“Mare,” Shepley warned.
“Fine, I’ll talk about something else. Didn’t Parker invite you to the Sig Tau party this weekend, Abby?”
Travis’ smile vanished and he turned to me, waiting for an answer.
“Er…yeah? Aren’t we all going?”
“I’ll be there,” Shepley said, distracted by the television.
“And that means I’m going,” America smiled, looking expectantly at Travis.
Travis watched me for a moment, and then nudged my leg. “Is he picking you up or something?”
“No, he just told me about the party.”
America’s mouth spread into a mischievous grin, almost bobbing in anticipation. “He said he’d see you there, though. He’s really cute.”
Travis shot an irritated glance in America’s direction and then looked to me. “Are you going?”
“I told him I would,” I shrugged. “Are you going?”
“Yeah,” he said without hesitation.
Shepley’s attention turned to Travis, then. “You said last week you weren’t.”
“I changed my mind, Shep, what’s the problem?”
“Nothing,” he grumbled, retreating to his bedroom.
America frowned at Travis. “You know what the problem is,” she said. “Why don’t you quit driving him crazy and just get it over with.” She joined Shepley in his room, and their voices were reduced to murmuring behind the closed door.
“Well, I’m glad everyone else knows,” I said.
Travis stood up. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Is there something going on with them?” I asked.
“No, he’s just paranoid.”
“It’s because of us,” I guessed. Travis’ eyes lit up and he nodded.
“What?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“You’re right. It’s because of us. Don’t fall asleep, okay? I wanna talk to you about something.”
He walked backward a few steps, and then disappeared behind the bathroom door. I twisted my hair around my finger, mulling over the way he emphasized the word us, and the look on his face when he’d said it. I wondered if there had ever been lines at all, and if I was the only one that considered Travis and I just friends anymore.
Shepley burst out of his room, and America ran after him. “Shep, don’t!” she pleaded.
He looked back to the bathroom door, and then to me. His voice was low, but angry. “You promised, Abby. When I told you to spare judgment, I didn’t mean for you two to get involved! I thought you were just friends!”
“We are,” I said, shaken by his surprise attack.
“No, you’re not!” he fumed.
America touched his shoulder. “Baby, I told you it will be fine.”
He pulled away from her grip. “Why are you pushing this, Mare? I told you what’s going to happen!”
She grabbed his face with both hands. “And I told you it won’t! Don’t you trust me?”
Shepley sighed, looked at her, at me, and then stomped into his room.
America fell into the recliner beside me, and puffed. “I just can’t get it into his head that whether you and Travis work out or not, it won’t affect us. But he’s been burned too many times. He doesn’t believe me.”
“What are you talking about, Mare? Travis and I aren’t together. We are just friends. You heard him earlier…he’s not interested in me that way.”
“You heard that?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And you believe it?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It’ll never happen. He told me he doesn’t see me like that, he’s a total commitment-phobe, I’d be hard pressed to find a girlfriend outside of you that he hasn’t slept with, and I can’t keep up with his mood swings. I can’t believe Shep thinks otherwise.”
“Because not only does he know Travis…he’s talked to Travis, Abby.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mare?” Shepley called from the bedroom.