Apparently, every time I leave those three alone一even if they are PICKING OUT CLOTHES一shit hits the fan.
Fuck them.
More like fuck Max, if you know what I mean.
Ugh! Stupid, horny, angry emotions. I don't know or care what's happening right now to Cassia, I don't know your life, bitch! But Max seems to be involved so I will willingly drag myself into whatever problem is happening. To be fair, who doesn't like a little drama?
I don't think Jake knows what a 'read' is from what I saw go down. I don't think Jake knows what irony is. Like the irony of complimenting someone by degrading them. Or how funny that irony is. Because that's our humour, as a group, that's our humour. We are mean to each other to make everyone laugh.
But that overprotective prick can't take a joke.
And here we are, sitting at a cashier. Cassia's hands shaking and little tears in her eyes. I look at the two of them, freezing up under the kind glance of the cashier lady. "Hi," I greet, smiling a little fakely. "It hasn't been a great fifteen minutes but otherwise we are just doing great..." I look at her nametag, then look back at her. "Brenda." I add her name. I push forward Cassia, Max's and my clothes vowing to get them to etransfer me.
"You teenagers these days," she scolds, scanning. "Everything's so dramatic to you."
I pass forward my debit card ready to spill all the tension. "I know Brenda, her boyfriend can't take a joke and now their fighting and he's all-"
Max, finally coming to his senses, cuts me off. "I think that's enough. Thank you." He grabs the bag and pulls Cassia and me out.
"Pay up." I demand, watching as Max got out his phone to pay me back. Cassia's quiet, sitting on a pot plant that isn't for sitting on.
Max looks at her then flicks her face, abruptly. "Pay attention, dummy." Her eyes widen and she is quick to come back to life.
"Shut up." She quips as she gets out her phone. She makes it to Instagram afterwards and lingers on Jake's story. It's just a video of him at the skate park with his friends but she looks off-put. "Do you hear what his friends said in the background?"
She replays the video for me and Max and I listen closely.
"Having more fun without her, aren't you?" One of them yells, far from the microphone of the phone. It's faint but it's there.
He smirks at the camera on his board. "Fuck yeah, bro."
The story then automatically switches to an ad for sparkling water. I grimace at his words and Max looks like he wants to punch someone. God, he looks so hot when he's mad.
Cassia sighs deeply, overwhelmed. "He's not happy with me again."
"Who cares?" Max says, exasperated. Pushing back his blonde hair, off of his face.
Oh, I'm in love. My brain automatically ignores Cassia's problems. I keep looking at Max, staring at Cassia. -Stuttering and blubbering about how she shouldn't worry about Jake and how she shouldn't chase after him. He was so cute when he had no words to say. He was trying to give a pep talk while he was angry... how goddamn cute.
Max turns to me just as I begin to blank out staring at him. "Garrett, I'm in love with you." He says blurrily. I stare up at him not believing what he said. "Garrett!" He snaps. "Did you hear anything I said?"
"No." I smile meekly, I thought you said you loved me, but screw that. "Could you repeat yourself," I bat my eyelashes, trying to flirt? "For me, Max."
"Ugh," He said playfully, clearly, flirting back to me. "I said, that Cassia is so fucking in love with him that she's gonna leave us here to chase after that dick."
"Seriously?" I say, almost excited. "Would spending some alone time with me be so bad?" I ask.
He stares at me. "Not really." Victory! "But Cassia running around the city to look for his douchebag boyfriend would be bad. But I suck at convincing her so can you do it?"
I look at his eyes, pleading and green. There are so many reasons to just let her go to her boyfriend. The main one being that Max and I would be alone and there are just so many possibilities to... pursue. I'm ready to say no and watch Cassia walk away until I see Max look at her.
He's concerned and worried. I guess that no matter how mean and competitive they are with each other, they are still best friends. And he cares about her -or at least hates her boyfriend.
I have to be a good friend, no matter my lust.
Dammit.
"Cassia," I poke her in the arm. "Look at me."
She looks up, rolling her eyes, emotionally beat up. "No, I have to go. He's mad and I don't like when people are mad. I have to fix this." She says, getting up and walking away.
Max catches her in his arms, stopping her from moving. -His fingers wrapped around her wrist to keep her in place. The sight of that made my heart race. What else could those fingers do to me? Shit! Pay attention, Garrett. "Cassia," I repeat, trying to keep my mind from running. "Look girl, you deserve better than this dumb boy, not that anyone better would love you-" Max elbowed me, turning me, elating me almost. "Anyways, you should not be chasing him around. You are not some side chick that he is allowed to blow off. You need to spend some time with your best friends and wait for him to go to you. He is supposed to apologize."
Cassia bit her lip at my impromptu speech. I, for one, was very happy that I was able to pull that together. She strained against Max's hands, unable to run away. "Are you sure? I just feel like I did something wrong."
"No, bitch." I snapped, as in, actually snapped in her face.
"Okay." She smiles finally, looking relieved for once.
"He doesn't deserve you." Max says, exhaling. He went from holding her wrists to hugging her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist. They almost looked like a couple. Almost. "He doesn't deserve you." I just wish he would say that to me.
