He tilted his chin up in agreement. “Pretty rank, isn’t it? I went outside for a smoke and decided to stay there—away from the feeding frenzy.” He gestured at the mob of T-Cadders.
I pulled my skirt over my scabby knees. He was such an ass, but I couldn’t bring myself to ditch him. Everything about this night felt wrong; at least he was being his normal d-bag self. “Why are you talking to me?” I asked. “I’m still unbelievably mad at you. You realize this, right?”
“Jeez, Sofa. When did you get so mean?”
“Stop trying to be cute.” I jabbed his arm with my index finger. “Did you not hear what I just said?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “You’re mad at me.” His posture slumped a bit. Which reminded me of when I used to hang out with him after gym class. How I’d get Ramune candy from the vending machine and he’d dip his head down and pout at me until I shared them with him. How he’d pick me up and spin me around when I agreed to give him just one.
“Still mad at you,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Why? Because of what happened with Mika?”
“That! And other things. Lots of things! Things I outlined to you two nights ago!”
“This is about you having a crush on me, isn’t it?”
“Oh God!” Mika had been right. She’d been right all along. Telling David that I liked him was a terrible idea. I’d spent so long keeping it secret from him that I’d tricked myself into believing he would welcome the news. That he would tell me he liked me back.
But now we were talking about it, and he didn’t seem shocked at all. He seemed sorry for me.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I stammered, and surged forward, bumping into two guys drinking dark brown liquid from shot glasses. One of them clapped me on the back and tried to clink his glass with my nonexistent one. I veered away. The whole claustrophobic room was sticky with booze and sweat and perfume. I kept moving, toward the entrance.
David followed me. “Come on. This is no big deal. You had a crush on me! It’s totally normal!”
“Argh! Stop! I’m not listening!”
“Hey.” He brushed his hand against my shoulder. “Hey. Sophia.”
I froze. Everyone in the bar was being loud and horrible. But David seemed somber. A dark slice of hair fell between his eyes, and he didn’t push it back.
“What is it?” I asked sharply.
“Wow,” he said. “You’re really gonna make me work for this, aren’t you?”
I crossed my arms.
“Okay,” he said, his tone suddenly businesslike. “Okay. We should stop fighting. You should stop hating me right now.”
I snorted.
“Hold on!” he said. “I’m not done yet. You shouldn’t be mad at me because you’re—you’re Sofa! You are the one and only Sofa. You’re the one I talk to about stuff. And you’re funny in a not-on-purpose way. And you make me comfortable. And”—he poked my shoulder—“I really, really like you.”
“Okay,” I said.
“And!” he said. “I’m not in loooove with Mika as everyone seems so inclined to believe. And also, I might have cheated on Caroline, but she cheated on me first, so I’m not the World’s Biggest Asshole, okay?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Caroline cheated on you?”
He nodded his head. Big, exaggerated nods. He was a bobblehead toy. “When she went home last Christmas, she hooked up with her Tennessee boyfriend.” He tried to say “Tennessee boyfriend” with a southern accent, which was so ridiculous I laughed. His face brightened. David really loved making me laugh.
“When did you find out about this?” I asked.
“She told me the other day. Whilst she was dumping me.”
“Well,” I said. “Just because she cheated on you, that doesn’t cancel out you cheating on her.”
“True.” He touched my shoulder one more time. “But it doesn’t seem like a significant indicator that we were destined for each other, either, now, does it?”
I sighed. “Whatever.”
Some guys from the T-Cad varsity basketball team stampeded past, knocking David off balance. He stumbled and I reached out to take his arm. He grinned, showing off toothpaste-commercial-ready teeth. “Thanks.”
I let go.
“Hey. Sofa.” He tugged the strap of my tote bag. “You heard what I said, right? About how I really, really like you?”
David’s voice had grown quiet, but I was standing close enough that I could hear him. Despite the raucous environment, his eyes were fixed on mine. His deep, inky eyes. “Yeah,” I said eventually. “But you made me think that you liked me-liked me.”
He didn’t let go of my bag. “Oh, come on, Sofa. We both know I make a terrible boyfriend. And it’s not like you ever asked me out. I could have been sitting at home every night in my party dress, waiting for you to ask me out.”
“Please. You would have laughed in my face.”
He scoffed. “Would not have.”
“Whatever,” I said.
David’s face was wolfish again. He wasn’t somber David anymore. He was the one who sought attention like sunlight, who got all his kicks from being the most charming person in the room. In every room. As usual, he’d dressed up for the evening. New shirt, dark jeans, sleek shoes. This sophomore had once accused David of being gay because he put so much care into his appearance, and David had just smiled and said, “Sexuality is a sliding scale, my friend.”
God, I’d really liked that response. I’d really liked him for that response.
The music changed from techno to some hardcore rap. David started bouncing a little. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, Sofa. I like this song. You wanna dance?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Of course you do.” He gave me a mischievous grin. “But first, I’m buying you a drink.”
CHAPTER 28
SATURDAY