now. Sorry.” Not really. Despite the gross factor, it was kind of funny that the cat had chosen Levi’s shoe to make his deposit in.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, hiking his jeans back up on his hips.
“Nope, no, you don’t,” I said cheerfully, determined not to think about how it had felt to have him kiss me. And there was going to be no talking about it. Ever.
“But it’s important.”
“So talk to Amber about it. You know, since you have a girlfriend.” Okay, bitterness was squeaking out. Time to leave the room.
“K-Slay, come on ...”
Argh. I hated it when he called me that stupid demon slayer nickname he’d given me. “I can’t believe this is my life!” I exploded. “No one will talk to me, NO ONE, except for you. What kind of a cruel irony is that?”
“Okay, drama queen, now that that’s out of your system, can we be rational for a minute?”
No. No, we couldn’t. I stuck my tongue out at him and stomped off to my room to write an e-mail to Isabella begging her to forgive me before I was actually forced out of desperation to talk to Levi.
Chapter Nine
After fourteen days that felt like four hundred as a complete social pariah, I decided I was willing to talk to Levi. My thought when the Incident first went down was that if Levi and I talked at school, people would really think we were actually a couple, which (a) wasn’t true, (b) would label me a boyfriend stealer, and (c) eew. Then when it became obvious in about a minute that Levi and Amber were still West Shore’s Cutest Couple (aside from those cat scratches on Levi’s mug), I figured it would really look weird if I talked to him at school. Like I was still dangling after him in a state of desperation, and maybe I was down and out but I had my pride.
But two weeks later I was willing to talk to anyone that could form sentences and didn’t look at me like I was toxic waste. I was talking to the baggers at the grocery store, which I offered to voluntarily go to with my mother, and I was playing Polly Pockets with Zoe just to hear the sound of my own voice. If it wasn’t for play practice at the theater two nights a week, I would have probably literally gone insane.
I kind of thought everyone would thaw out. I mean, it wasn’t like I’d started dating a teacher or had become an overnight Internet porn sensation. But no, there was no thawing. I was still getting the tundra treatment and my e-mails and voice mails to Isabella were going unanswered, which initially upset me, then hurt me, then ticked me off. Five years of friendship and she wasn’t even going to let me apologize? I would have listened to her, and that stung.
My nightly sawdust vacuuming did nothing but keep the kitchen clean and score me some brownie points with my mom, and as far as I knew, the portal was still wide open. I figured it was time to suck it up (my pride, not the portal) and actually talk to Levi if I ever wanted to squeeze any info about closing it out of him.
And I was still contemplating sending him back. How to Lose Levi in Ten Days was starting to hold some serious appeal.
I made a list of pros and cons:
Pros
Never again would I have to hear that stupid nickname, K-Slay.
Amber Jansen would be boyfriendless, with no idea why he had dumped her, since he would just disappear like a thief in the night (though knowing her, she’d move in on new prey within two days).
I wouldn’t have to be chauffeured around by Levi anymore and listen to his cracks on my bad driving.
No evil entities would try to enter my house to retrieve him.
I wouldn’t have to suffer his popularity while I rotted in Loserville.
No more watching everyone fall for his sweetness and light act.
My life would be normal again.
Cons
I would miss him.
Disgusted at myself, I ripped the list up and tossed it in the trash. Why exactly would I miss him? No clue.
Further confirmed when I had to sit next to him in the minivan on the way to the zoo to help my
“I need to talk to you,” he said, hiking his jeans back up on his hips.
“Nope, no, you don’t,” I said cheerfully, determined not to think about how it had felt to have him kiss me. And there was going to be no talking about it. Ever.
“But it’s important.”
“So talk to Amber about it. You know, since you have a girlfriend.” Okay, bitterness was squeaking out. Time to leave the room.
“K-Slay, come on ...”
Argh. I hated it when he called me that stupid demon slayer nickname he’d given me. “I can’t believe this is my life!” I exploded. “No one will talk to me, NO ONE, except for you. What kind of a cruel irony is that?”
“Okay, drama queen, now that that’s out of your system, can we be rational for a minute?”
No. No, we couldn’t. I stuck my tongue out at him and stomped off to my room to write an e-mail to Isabella begging her to forgive me before I was actually forced out of desperation to talk to Levi.
Chapter Nine
After fourteen days that felt like four hundred as a complete social pariah, I decided I was willing to talk to Levi. My thought when the Incident first went down was that if Levi and I talked at school, people would really think we were actually a couple, which (a) wasn’t true, (b) would label me a boyfriend stealer, and (c) eew. Then when it became obvious in about a minute that Levi and Amber were still West Shore’s Cutest Couple (aside from those cat scratches on Levi’s mug), I figured it would really look weird if I talked to him at school. Like I was still dangling after him in a state of desperation, and maybe I was down and out but I had my pride.
But two weeks later I was willing to talk to anyone that could form sentences and didn’t look at me like I was toxic waste. I was talking to the baggers at the grocery store, which I offered to voluntarily go to with my mother, and I was playing Polly Pockets with Zoe just to hear the sound of my own voice. If it wasn’t for play practice at the theater two nights a week, I would have probably literally gone insane.
I kind of thought everyone would thaw out. I mean, it wasn’t like I’d started dating a teacher or had become an overnight Internet porn sensation. But no, there was no thawing. I was still getting the tundra treatment and my e-mails and voice mails to Isabella were going unanswered, which initially upset me, then hurt me, then ticked me off. Five years of friendship and she wasn’t even going to let me apologize? I would have listened to her, and that stung.
My nightly sawdust vacuuming did nothing but keep the kitchen clean and score me some brownie points with my mom, and as far as I knew, the portal was still wide open. I figured it was time to suck it up (my pride, not the portal) and actually talk to Levi if I ever wanted to squeeze any info about closing it out of him.
And I was still contemplating sending him back. How to Lose Levi in Ten Days was starting to hold some serious appeal.
I made a list of pros and cons:
Pros
Never again would I have to hear that stupid nickname, K-Slay.
Amber Jansen would be boyfriendless, with no idea why he had dumped her, since he would just disappear like a thief in the night (though knowing her, she’d move in on new prey within two days).
I wouldn’t have to be chauffeured around by Levi anymore and listen to his cracks on my bad driving.
No evil entities would try to enter my house to retrieve him.
I wouldn’t have to suffer his popularity while I rotted in Loserville.
No more watching everyone fall for his sweetness and light act.
My life would be normal again.
Cons
I would miss him.
Disgusted at myself, I ripped the list up and tossed it in the trash. Why exactly would I miss him? No clue.
Further confirmed when I had to sit next to him in the minivan on the way to the zoo to help my
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