he patted my arm.
    â€œYou’re an idiot.”
    â€œDon’t I know it,” I said.
    â€œBut you’re my best friend,” Coop said. “And Cassie doesn’t deserve you.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You’re supposed to say shit like that.”
    â€œYeah,” Coop said. “But this time, I also happen to mean it.” He was quiet again. “What are you going to do?”
    I shrugged. “Kidnap Cassie and put her in