“I doubt that,” Estaine says. “I get why they wanted to stay with you. I just met you and I want to stay with you.”
“Well, you technically did stay with me,” I say. “This weekend. And I’m pretty sure all the kids in school hate me, since I’m the reason you stayed.”
“They’ll get over it,” he says.
“Why did you stay? I mean, I know you did it to be nice and keep me company, but why?” I ask.
“I already told you, I met you, and now I don’t ever want to leave you,” he says.
I think about what he’s saying, trying not to get my hopes up that he likes me. I don’t think I will ever be able to understand the opposite sex. Ever.
“I feel protective of you,” Estaine says. “Which is weird, considering you could probably kick my butt with both hands tied behind your back. But I just... want to be around you. Always. And I hope that doesn’t scare you.”
“It doesn’t scare me,” I say. “I like it. I was worried that I wouldn’t make friends here. I’ve told you before that I didn’t have friends in California. The only people who talked to me at school were Charlie’s friends. Whenever he had a girlfriend, they would always hang out with me and we’d become friends. But he never stays with a girl very long. So, I’d consider her a good friend, he’d dump her, and then she wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”
“They weren’t very good friends, then,” he says.
“I know.”
“I kind of can’t wait to meet Charlie. He sounds completely opposite from you.”
“He is. He so is. But in the best possible way,” I say.
“How so?”
“We complement each other. I’m an introvert and he’s an extrovert to the extreme. He has brought me out of my shell a lot, and I have helped him be less social,” I say. “I know that sounds weird, but Charlie never did anything except hang out with people. He wasn’t happy unless he was surrounded by a group. Now, we hang out, just me and him, every Friday night. He told me he didn’t realize how much he needed that time to unwind away from people.”
“You don’t seem like an introvert.”
“I’m not as bad anymore. Charlie rubbed off on me in that way, and I like to have somebody around now,” I say.
“Yeah, but didn’t your mom marry his dad when you were young?”
“Yep. We were both ten at the time.”
“I wonder who you would be without him. Maybe you would’ve found your own way,” he says.
“Maybe,” I say. “But I can’t imagine my life without him. I wish he was here. He wanted to come, but they told me that it could be dangerous for him to be here. If this terrorist group finds me, I want Charlie as far away from me as possible.”
“Why are they even after you?” Estaine asks. “You’re a sixteen year old.”
“I am not one hundred percent sure,” I answer. “It’s just that, since my dad got elected, this group has had a vendetta against him. I guess they figure going after his daughter is a good form of revenge. My dad’s not entirely safe, either, but he’s got a ton of secret service agents and bodyguards protecting him.”
“It just doesn’t seem fair,” he says.
“I know. But if it hadn’t happened, I never would’ve met you,” I say. “So, I can’t regret it completely.”
“Still, I wish you were here under better circumstances.”
“Me, too. And with Charlie. He’d love it here, and the girls would love him. He would definitely have a girlfriend by now,” I say, then pause. “Maybe it’s good he’s not here, because I don’t want all the girls to hate me by association, like they did in Malibu.”
Estaine laughs. “Now I get why you didn’t have friends. All the girls loved your brother.”
“Yep.”
“And the boys stayed away because of him, too, right?”
“No. Charlie would’ve been cool with me dating,” I say. “I just never liked any of the guys there.”
“I thought people in California were all supposed to be super gorgeous or something.”
“They were okay,” I say. “I mean, there were lots of beautiful people. But it seemed like everybody wanted to use me. Like, one guy wanted to be my friend because he thought my stepdad could get him an audition in this movie. And girls would want to be my friend to get closer to Charlie. I guess I just stopped trying.”
“What does your stepdad do?”
“He’s a producer. He has produced lots of movies,” I answer. “I guess he’s supposed to be a big deal, but to me he’s just... Rick. My stepdad. Sometimes he works long hours, but he always makes time for Charlie and me. We go on cool family vacations, and he really is a second dad to me. He’s not Rick Bennett, the producer. Not to me.”
“Just to clarify, I want nothing to do with the entertainment industry,” Estaine says.
“Me, either,” I say, agreeing. “So, what do you want with your life?”
“I don’t know,” he answers. “I think my dad wants me to follow in his footsteps, but I really hate politics. I’ve grown up around it my whole life. Why can’t he want me to do something normal? Like, be a doctor or something?”