twenty seven

                                    

                                          
In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to laugh like I found it funny as soon as I made eye contact with an appalled Liza. It was just so awkward, and I was not the best in awkward situations, and it just came out of me. Still, the way her face twisted in disgust after I cracked up at her expense shut me right up.
                          
Even David seemed shocked at my reaction. He stepped away from me as if we were kindergarteners caught doing something wrong on the playground, then stared at me like he was putting all the guilt on me. 
                          
Liza was the first one to speak, "So not even an I can explain?"
                          
"What is there to explain?" I giggled out of pure exasperation. We hadn't even started fighting, and I was already over it. "You saw what you saw. Not much to explain."
                          
"How about why?" she frowned. "Why are you kissing my ex-boyfriend on a random Tuesday in the middle of a Starbucks after we warned you over and over again he's a shitty person?"
                          
"Probably because I like him?" 
                          
It was the first time I said I liked David out loud... to anyone. It was pretty obvious, but still. Saying it out loud made it so much more real. It was also the first time I had been seriously rude to Liza (or any of the other friends). After everything I had learned about them, they kind of deserved it.
                          
Liza turned her nose up, glanced around the otherwise quiet Starbucks, and asked, "Can we talk outside? I'd rather not embarrass you in front of everyone. You know, because I'm a good friend."
                          
I almost rolled my eyes at that, but decided against it. Maybe I was the one in the wrong here. The least I could do was hear her out, no matter how sassy and annoying her responses were. I silently followed her out of the coffee shop and into the parking lot, where she continued to berate me. "What'd he do? Call you pretty and say he liked you and now suddenly you're in the devil's grasp? I thought you were stronger than this, Mona, but clearly not. I didn't want to be mean, but... you're not special to him. He's a piece of shit who will do anything to get some pussy. It's ridiculous, honestly, that you believe he's a good person and he actually cares about you."
                          
"Were you guys ever friends with Gabbie?" the question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, probably because I was close to crying and I didn't want to be yelled at anymore. 
                          
"What does that have to do with anything?" she frowned, immediately getting defensive. Even if she didn't confess, just by her reaction, I knew it was true. 
                          
"You guys were friends with her until you found out she was on scholarship," I stated. "That's what David told me." 
                          
"Oh, so now you're just believing all the propaganda David Dobrik is spreading about us?" her jaw dropped in shock. 
                          
"Well, first of all, we aren't in communist China. Why would anyone be exposing me to propaganda?" I laughed. "Were you, or were you not, friends with Gabbie?"
                          
It was silent for a few seconds before she mumbled, "We were." 
                          
"I'm on scholarship," I said. It was probably the bravest thing I had ever done in my life, telling my only friends something that I knew would make them ditch me. The way Liza's face twisted, trying to hide her obvious disgust, gave me the confidence to add, "I'm broke and I'm fucking your ex-boyfriend. You can tell everyone that. I'll see you tomorrow."
                          
With that, I walked past her and back into the restaurant, quickly gathering my things and shoving them in my bag.
                          
"What happened?" Todd asked, clearly intrigued by the whole situation. To be fair, I would be too. I couldn't blame him for being nosey. 
                          
"We can finish the project tomorrow, yeah?" I deflected his question with a fake smile, tossing my bookbag over my shoulder. "I'll see you then." 
                          
"Hey, wait," David grabbed my wrist and turned me around to face him. "Is everything okay?" 
                          
"I'll tell you over pizza," I said, turning on my heel and exiting Starbucks before I allowed any tears to fall from my eyes. I was not going to cry. They were mean. They were judgmental. I didn't need them as friends. At least, that's what I told myself.
                          
David seemed to take the hint that I didn't want to talk right that moment, and after a brief goodbye to Todd, he followed me out to my car. I was taking deep breaths the whole way to our local pizzeria, playing my happy playlist to attempt to take my mind off the mess I put myself in. David tried, several times, to ask me questions on the way there, not even about Liza, but I couldn't find it in me to answer without a slice of pizza in my stomach.
                          
I instructed David to go get a Hawaiian pizza to go for us, sending him with my debit card though I knew he wouldn't even consider using it. It only took a few minutes before he was back with an extra large pizza and my unused debit card.
                          
I drove us to the Walmart parking lot, which was just 500 feet or so from the pizza place, and parked near the back so we wouldn't get stared at.
                          
After my first piece of pizza, I was ready to start talking. "She said I was stupid for believing you had good intentions in hanging out with me, which is probably true, but still. I know she wasn't saying it because she was looking out for me, you know?"
                          
"Why was she saying it, then?" David didn't seem confused, but he wanted to hear my theory before he confirmed or denied anything. 
                          
"Because she's obsessed with you," I could only hope I didn't sound as jealous as I felt when I said it. "When her and Kristen were both saying no to popular boys, she was fine, but now Scott and Kristen are fucking again, and she feels left out. Not only that, but you giving attention to anyone else seems to put her into cardiac arrest. You think I'm crazy when I see you with Gabbie? She's crazier." 
                          
"Kristen and Scott are fucking?" 
                          
"That's all you got from that?" I frowned, shoveling more pizza into my mouth. "She went psycho on me and called me stupid, and all you care about is that your best friend is fucking with the lower class."
                          
"I didn't ever dislike Kristen because she was less popular; I disliked her because she's a bitch," David chuckled to himself. "I'm just trying to protect Scott from getting his heart broken. What'd you say to Liza when you left? She was shook." 
                          
"Don't say shook," I giggled. I was thankful that even just the little things David did had the power to make me feel better. It was scary but sweet how David had the power to completely flip my mood. "Well, after she was telling me about how awful of a person you were and how stupid I was for believing it, which I'm not saying is a lie! You're probably sitting next to me right now thinking this stupid bitch believes I actually like her, which would be shitty, but it's my fault, you know? Anyway, I asked if she was ever friends with Gabbie, and she said she was, and I said I was on scholarship too. You should've seen her face. She looked genuinely disgusted that she even associated with me. That pissed me off, so then I said I'm broke, and I'm fucking your ex-boyfriend."
                          
"You are seriously insane, Mona," David laughed, peeling all the pineapple off his next slice of pizza (coward). "I love it." 
                          
"Yeah, well, now I have no friends," I chuckled to make myself feel better, though it wasn't even close to a laughing matter. 
                          
"You have me, sweetheart," David smiled at me. "Always."








                          
hmmmmmm im soft
                          
this one goes out to chalametcrush (p sure thats the username but just in case its not im not tagging it lol) thank u for reading and being so sweet!!!! 
xoxoxo abby