Soooo Not Normal

P E T E R

I wait for Tessa's reply, holding my breath. They're still dating, she's probably just mad at him about what happened at the hospital.

My phone dings. I open it up, my heart racing.

I found out that he was cheating on me. We just broke up.

So Emma was right?

Sigh. For once.

Didn't I hear her talking about how she's smarter than you a little while ago?

False. I'm totally the smart one

Totally.

Do you want to ditch school tomorrow?

Is this an invitation? Umm, maybe. Why?

Cause Emma is going to spend some time with her brother and I want a friend. I'm her friend!?

You sure you want me to come? You seem pretty popular.

Not anymore.

Why not?

Cause I broke up with my boyfriend.

You're better off without him.

Why is that?

Cause you're an amazing person.

Haha. ;)

No, legit!

Don't tell Emma you think that.

Don't worry, I won't. She kinda terrifies me...

Same!

You're her best friend, you can't be that scared of her.

One time, I tried to take her tacos away, and she tried to kill me.

Wow.

Soo, about tomorrow...

Sure. I'll ditch with you. What?! You can't ditch school! It could ruin your chances at MIT! But I know that I will ditch tomorrow. I know why, and even though it's a dumb reason, it doesn't mean that it's meaningless. And, spending time with a friend isn't horrible, right?

You will? Seriously? It feels good to surprise her.

Seriously. I wished I could see her face. I started to wonder what she thought of me. Does she think I'm nice? Has she ever noticed me before now? I sigh. She probably thinks I'm some weird, awkward nerd.

So, how was your day?

Pretty weird. I mean, you know, you guys were in that car crash, sooo...

Yeah, that was weird. Emma's taking it a lot harder than I am. Cicily was really her friend, not mine.

But don't you guys do everything together?

No. I do drama, and she did basketball with Cicily.

What is she going to do now?

Is it bad that I have no idea? I've been kind of selfish today.

No, you haven't! You brought me skittles.

I did do that.

Why do you feel like you've been selfish???

I wasn't there for her at all today. One of her best friends died, and she thinks it's her fault! And all I did was get in trouble for yelling at Cicily's parents. I wasn't even there when she was helping them plan the funeral.

Hey, you were in that car crash, too. It's okay to be sad or selfish. You're still a great person, and I'm sure Emma will love you anyway.

Probably. I mean, it's not like we're fighting or anything, because that would really suck.

Yeah. I stare at the screen for a long time, not sure what to write to comfort her. After spending some time in thought, I finally decide on what to say.

Hey, do you want to go somewhere? Like, right now?

Sure. Not even a minute goes by before she replies. Wow, she didn't hesitate.

Meet me outside your house. Is this too creepy?

Sure.

I'm going to take her to the roof... of the Avengers compound.

Wait, where is your house?

My phone pinged, and I looked down to see her address.

Okay, now I'm ready to go.