Still. “I don’t know, Lukas. Everyone is going to look at me with pity in their eyes. They know what happened. It’s a small village we live in, word gets around. And then Leonproposesto my sister too? They’ll assume I’d be devastated.”
“So get a boyfriend and make him top Leon’s proposal.”
I chortle. “Doing what?”
“Propose to you a second later with a far bigger ring,” he says. “Or no, I’ve got something better. Just ask a man that looks better than Leon to be your date. You were always far too pretty for him anyway. Julia will be jealous, try to snatch that guy away from you but he will humiliate her by calling her out.”
That sounds awful. Hilarious, but awful.
“Where the hell am I supposed to find a hot guy that will pretend to be my boyfriend, fly all the way to Germany with me for theholidaysand act as though he’s head over heels in love with me?”Impossible.
Lukas is quiet for a whole minute, just thinking.
While he thinks of an answer that won’t come because it is simply impossible to makethathappen, I decide to go through the box containing the pictures one more time.
I didn’t get all too far last time as memories flooded my brain.
The first picture that catches my eyes is from December 2007. More specifically, my seventh birthday.
Lily, Aaron, and I are sitting at a table, my face covered in cake because a certain someone figured it was funny to push my head into the purple frosted birthday cake. Luckily for me, the candles were already blown out. Unfortunately, the purple frosting left an ugly stain that took a whole day to wash off. Imagine what the food coloring would have done to someone’s teeth.
Back then, I thought this was the worst thing to ever happen to me. But thinking back now, that birthday was probably the best I’ve ever had.
“I got it!” he screams into the phone. “A male-escort. But instead of using him to fuck, you’ll get him to be your date. Easy. I’ll pay.”
What?I burst out into a horrific laughter, a holding-my-hand-to-my-stomach kind of laughter.
“You’re right, bad idea. Julia would definitely snatch that guy away. But I have another option for you. What’s that guy’s name again? Adam? Alan? You know, the hockey guy you liked so much. Didn’t he live in New City? You think he still lives there?”
“No.”
I canfeelhim smirk. “No what? No, he didn’t live there; no, he doesn’t live there anymore; or no, this won’t happen?”
“Just no.”
12
Aaron
“I’ll promise you to give my all”—I Still Love You by TheOvertunes
“Are you fucking kidding me!”my sister yells the second I walk into our house. As far as I know, she’ll be living with Colin and me now.
Admittedly, I like it better that way. Won’t admit it to her, but it’s the truth. At least when she’s here on a daily, I can keep an eye on her without excessively having to hunt her down on campus, call or text her five times a day to make sure she’s still breathing.
She might have gotten the help she needed, but depression and suicidal thoughts just don’t leave in two weeks. Or so I believe. So having her around is easing my nerves at least a little bit.
“Not sure I know what you’re talking about, Lily.” She’s just gotten released from the psych ward a couple of hours ago, came to watch our game and then went straight home with Colin. Now they’re sitting on the couch in the living room watching a movie. “But it’s great to have you around again.”
“YouknewSofia was back!” She jumps off the couch, but Colin wraps his arms around her hips and pulls her back down. “She’s been back for weeks and I’m only finding outnow.”
“You had other things to worry about.” And that’s the truth. Between Colin trying to get her to stay alive and her release from the psych ward, she didn’t have time for a best friend reunion. Plus, there was no need in upsetting Lily by rubbing a person that she knows loves her, right in her face when she wanted to die. “Besides, you will meet her tomorrow. You guys are kind of babysitters now.”
“Babysitters?!” she blurts out at the same time as Colin starts to laugh.
He shouldn’t have.
Lily turns around to look at him, her eyebrows fallen into a mad frown. If looks could kill, I just bet Colin would have been dead about five times by now.