Best-Case Scenario

Chapter Eighteen

Kali catches up with me in the cafeteria the next morning before I have to see Finn. I quickly explain the dinner and manage to get through it without crying.

"What an ass," she says. She wraps an arm around me and I lay my head on her shoulder. "All of them, I mean. If I was Finn, I wouldn't have let them see you if they thought those things. If they want to be jerks fine, but I'm not going to let my girlfriend deal with it."

I groan into her shoulder but lift my head and smile. "I'm feeling a little better about it. I'm going to talk to him before first period or at lunch."

She pats down the hair that escapes my braid. "Make sure to give him a piece of your mind and if you're not angry enough, give him a piece of mine."

"Don't worry, I'm angry," I assure her. "I want him to know that, but I don't want to break up. I think we can get through this."

"I know." She pushes my head back on her shoulder and I breathe in the vanilla scent of her. "I think you can tell him how you feel without it being a disaster. You shouldn't have to stop being angry because you're afraid he'll dump you. Finn's the one that messed up."

I nod but don't say anything and then, I realize what this all looks like. Kali's arm around my shoulder and my head under her chin, cheek against the fabric of her shirt. I try to casually wiggle away from Kali but she catches it. "What?" she asks when I'm straightened and redoing my hair.

"How does Matea feel about our friendship? I never asked."

Kali actually brightens and clasps her hands together on the table. "She is all good with it. She says that if a straight boy and a straight girl can be just friends and then why not the same for two girls? It does help that you're straight though." Kali winks and I attempt a smile. This is getting old.

She catches my reluctance and interprets a different meaning behind it. "We're still Kali and Teagan. Thank God because I don't know how else I could get through Senior year. Promise me you'll tell Finn how you feel."

"I promise," I say.

I get to Chemistry and wonder if it would be best to wait for him somewhere else instead of enduring a painfully awkward first period sitting next to him. I turn away from the door and run right into the warmth of someone's sweater.

"Teagan, hey."

I look up to see Finn with a half-smile and eyes that are immediately on mine. I freeze and his smile drops. "Can we talk?" he asks.

I look into the mostly full classroom. "Yeah," I say but over there."

We walk over to the top of the stairs and I lean against the wall. He shifts his weight to one side and rubs the back of his neck.

"Can I go first?" I ask. He looks down, closes his mouth, and nods.

I explain how I felt betrayed and humiliated. I tell him it's not just what his parents said, it's that he knew and didn't give me a warning. I told him I understood their protective and I could have maybe handled it better if I knew it was coming. I reminded him I loved him but this felt like he isn't there to be with me when he brought me to be attacked by his parents.

To his credit, Finn doesn't defend himself. Instead, he makes sure the hallway is still mostly empty. The bell rings, but we stay where we are. "I am so sorry. Seriously, Teagan. They had no right to say those things to you and I told them that after you left. And then I told them the next morning in case they thought I would get over it. I told them they're my parents and they have the right to share their opinions with me but not with you and not like that. If they thought there was a problem, I'm the one who should make the decision about it. My mom apologized and offered another dinner. I told her no." Finn waits to see if this was the right choice. I nod. I did not want to go back in that house for as long as possible. Maybe graduation.