The Opposite of Falling Apart [Formerly Three and a Half Good Legs]

9 (free sample)

B R E N N A N

Brennan stared at the black screen of her phone, feeling like an idiot. Sometimes, she'd forget about the friend request she'd sent Jonas Avery, and other times it would hit her with a load of self-deprecation. You're an idiot, such an idiot. What kind of weirdo sends a friend request AND A MESSAGE to a person they barely know who doesn't even really like them anyways? It had been almost a week, and still no response. He was probably ignoring her.

And her message: Is this fender bender Jonas?

God. Why had she even sent that? She groaned, just thinking about it. She had been trying to be chill and carefree, like someone you might want to be friends with. It had failed. Epically failed. Now Brennan wanted to crawl into a hole (a deep one) and not come out for a long long time (until the memory of this humiliation faded, which would probably be never).

She'd almost decided that she could never bear seeing Jonas again when, suddenly, her phone buzzed with a new notification. Jonas Avery accepted your friend request.

Brennan stared, stupidly, at her phone. What did one do next, after having one's friend request accepted by a boy they hardly knew who somehow made them feel like talking?

She was saved from having to know the answer to that question by the arrival of a message.

Are you constantly going to remind me of that? Jonas sounded as irritated as he would have been in real life. She almost laughed at the thought.

She tried to think of a witty reply, but couldn't, so she settled for ignoring the question. Did your day improve last week after you left the library?

Silence, and then the three dots that meant he was typing. I went home and locked myself in my room, away from bothersome people. So yes.

Sarcastic much?

It wasn't sarcastic.

Brennan frowned. Rude much?

It took a few moments before Jonas responded again. She had started to think he was ignoring her now. Look, what do you want?

What did she want? She wanted to feel like she had the other day at the deli, when she talked to him about cheeses. Maybe she didn't particularly want to talk about cheeses again, but the part where she had held a normal conversation where she thought she might have been even one iota more witty than usual...she wanted that part.

I just wanted to know if things got better for you. You looked upset, that's all. Seen Mon, 8:30pm.

Then again, I guess you're usually upset, from what I've seen of you. Seen Mon, 8:32pm.

Are you ignoring me? Seen Mon, 8:33pm.

Don't worry about me, I'm just typing all these messages to...you know...exercise my fingers. Seen Mon, 8:33pm.

Brennan sighed, about to give up on Jonas. Just when she had almost given up, he responded.

That has to be one of the corniest things I've ever heard.

She smiled, slightly, and typed back a response. Did you, heaven forbid, actually smile?

No, but I definitely rolled my eyes.

This response elicited an eye roll of her own. Do you actually make an effort to be rude, or is it just part of your natural personality?

None of your business, is it?

Probably not, but I was just curious. She read over that message a few times, wishing she could take it back. She had felt like maybe she was making progress in the 'witty response department' but that one had just brutally murdered said progress.

Look, to be honest, isn't it kind of weird to send friend requests to people you don't really know?

I do know you though. You kind of did rear-end my car. And we've talked a couple of times since then, so I would say we know each other a little bit. Actually, I'm friends with some people from my high school who I know less than that.

Again with the car thing. I offered you to pay. I'd love it if you'd stop throwing it back in my face.

She frowned. It was a joke.

No response, but he'd definitely seen it—at Monday, 8:42pm, to be exact. It was as if he were taking his time to think of a response.

Eventually, he just said I don't think it's a very funny one.

Brennan sighed, unsure how to continue the conversation. So she did what she'd do in any conversation: redirected. So what are you doing?

Jonas typed back quickly this time. Trying to ignore you so I can concentrate on Star Wars.

And then...And before you tell me, yet again: yes, I do know that my response could be construed as impolite. Brennan just liked that he knew how to use 'construed' in the proper context.

You enjoy Star Wars? She typed. I've never watched it. My dad and my brother Ayden are huge fans though.

You should watch it. You don't know what you're missing.

Just out of curiosity, how many times have you seen the Star Wars movies?

A few minutes later: Too many to count. Let's just say that I've had a lot of spare time on my hands this past year.

She was somewhat curious as to what that meant, but she shrugged and responded with I guess I'll leave you to your Star Wars.

After she thought he'd stopped replying for good, she got a response. Thank you.

She liked the fact that she could picture him, his face completely dead-pan, his tone flat and dripping with sarcasm. In-her-head-Jonas was wearing the plaid pajama pants and Wash U sweatshirt he'd been wearing when they first met, and his feathery hair was sticking up in the back the same way it had been that day.

She closed the messenger app, and just stared at her phone for a while.

It was weird, Brennan thought, how just talking to someone, outside of work or school, made her buzz. It made her feel normal. It made her feel like there was hope for her making friends in college.

It was also weird that she wanted to keep talking to Jonas, even though he came across as one of the grouchiest people she'd ever had the pleasure (or displeasure?) of meeting, and yet that was all she wanted to do.