“There’s more to her than meets the eye,” Dave said quietly. “There’s more to most of these people than you realize; you’re just too busy making fun of everyone to see it.”
“Whoa there, defender of the popular.” She went back to picking up trash from around the living room, reaching for a cup that was tucked under the head of the guy passed out on the love seat. “So, when did the other side win you over?”
“It’s not about that.” Dave sighed. “Seriously, Gretchen is great. You’d like her if you made the effort.”
“Okay, next student council meeting I’ll sit next to her.”
“What’s so wrong about student council?”
“Yikes. What’s so great about this girl that you’ll stand up for student council on her behalf?”
Dave leaned back in the chair, running a hand through the little that remained of his hair. “Look, I kissed her. We’ve had a couple of dates. And yeah, she’s great. You’d think so, too, if you spent a little time with her instead of judging her from afar.”
“By great, do you mean pretty? ’Cause I’ll give you that, the girl’s pretty.”
“No, I mean great.”
“Wonderful. You made out with one of the cool kids; I’m happy for you.”
“Just stop, Julia. I’m trying to tell you for the first time in our friendship that I’m into someone.”
“You’re right,” Julia said. “Would you like a high five?”
“You can be such an asshole,” Dave snapped. “It’s just never been directed at me before, so I couldn’t see it.”
“Wow, you’re taking this personally.”
“No shit, Julia. I like the girl.” Dave stood from the chair. He had to stand up, unload some of the sudden energy he was feeling. He tensed his fingers into a fist. It was so unfair. He’d loved Julia for so long, and he’d always managed to be happy for her when she was with other guys, however fleetingly. And now that he finally liked someone else, she couldn’t return that simple favor. Julia had taken a seat on the arm of the couch, her arms crossed in front of her chest, still holding on to the garbage bag full of beer cans, which clinked against each other like the world’s worst wind chime. “You know what? I don’t think you have any idea what people are really like. Your mom put this idea in your head about a life less ordinary, and I let you drag me along with it because...” He exhaled, trailing off and turning his back to her.
Then he turned back around, tried to soften his voice. “We separated ourselves from all these people, and we thought we knew who they are. But we don’t, not at all.”
“I know who they are,” Julia said. “I just didn’t know you preferred them over me.”
“Jesus Christ, will you listen to yourself?” He leaned against the wall near the couch. “I’m not renouncing our friendship, you crazy person. I’m just saying they’re not all as awful as we thought.”
Dave could see Julia’s lips form another smirk. “Speak for yourself,” she said loudly, as if daring her voice to break. “These people are clichés, even more so than I’d imagined. I just thought you were different.”
“You know what? You’re not different either!” Dave yelled. He saw Julia flinch, and felt a strange satisfaction that he’d caught her off guard. When he moved, he accidentally flipped on the switch for the ceiling fan, and it started whirring noisily, spinning shakily, like it’d been knocked off its usual axis. In any other situation the two of them would have burst out laughing at the timing, at how wobbly it moved. But now they were quiet, and the fan was the only sound in the room, save for the light snoring coming from the couch. “You think forcing yourself—forcing us—to become outsiders makes us unique? It doesn’t. Rebellious teenage girl swims against the current? You know what that sounds like to me? You’re a cliché, Julia.”