Coder Girl 2 /Dreamwastaken/

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It got really awkward. We were all just sitting there, each of us not finding anything to talk about. Meanwhile, Clay was devouring the leftover pasta I had made, and those occasional slurping sounds were pretty unsettling, to say the least.

"Does it taste good?" George asked, and I noticed Clay hesitating as he looked at me cautiously before swallowing and responding.

"Who made it?" I already knew that the answer to his question was going to determine his opinion.

"I did," George intentionally lied, and as soon as Clay confessed that it tasted bad, he snorted. "Actually, your girlfriend made it."

I was so tired of the slander. It wasn't even that bad.

"I mean, it's- it's not that bad, it's just a bit... it just needs a bit of... like I don't know, flavor, I guess," Clay quickly blurted out, causing me to shake my head in annoyance.

"Nick liked it," I frowned, my voice still as rough as it had been hours ago.

"Who's Nick?" The voice belonged to none other than the man himself. "Cause I considered passing it to Patches, but I thought she might not survive."

There was nothing else I could do but let out a sigh.

"Anyway, when are we going to Texas?" Nick wasn't finished with his speech.

"What do you mean 'we'?" I asked.

"You promised we'd all go once you graduate."

I couldn't seem to remember anything like that.

"When did I promise that?"

"Like a year ago? I've been putting it off so we all go together."

"No way we all just bunk at your parents' house," George laughed. "I guarantee you these freaks are gonna break your grandma's bed."

"George-" I spoke, but Nick cut me off.

"My grandma's dead, I don't think she'll mind." The way Nick said it with such seriousness made me feel guilty for finding it funny.

"Oh, rest in peace, nan," George's voice couldn't have been less serious, "but I'm afraid they won't hesitate to do it right in front of her ashes."

Oh my lord.

"Bro.." Nick tilted his head, clearly disappointed, while I took a deep breath.

"Funny you say that, George, cause we literally fucked in your mom's shower."

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. I slapped Clay's arm so hard in response to his words that he had to rub the skin to soothe the sting.

"Bro..." Nick was delivering the same reaction over and over again, each time with more disappointment.

I was already embarrassed from the earlier incident with George, and this just sent me over the edge. I could feel my entire being shrinking as he continued to laugh like the shameless piece of shit he was.

"You what?" George's question made me hide my face with my hands, mumbling a 'shut up' to Clay to prevent him from making it worse.

"Actually, it was our first time too. Your mom's shower is a special place for us, we should revisit somet-"

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up!" I hit him again, this time harder, but the terror on George's face was unerasable. Even Nick was traumatized, and I'm sure he'd seen and heard enough to have some tolerance.

"I'm just.. just gonna pretend I never heard that," George nodded, not even managing to convince himself with his words. "Anyway, fuck you both, that's fucking disgusting even for you two."

It would be weird if I apologized, but saying nothing was even worse. The awkward silences we endured today had been the most uncomfortable thing ever. Clay was the one occasionally breaking the silence again, this time with quiet wheezes.

Yet Nick recovered pretty quickly. And he didn't seem to let go of the earlier subject. Even after a distraction like that, he brought it up again. Which showed how much he actually wanted the trip to happen.

"I was thinking we could stay at my uncle's farmhouse. He's having a hip replacement surgery, and it's pretty much abandoned until he's back."

He mentioned his uncle who lives on a farm so often before that it felt like I already knew the man.

"And what exactly are we gonna do at a farmhouse?" Clay voiced the exact question I had in mind.

"We can just chill and have a break from all of this," Nick motioned the surroundings, and whatever that meant, he was confident about it, "I spent my childhood there, I promise, it's fun. Also, we can drive to Texas and have a little roadtrip."

"Little roadtrip? It's gonna take like a fucking day to drive there." George complained, "It's a whole ass voyage not a little roadtrip."

"That sounds fun, actually." And of course, Clay was sold after hearing the word.

I would like to express my opinions. But I had none. And I also felt voiceless after all of the shame I experienced. I was voiceless literally as well.

"It is gonna be so much fun. C'mon, George, I promise it's gonna be so fun." Nick was trying his best, and apparently, it worked.

"I mean, I don't care, fine." It was the most George sentence ever. Disinterested, indifferent, unbothered.

The last target was me. And even though I didn't say no, Nick still felt the need to convince me.

"Also, there's a haunted house nearby. I always wanted to go there, but since I had no friends, I was scared to go alone."

My smile faded immediately. His sudden confessions never failed to catch me off guard.

"Did something change?" George raised an eyebrow skeptically. And Clay's laugh and Nick's sad face made me act defensive.

"Yes, he has a friend now, and I'd love to explore it with you, Nick." I was trying to make him feel better, but the other two idiots clung to my words like leeches.

"Friend singular-" Clay burst into laughter.

"He has only one friend, confirmed." And George proceeded to slap his knee.

It wasn't even that funny. I guess Nick's face was a little bit funny, but it was also heartbreakingly sad.

"Y'all just mad I got a friendship bracelet for her and not you two," Nick shrugged, "and I'd rather have a singular friend like her or two assholes like you, so shut the fuck up."

It was so funny how we would have weeks of literally despising each other and having catfights, and also moments like this.

"Aww, you know I'd choose you over them any day, Nick," I put my hand on my chest, my lips curving downwards.

"Excuse me?" Clay sat up straight, tilting his head to look at me, "Say that again?"

"Sucks to suck, loser," Nick spoke before I could, "I'd take you- choose you anywhere- ahem, anyday, Lizzy."

And I don't think that was a slip of a tongue. He did it on purpose, and it didn't fail to annoy Clay.