it's just a crush

chapter 49 - july 2020

Meg spent the next week trying everything she could think of to get Gary to change his mind. She sweet-talked him, cooked his favourite meals, bought him his favourite beer, did his chores, pretended to be interested in the work he was doing on the car. She even bought a cat tree for Thunder in the hopes she could use the cat to get through to him.

Nothing worked.

Enlisting Jen's help had no effect either — the girl was happy to put in a good word, but not to the extent of creating friction in her own relationship with Gary.

By the time Sunday rolled around again, Meg's frustrations were boiling over.

"Why can't you just let me be happy?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She was standing in the living room, watching him play video games. There was an explosion on the television screen, and Gary pumped a fist.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, eyes fixed to the screen. "I dunno, why can't you be happy with someone else?"

"Do you honestly think I haven't tried that? You've seen me date other guys — do you think any of them ever measured up? Because we wouldn't be in this situation if they did!"

"Well, then, I guess you just need better taste in men." He shrugged.

Meg rolled her eyes. "I dunno, seems like I have the same taste in men as you have in friends."

"He's not my friend, alright?" Gary glared at her as he threw down the controller. "I'm starting to wonder if he ever really was, or if he just wanted in your pants."

"Bullshit!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "He barely even noticed me until recently! And his fucking friendship with you is the reason I haven't seen him in two weeks!"

"Oh, cry me a river!" He looked at the time on his phone and rose to his feet. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"I don't wanna go with you."

"Nan will have your hide if you miss two Sunday dinners in a row, so you better be ready by the time Jen gets here."

As Gary left the room, Meg pulled a face and held her middle finger up in his direction. The last thing she wanted was to spend half an hour with Gary and Jen, watching them hold hands over the console and give each other affectionate looks. Not while he was standing in the way of her and Bobby. He was right, though — she didn't think she'd ever missed going to Nan's two weeks in a row, and hell hath no fury like Nan scorned.

But, she thought as she looked out the window, maybe there was another way...

Racing up the stairs to her room, she quickly finished getting ready to leave, then grabbed her purse and tiptoed quietly back downstairs. In the kitchen, she rummaged through one of the drawers until she found what she was looking for: car keys. More specifically, the keys to the car that Gary was fixing on her behalf.

She wouldn't have to rely on him for a ride to Chatham — she would drive there herself.

Quietly, so as not to alert Gary of her departure, Meg snuck out the front door and got into the car. After adjusting the mirrors, she took a deep breath and exhaled as she turned the key in the ignition. The car was drivable, she knew that. Whether it would get her to Chatham and back without breaking down was another story, but she was willing to risk it.

Ignoring her phone when it began to ring, she navigated her way through the streets, wincing at every strange rattling noise and holding her breath every time she shifted gears. It stalled a couple times at intersections, but at long last, she made it onto Nan's street and pulled up in front of her house.

As she walked up the drive, Gary's car pulled in behind her, and she could see by his reddened face as he and Jen stepped out that he was furious.

"What the hell, Meg?" He stomped towards her, ignoring Jen's pleas to calm down.