The Summer Reunion (unedited version)

11| Flare for the dramatics

What the hell is he on about?

"I don't want to be her," I argued. "And that's not what she does. She just likes things going her way. Don't we all?"

He shook his head slightly, "It's different with you and her. You don't think anybody notices, but I do. It's no secret you want to be like her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged.

"Okay, maybe not be like her." He shrugged his shoulders, "But you definitely want to be liked by her."

I sat there in silence, too confused to say anything while he continued on with his thought. "You've always had this need for people to like you. Especially people like Izzie, who everybody likes. It makes you feel like having that one person like you means everyone else does too."

He kept looking at me but I was staring down at my arms and legs flowing through the transparent water. He's wrong. That's not what I do. She's my friend, I want all my friends to like me. That doesn't mean anything.

His gaze burned into mine intently, trying to find some hint of what I was feeling in my eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment, he just stared at me in thought. I'm not sure if he was waiting for me to continue, but I didn't have anything to say to him.

He didn't need me to say anything however, he just kept going. "You know, we've always been pretty equal in our friendship. At least I thought we were. You always give so much to Izzie, and she never offers anything in return."

"That's not true."

"Really?" his eyebrows rose in question, "If you called her right now and told her we were stuck, do you think she would drop whatever she was doing and come to rescue you?"

I didn't know how to answer that. The obvious response was no, she wouldn't.

I shook my head, "Not all relationships have to be equal. She doesn't always have to be doing something for me to be my friend."

"No," he agreed with me, "But she does to be your best friend. That's what they're suppose to do for each other. They're suppose to be there for you when you need someone to talk to, or someone to help you. Not be around you only when it serves their own needs. She's always dragging you to some party you don't want to go to or to hangout with people you don't like." 

"You're such a hypocrite Grayson! You let me drag you around just as much as I let Izzie do the same to me." I said.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "Yeah but the difference is, I didn't mind when you dragged me around."

I scoffed at his crappy answer. "At least Izzie tells the truth."

"What's that suppose to mean." he said, his eyes narrowing at my accusation. 

"A real friend would be honest with the other. A real friend would mention they were getting friendly with Gretchen Peters. Except you never even mentioned her before." I pointed out. If he wants to play morality police, then so will I.

He laughed, finding something humorous in my argument. "I find it pretty ironic a friend who's 'always so honest with you and tells you the truth', was lying about that."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, "What?" Izzie was lying? Why would she make something like that up?

"Gretchen was my partner on one project for a total of three days." He sighed as if this topic bored him, "We hung out in the library once to finish up the rest of our homework and I haven't thought about her since. She wanted to study at my place, I think she was into me, but I wasn't interested. But I'm sorry Andie, what was that about Izzie telling you the truth? It seems there might be some things about her you don't know about."