Wasted Youth

Two.

            I had always been the person that couldn’t say “no” to someone. It just seemed mean, and I wasn’t a mean person. I had always been the quiet, shy girl that sat in the classroom that no one talked to. I didn’t mind, I was used to it. But apparently being nice and quiet was an open invitation for people to walk over you like you didn’t matter; like you didn’t have your own opinion.

            And I was tired of it. I wanted it to change.

            So when Nathan had “forbidden” me to stay away from Brodie Harris or “don’t say a single word or even think about the asshole,” I planned to do the exact opposite. Because this was my life and not his. 

            Brodie was nice, even if he and Nathan had tension as thick as a two-thousand-year-old tree. Brodie was a good person, I could feel it in my bones. I just had to tear down his walls and discover his true self.

            “You’ll like Kathy.” Nathan’s cheery voice pulled me out of my rebellious thoughts. “She’s a likeable person.”

            “Oh, I’m sure she’s very likable,” I mumbled under my breath, my words holding a double meaning. I was positive that any girl who was willing to make out with someone while they’re drunk was quiet the popular one.

            Nate either didn’t hear my cold tone or he chose to ignore it. “She’s kinda like you, Li.”

            “Doubt it.” I chewed on the straw that belonged to my empty drink, feeling insulted by Nathan’s words. My eyes danced lazily over the food court, desperately wanted to be anywhere else other than a crowded mall on a hot mid-day Saturday.

            Suddenly, Nathan stood up from his chair. The wooden chair he sat in would’ve fallen over if I hadn’t caught it. Huffing as my annoyance grew and placing the chair back to its right place, Nathan waved franticly. 

            “Kathy!” he yelled over the loud mass of people. “Hey, Kathy! Over here!”

            I leaned over to the side to peer around Nathan’s body, spotting the brunette that my own cousin left me for at the party. Kathy whirled around, spotting Nate and broadly smiled.

            Dammit, she looked pretty.

            She weaved through the maze of tables, her straight hair flowing like a veil behind her. Her long, lean legs that were clad into jean cut-off shorts took long strides. She wore a floral tank top, matching the color of her white sandals. When she reached our table, her tanned arms wrapped around Nathan’s neck, planting a kiss on his lips.

            “Hey,” she spoke when she pulled away from Nate. Then her jade eyes turned to me and she smiled more, showing straight teeth you can only obtain from years of braces. “Hello!”

            I smiled, but I could tell it looked like a grimace. “Hi.”

            The couple sat down across from me, their hands clasping together on the table. My eyes watched the movement, wondering what it would feel like holding a boy’s hand. God, I’m such a loser.

            “I’m Kathy,” she introduced herself.

            I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Light.”

            “Oh, I know who you are.” She smiled, almost as if she was proud of herself. “Nate has told me, like, everything about you.