Growing Pains

Chapter Thirty-Two

Gwen

I had not said a single word to Trent all day. I didn't even look him in the eye. In fact, when I saw his Jeep pull up, I offered to run to the grocery store, taking Court's keys and the first person I saw with me.

"This place is pretty sweet," Geoff said as we pulled out of the driveway of the cabin. I barely heard him, my voice was lost momentarily as I pulled my eyes away from Trent sitting in the front seat of his Jeep, looking just as sad as I felt.

He did this to himself. I just had to keep reminding myself that.

"You can thank Courtney's super rich parents and their friends. We couldn't afford it without them," the bitterness coating my words did not go unnoticed by him. I wasn't sure if it was because of my anger towards Trent or my irritation towards Courtney's parents. Perhaps it was a mix of both.

"What's the deal with them anyways? Everyone seems to think they're total buzz kills," Geoff asked.

I sighed, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel as I searched for an answer. "They just suck. They're never around, always working at some place or another. I mean, what kind of parents miss every single one of your debate tournaments and your school dances and your Christmases?"

Geoff gasped, I looked to see if he was being sarcastic but the look on his face was very genuine disgust. "They missed Christmas?" He asked, still wearing that look of muted horror.

"Yup," I said popping the "p". I pulled into the small town marketplace that was a five minute walk from the cabin. The Christmas decorations were up. I felt my mood lift as I saw the red tinsel wrapped around the street lamps glitter against the sunshine.

Geoff dropped our previous conversation instead he said, "Cool place." He looked around at all the mom and pop shops, taking them in with a relaxed smile.

I nodded agreeing, even though he wasn't looking my way. "Hey, don't talk about Court's parents around her. It's a, um, sensitive topic." I bit my lip, thinking of the last time we complained about them. She nearly bit all of our heads off.

"Don't worry, dudette. I won't tell a soul," he winked at me, smiling all the while. He hopped out of the car.

"I sure hope so," I said with a sigh. I got out of the car, locking it behind me.

It occurred to me that I had never been alone with party boy Geoff until today. It wasn't that I didn't like him, but I just didn't see us having a real connection. I mean, I didn't go to parties. And recent events proved that they were horrible things that should have never been created.

I was surprised I made it through a car ride conversation with him. I was usually so horrible at making conversation with people or even replying. I guess I was just running on fuels of irritation. My brain must have been in autopilot mode.

Geoff smiled at me, irritating me further, and followed me as I walked into the grocery store. I fished the grocery list out of my pocket—Courtney had given it to me as I left—and looked at it for the first time. I gave a humorless chuckle as I noticed it was color coded by what type of produce we would need.

"Where to first, buddy?" Geoff asked me, ever the chipper relaxed dude.

I felt my eye twitch. I could not be around chipper anything right now. I wanted to sulk and brood and be downright mean for the sake of being mean.

I ripped the list in half, surprisingly not cutting off any letters, and handed him one half. I grabbed a basket and handed it to him. "Meet back here when you got everything," I said before grabbing another basket and storming off.

I caught a glimpse of Geoff's hurt expression before I took off and I felt a pang of guilt squeeze at my heart. I was being mean and rude, and I knew I shouldn't be—well, at least not to the nicest guy on the planet. But, I just didn't care.

I was doing so good before I saw Trent. I was starting to release all of my anger and frustration, but seeing him just let it all come spiraling back again.

Just thinking about it made my eyes sting from tears. I took a deep breath, blinking them back. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to cry, especially not in a grocery store. I mean, that's pretty pathetic, even for me.

Just as I was trying to hold back the tears, unsuccessfully might I add, Geoff came down the opposite end of the aisle. His was looking at his list and then back at the isle with a perplexed expression on his face.

And then he looked at me, and his expression morphed into one of pity. I so didn't need pity right now.

"Gwen?" He called to me, but I turned around. He caught up with me, grabbing my upper arm.

"Just leave me alone, okay?" My voice was crackly, a sign of how emotional I was. I wasn't supposed to be the emotional one. I saved that for Courtney's anger or Bridgette's crying whenever she saw one of those depressing pet commercials.

"Gwen, wait," He pleaded. It was the kindness in his voice that made me stop.

I looked over my shoulder at him to see the sympathetic look still plastered on his face. "What?" I spit out, trying to seem tougher than I felt.

"Look, we all think Trent's a real jackass for what he did, but he's hurting just as much as you." Geoff's words made me happy and angry all at once. He was beating up my ex and telling me that he was hurting, but he was also beating up the guy I still loved and reminding me that he was upset about a situation he created.

"He should have thought of that before he cheated on me with the world's biggest bitch," I kept my voice low, mindful of other customers. I didn't want anyone staring at me like some animal at a zoo.

Geoff walked around me, so he was looking at me, but I didn't meet his eyes. I continued to stare at the floor. "Yeah, he sucks a lot right now, dudette, but you can't let him see how hurt you are. Don't give him the upper hand."

I looked up at him, a weak smile on my lips, "You're right."

"And anyways, I'm pretty sure he's too terrified to come near you, since Courtney threatened to shove her foot up his ass," He said with a smirk.

I laughed. I paused for a moment, letting myself enjoy the feeling of laughter. "Thanks Geoff," I finally said, meaning it with all my heart—well, whatever was left of it.

"No problem," He smiled back. "Now, where is the peanut butter?" He asked, looking back down at his list with pursed lips.

I chuckled, "Come on, I'll show you."