✔️ | 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 ─ 𝒑𝒂𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒉.𝒚

THIRTEEN

"I did not say that." Carly said, popping a fry in her mouth.

"Honestly to god." EJ said.

"Take it back."

"Or what?"

"You don't wanna know buddy." Eddie warned the boy.

"OMG look is that Mrs Farah not wearing a shirt?" Carly yelled, pointing in the direction behind the boy.

"What?" EJ asked, turning around looking. Carly took her chance, grabbing his cookie and apple juice. "I don't see anyth---." EJ realized what just happened and smiled. "Well play Carly. Well played."

"I tried." Carly shrugged, breaking half the cookie and giving it to her best friend.

"I did the bare minimum and I still get rewarded." Lily said causing everyone to laugh.

"You're my wife. No matter what he says." Carly said pointing to her cousin.

"I will fight you." Eddie said.

Before any of them could say anything a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Hey guys." Paxton said to the group.

"Hey."

"What's up."

"Sup."

"Um... Carly can I talk to you for a sec?" Paxton asked the girl.

Carly nodded, getting up and walking away from her friends because she knew they would want to listen in. "What's up?"

"Um... I just um..." Paxton was nervous. He didn't know why. Talking to girls was always so easy for him. "Do you think I'm too dumb to go to college?"

Carly was confused. This is what the boy wanted to talk about. "Uh... no?"

"You do think so. Oh god. I can't believe everyone thinks that. Fuck I'm such a failure."

"Paxton."

"I mean I know I'm handsomely stupid but I didn't think people actually thought that but like..."

"Paxton."

"I mean why why can't I just be smart. It's not that hard right. Like c'mon."

"PAXTON!" Carly yelled earning some stares from people.

"What."

"Are you done?"

"Was I ranting?"

Carly nodded but laughed at the boy. "Who told you that you're to stupid to go to college?"

"Basically everyone. Including my parents."

"Oh. I'm sure they didn't mean it like that." Carly knew how go with the flow, hippy Paxton's parents were. Paxton probably took it the wrong way. "Your parents are probably the chilliest people I know and they probably didn't mean to say you were too stupid for college. It probably just sounded like it. Trust me there are a lot of stupider people in this world that go to college. I mean Jason did get in to USC right?"

Paxton laughed at the mention of her older brother. Someone who barely passed high school with a 2.8 GPA but still somehow got into USC. "Gee thanks."

"My point is is that whether you go to college on a swimming scholarship or for you, as long as you're happy and doing what you love, nothing else matters. Especially those people who tell you you're too stupid for it. You're just smarter in other ways." Carly explained to the boy.

"Thanks Carls. Do you think we can start over? We don't have to be friends or anything but just um... I just don't want to lose you."

It was true. Paxton took the girl for granted. He never knew how much she meant to the boy until he lost her. She was the most important person in his life. 

Carly smiled at the boy. While that idea was appealing and a very bad idea, she knew he didn't have many friends right now. "Maybe."