“I have a show coming up. You know, for all those photos of mine you never asked to see. Maybe once you get your head out of your ass, you’d like to come. JP paid for the mats, frames, and everything.”
“Her photographs are amazing,” he says.
“Wait, what? You’ve seen them?” For some reason this greatly pisses me off.
“Hey, you had your chances. It’s not like I was hiding the fact that I’m really into photography. JP at least showed an interest in what I do.”
“JP did all that so you’d come today; do you not see how effed up that is?”
Jamie stares a hole into my head.
“Her pictures really are amazing, no joke. I just…I don’t know any other way,” JP says. “I had to do something. The past forever has sucked. Sue me, but I miss the old days.”
“I don’t believe a word you say.” I want to spit, the taste in my mouth is so bad.
“You really should hear him out. Of everyone here, JP is the only person willing to make it work with you.” Jamie goes to JP’s side and stands with him. “He’s a really good person.”
“She’s a really cool girl,” JP says. “And the happiest I’ve ever seen you is when you were with her, even if it was just on that one day for like one minute. I thought if you saw Jamie one more time, you’d get a second wind or something.”
“This isn’t a boat race. You’re only making things worse,” I say.
“Oh, because you’re the hero in this scenario? Yeah, okay. Sure,” Jamie says.
“You can be bought,” I tell her. “So you’re no better than me.”
“Don’t try that holier-than-thou crap with me. You’re the one who went around breaking faces. I’d never ever go around beating people up for candy and controllers and whatever else.”
“That was a long time ago. I don’t do that anymore.”
“I can’t believe I fell for a bully.”
“Whoa, hold on here. This is not how it was supposed to go down.” JP dances in between us, cutting the air up with his hands. “You were supposed to finally say all those things you were dying to tell him. He was supposed to say he was a dumbass and ask for forgiveness, and that’s supposed to ignite the flame, get some sparks back, so you guys are both happy and Dylan and I get to play video games and hang out again. I’m bringing you two together. That was the plan.”
“That’s not what you told me, not even close,” Jamie snaps. “You said Dylan had a revelation and was too screwed up to text me. Obviously he had no idea I was coming.”
“It’s true, I didn’t. If you guys are gonna be best buds, then get used to him saying a whole lot of mixed-up, twisted shit, Jamie….”
“Look, I’m trying to be better, I swear,” JP pleads. He touches his perfect face, his hair, his chest. “I know what I look like and how to use it. I’m locked inside a box I didn’t ask for.”
“Oh, boo fucking hoo,” I say. “How sad for you, JP, being so goddamn pretty. Must be so tough when the world throws itself at your feet; you must stub your toes all the time.”
“Go ahead, laugh it up. You think I’ve got it so good? Everyone’s got problems. I know how easy it is to just frigging smile at someone while you’re asking them to do something. And then they do it? It’s like this weird superpower.”
“For a super villain,” I add.
“Whatever, fine. All these tricks—I can’t unlearn it in a day. Give me a chance.”
“I never should’ve let you talk me into that pretzel idea,” Jamie mutters.
“Wait! The pretzel was JP’s idea?”
“You refused to talk to me!” Jamie shoots back. “I didn’t know what to do. At least JP was there and listened to me, heard me out. He was a friend; where were you?”
“Yeah, man, you can’t treat girls like that,” he says.
“Oh my god, I can’t even, my ears, I’m hearing things,” I ramble. “You’re telling me how to treat girls? Am I in an alternate universe? But okay, fine, I do want forgiveness, I do want—”
A timer goes off. “Yay, I’m done,” Jamie says, hitting a button on her phone. She gets her bike and whirls it around. “Are you coming?” she asks JP.
“Even after everything you know about JP, you want to go with him?”
“He’s at least trying.”
“And I’m not?”
“Stop. Just stop,” she says over her shoulder.
“You don’t know what you did to her,” he says.
My forehead’s all damp from the flying mist that’s finally letting up, and I flick the water to the ground. “Yes, I do. I broke her heart.”
“Oh, Dylan…” Jamie laughs. A hollow, empty laugh. “You were always so worried about people hurting me. Then you go and hurt me more than anyone in the entire world. You didn’t just break my heart; you stabbed me in the kidneys with rusty knives so that every time my heart pumped, it sent nothing but toxic shit through my veins. I can’t even stand looking at your face.”