Leave it Unread

Chapter 13

"You're such a smartass, Noelle. What the hell is The Hating Game?"

I wake up to Kathleen's face in mine as she shakes me awake. Last night, after she went to some random sorority to hangout with new friends, I sent her the screenshots between Ben and I. He had responded with "I'll make sure to read it," which I'm sure pissed of Kathleen beyond belief. So now I'm facing the consequences of my petty actions.

"Mmm, Google it." I whisper, turning my head to face the wall. It's bright out and Thursday, which means today is my History of Sexuality class which happens to be nearly three hours long. It's a once-a-week class, so knowing that I'll be in it for an extended period of time already has me dreading getting out of bed.

"Noelle, you did this on purpose! So fix it!" 

"Fix what? Fix the fact that I'm texting your jackass boyfriend?" Nice one, Noelle. You're getting pettier and pettier every day.

"One, he's not my boyfriend," she gets up and groans, throwing on a black cardigan over her brown blouse. I'd never seen her wear that blouse before, but knowing that his favorite color is brown probably inspired the color choice. "And two, he's not a jackass. You are. You know I don't read, especially those trashy novels you're so obsessed with."

Now Kathleen feels like a nemesis--like the ten years of knowing her have turned into mush, like they meant nothing compared to some random guy who happened to ruin whatever inconsistent momentum Kathleen and I have had over the years of our friendship.

"Tell me how you really feel, K." I look over at the clock and see bright red letters state '8:31 A.M.' Kathleen rolls her eyes before putting on combat boots, squeezing her feet into them before tying up the laces.

"You know what, Noey?" I groan at the nickname which surely was picked to one day piss me off. Today is that day. "I think we're just in a funk. And our funks always work out. We'll get pissed off at one another, but it's fine. We're fine." She nods at her reflection in the mirror, coating her lips with Fenty lipgloss before turning to look at me.

Before she can say something, my phone buzzes on the nightstand. I go to grab it and see a message from Ben on the app.

Ben Jacobs:

Hey, I'm super excited for our date today :) I read whatever Google Books had for a preview for The Hating Game. Uh... wow. ;)

I smirk as I read the text out loud to Kathleen, watching her eyes widen in horror. She rushes to my side and brushes her blonde curls out of her face, her eyes pleading for me to help her out. For once, I feel powerful, like I have the power to have someone bend to my will. Well, not quite that far--this isn't GOT.

"Noelle, I need you there. I need you to come. You did this and I'm begging you, please help me. I promise, just a couple more days to get into the groove of what Ben looks for in a girl and you can completely take a mental break from me."

"You want me to come on your date? You're out of your mind." I shake my head and grab my towel from the edge of my bed before Kathleen grabs my arm. Well, at least Ben and her have that in common.

"No, no, I mean, sit at a different table? Wear a hat? I don't know, Noelle, you brought this upon me so I-"

"Don't. You're the one who told me to handle the responses, and this is the best I could come up with. Kathleen, he's an English major. He probably wants someone who won't fucking laugh at him for that." I watch her eyes flash with uncertainty as I close my eyes in frustration. "The book is about two people who work together. They hate each other. Guess what? Hate turns out to not be love. They get engaged at the end. They fuck in the middle."