Magnetic

Chapter Thirteen

My dad barely ever showed up at the house anymore, even on weekends: only to sleep, and he would barely ever eat there.

When he did, he wouldn't talk to me. He'd seem stressed, pacing around the house with a file report in hand, reading it as he walked. I had no idea where he'd go when he wasn't at home, but I didn't want to ask him, knowing he'd get angry at me for "invading his personal space". I could feel our relationship pulling apart, to the point that I almost felt like I was living with a stranger.

I wasn't the type of person who liked to be alone, so usually Paisley, Gage, and Brady would come over. I'd cook dinner and we'd usually watch movies on TV or play board games.

"I'm one green card away from winning!" Paisley exclaimed, shoving her stack of green Apples to Apples cards into Gage's face. "You better choose mine!"

We were all sitting criss-cross on the floor of my bedroom, around a couple of red stacks and a green one. There were still plenty of unpacked boxes all over my bedroom, but no one seemed to mind it.

"You are a terrible winner," Gage told her, shuffling three red cards in his hand without looking at them. "So which of these is the most circular?" he asked himself, analyzing the cards. "The moon. Cheese. A pie. These are all good. You know, except for cheese."

Brady's cheeks blushed a bright shade of red. "They can be circular, you know."

It came down to Paisley and I: if Gage chose my card, I'd still be two cards away from winning. But if he chose Paisley's, she'd win. End of game.

"Well, the moon is a sphere, and nothing can get more circular than a sphere. So, the moon wins."

"Yes!" Paisley snatched the green card triumphantly out of Gage's hand and forced it in Brady's face. "I win, again!"

"This is why we don't play games with you," he told her, standing up and brushing the lint off of his jeans.

"Because you guys suck. That's why."

"That's definitely not why," Gage said, pulling on his thick jacket and digging into the pocket of it to take out his car keys. "Time to go, Paisley. But if you brag about winning one more time, I'm forcing you to walk the rest of the way home."

Paisley pushed herself off of the ground. "Whatever. You're just a sore loser."

"You get no more chances, Paisley."

"Bye, Nicki! Thanks for dinner!" she called out. Gage walked out the front door behind her and forced it shut.

The only people left in the house were Brady and I. He was forcing a black fleece jacket over his shoulders when he asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Why?"

"You seem," he began, sitting at one of the barstools in the kitchen, "I don't know. Different than usual. Kind of stressed, or annoyed."

He didn't know exactly how right he was. Tucker and I were still talking, but because I was thinking twice about the whole thing, it'd been causing a lot of irritation in my life. Growing close to him again wasn't an idea I was fond of but after everything between us, it almost felt unenviable. The fact that I didn't feel as in control of the situation as much as I wanted to stressed me out beyond belief. "Annoyed doesn't even begin to explain my feelings right now."

"Really. What's wrong?"

I spilled everything to him. Once I started talking, I couldn't stop. I knew Brady was trustworthy, so telling him everything about Tucker was so easy that I didn't even need to think about it. When I finished, all he did was nod.

"Is that it?" I asked, lying my elbows on the kitchen counter. "Just a nod?"

"I don't really know what to say," he replied as he played with the zipper of his jacket.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted him to say. Maybe a piece of advice from some relationship he had many years ago. Or an example from a movie, because in the short time I had known him, I learned that he was completely obsessed with movies. It didn't even matter the type of movie, as long as it qualified as one.

But I got nothing. "You don't know what to say?"

"Nicki, honestly, I suck at relationship advice." He reached under a swoop of blonde hair to rub his forehead.

"Why? Anything would be better than nothing."

"Nicki," he said, lying his head on the counter. "Do you want me to be honest with you?"

Was that even a question? "Of course."

"I've never exactly had a real relationship."

This took me completely by surprise. At school, I had witnessed girls staring at him from across the cafeteria, giving me envious glares as I climbed into his truck when I missed the bus and needed a ride home. "Don't lie."

"I swear."

"You've never dated anyone before? Ever?"

Brady lifted his head back up to look at me. "I've dated a few girls, sure. But nothing more than for a few weeks, tops. Not ever an actual relationship. So I really don't have much advice I can offer you right now."

"What about all the girls that like you? Why don't you try to have a relationship?"

"I'm not going to try and force one." He shrugged. "I guess I just believe that if you meet the right person, a relationship will form by itself. Without either person really trying."

I loved the ideology behind that; kind of like true love. Or maybe even love at first sight. It was a cute little belief, but I had learned that relationships weren't that easy. You needed to work. You needed to actually try. Or, at least, Tucker and I had had to.

But, I guess to him, someone who really hadn't had an actual relationship, it seemed just that easy.

"You're a guy. Give me advice. Not even relationship advice. Just guy advice. What should I do about Tucker?"

For a moment, he seemed to really think about it. Trying to generate some good advice. "Drop him."

"Drop him," I repeated, not sure if I had heard him clearly.

"Yes. He obviously doesn't deserve you."

"Why the hell would you say that?"

Brady looked deep into my eyes. "If he did, he wouldn't have left you like that. He would have tried to make it work. Obviously, he thinks he can just waltz back in and get you back. I assure you he knows that you deserve better."

"Neither you or Tucker knows what I deserve," I said, more sharp than I had intended. "That's my decision and my decision only."

"I understand that," he told me, "but I don't want you to get hurt."

"He won't hurt me again, Brady. I need to trust him."

"And I hope you do." He got up and made his way over to the door. "It is your decision, but I want you to remember what I said." The door slammed shut behind him, and I could hear his truck engine start. Traveling down my driveway, down the street, and back to his house.