future; this night was awful, through and through, and I never wanted to repeat it.
“Look,” I whispered, breaking the pregnant silence and causing the brooding one to finally glance in my general direction, “we don’t have to see the movie. You can go home.”
Calum shook his head. “No, we’re seeing the movie, even though it’s going to be stupid.”
I said nothing to that, mostly because there was nothing more to say. Calum once again averted his eyes, as if I was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen, like he couldn’t wait to be out of this car and away from me, to have his brother back. I guess I could relate to the feeling; I waited for Michelle to get here while trying to get my anxieties under control.
They must’ve taken their time in the restaurant parking lot, for it was at least five minutes before they showed up, taking the spot beside us. As we got out of the car, I met Michelle’s eyes. Those pretty blue orbs were expectant, as if she thought Calum and I had truly bonded while we were alone.
All I could do was smile, because at least if I was smiling, she’d think I was trying.
I wasn’t, but that was beside the point.
While Kyle and Michelle were hand in hand, Calum and I followed them into the theater. The guys got popcorn while Michelle and I waited off to the side, holding the tickets. Michelle studied me under the neon lights, and I knew she was hoping for the best for me. She probably had no idea how hard this night was for me, how difficult just sitting in the car with Calum had been, let alone finding out that he was as unavailable as a guy could be.
Don’t get me wrong—it was a relief, but still.
“After the movie, Calum is going to take you home,” she said. “I’m going back to Kyle’s house with him.”
I wanted to throw up at hearing that. That was the last thing I wanted, to spend more forced time with Calum, to steal glances at him while his mind was off, thinking about his recent ex-girlfriend. Did Michelle know he just got out of a relationship? Did she know she was trying to set me up with a guy whose heart was still someplace else?
Hmm. It could be she didn’t care. It could be she didn’t want to see it, or that she simply wanted me to get some life experience. Ugh.
“Okay,” I said. It wasn’t like I could argue with her. Calum taking me home had obviously been something she and Kyle had talked about on their ride over here, basically set in stone. It was something I would be forced to suffer through.
Michelle was going to say more, but Kyle and Calum appeared beside us, juggling overly large pops and bags of popcorn. We headed into the theater room and chose our seats in the far back, the very last row. I didn’t get out much, but even I knew all the cool kids always sat in the back. It allowed for more privacy when you were doing things that should not be done in a public theater.
God, I really hoped Michelle and Kyle would keep their hands to themselves.
Michelle sat beside me, Kyle on her other side. That left Calum to sit to my left, separated from his brother.
The projector was playing commercials on the big screen, though soon enough the lights dimmed and the screen grew wider. Then it was time for twenty minutes of previews of movies coming out in the next year.
I was supposed to share Calum’s popcorn and drink, but I didn’t feel like it. Wasn’t really hungry, and I didn’t think anyone could blame me for that. Kyle and Michelle were busy eating theirs and chitchatting through the previews, while I was busy trying to shrink in my seat and teleport home.
Oh, to be back in my bed, under the covers, safe and alone. Being on a blind, double date with a cute guy was not my kind of fun for a Friday night, let alone a guy who was still mooning over his ex.
Bet his ex looked like a model, like my sister. Bet she was super pretty, with long, thick, natural hair, big boobs and long legs. None of which I had. If my hair wasn’t a bright pink, I would blend in with any crowd, with half the world still thinking I was a child in high