Best Friend Protocol

Best Friend Protocol (6)

      The most unlady-like snort escaped from my lips, followed by a large amount of laughter.

     “Why are you laughing?” Toby asked, obviously surprised by my reaction.

     “Is that—is that…” I couldn’t continue since another round of solid laughter escaped. I hugged the books tighter, balancing them in one arm while I used the other to wipe my tears of joy. “Is that how you ask out a girl?” I finally asked him.

     He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not asking you out. I’m asking a favor”

     “Oh—oh! A ‘favor’” It’s very hard to insert air quotes when you’re balancing heavy books with your hands. “Oh God. I understand why I’ve never heard a rumor of you dating. Dude, you suck at asking people out”

     He gripped my shoulders, causing me to stop the impending laughter. “I’m not asking you out, Stacey”

     I raised an eyebrow. “Then what do you call the ‘I need a favor’ yadda?”

     He studied my face for a moment. Oh God. Do I have saliva on my mouth from laughing too loud? “Okay, here’s the pun—“ He let go of my shoulders and wiped his face. “—there’s this girl…”

     “Aaaaw is Toby the bad boy finally accepting the fact that he doesn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life?”

     He rolled his eyes at my teasing. “If that means ‘I want to get into her pants’ then yes” I grabbed the books that I was holding and smacked him with them. “Ow! Ow! Okay—okay! I—I kind of…maybe…stupidly like her”

     Satisfied, I hugged the books once again. “That still does not explain why you need to date me”

     He straightened his blazer and smirked. Damn. Whoever this girl is, she so lucky to be wooed by Toby gorgeous, leather-jacket-wearing Aspen. “Cause I need you to make her jealous”

     I frowned, suddenly feeling the weight of the books. I started walking again, hoping to get rid of the torture in my arms. “So why me?” I asked, making my voice loud enough for Toby to hear. He snapped his gaze in my direction and started following me. The pain in my arms got worse so I balanced the books on my right leg, involuntarily letting out a loud groan.

     “Here, let me help you” Toby must have sensed my discomfort, grabbing three books and leaving me with two.

     I smiled at his behavior. At least he’s not an ass…unlike your best friend, my subconscious commented. I ignored the bitch and started walking quietly in the direction of the library. The silence continued until I pushed the doors of the library open, letting the cold air of the air-condition hit me in the face. “You never answered my question”

     He smiled at me, “Can’t you just pretend to be my girlfriend and get over it?”

     I stopped in front of a wheeled table carrying a lot of books. “I’m going to need some answers if you want to make her jealous. What are her likes, dislikes, where she loves to go…blah blah. Just some natural girl stuff” I started filing the books according to the alphabet.

     “That’s going to be a little hard to get considering she hates my guts” He started copying my movements, helping me sort the books.

     I smirked “Is this for real? Somebody finally expresses their hate for Toby Aspen?”

     He playfully nudged me and pressed his hands on his chest. “This pains me, Stacey Steele. I like her and she hates me. That’s why I need your help with this predicament”