I nodded, not talking him.
He sighed. “Helen, don’t you think we’re too old for the silent treatment?”
I still didn’t reply. In fact, to distract myself, I started to count the stars, knowing it wasn’t possible, but it would at least help to distract me. And he kept quiet. I knew he was waiting for me to get annoyed at him being near me while being quiet, too, but I wasn’t giving in this time.
I’m not sure how many minutes went by, but by his forth tongue click, I knew he’d had enough.
“Helen!”
“What!” I sat up, turning to glare at his stupid handsome face. “What do you want, Wyatt? Go! Do whatever you want! Move to Boston for all I care, leave me alone here, whatever!”
“I’m not leaving you alone, you can come, too!” he hollered back at me, and frustrated, I smacked his chest. “Ouch!”
“You want me to pick up everything I’m doing here to just hang out with you in Boston?” He really didn’t care about anyone but himself.
“You want me to stay in Chicago just so I can hang out with you!”
“You’re from Chicago! I’m not asking you to pick anything. I’m saying stay where you belong.”
He cracked his head to the side and clenched his fist. “Why is this where I belong? Why can’t I decide where I belong on my own without everyone else trying to force me!”
“Because this is home. This is where your family is.” Why didn’t he get it? This was where our memories were. Where we were surrounded by everything we could possibly need. “Why are you so dead set on leaving?” On leaving me?
He hung his head, brushing his hands through his hair.
“I want to know who I am beyond this family, Helen. I want to find myself by myself. Why is that such a bad thing? Why is everyone trying to fault me for finding my own path instead of walking the one they laid out for me? Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do?”
“Okay, then go,” I muttered.
“I don’t want to go and then not talk to you because you’re upset with me.”
Everything always had to be on his terms. “Fine, go, I won’t be mad. I’ll call when I have time and fill you in.”
He didn’t say anything, so I looked toward him. He was giving me a face.
“What?”
“When you have time?” he repeated in disgust. “What am I, an ex-boyfriend you’re trying to get rid of?”
If only!
“What more do you want from me!? Jeez, you’re so bloody needy,” I muttered.
He laughed, bumping his shoulders into mine. “Just want to make sure my best friend isn’t bailing on me.”
“Says the best friend who is bailing.”
“How did we become best friends anyway?” he questioned and pulled out a Twix bar, opened the wrapper, and gave me one Twix stick before taking the other.
“You were jealous of me.”
“Say what?” he questioned, trying not laugh.
Taking a bite of the Twix, I nodded, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “You hated how close me and Dona were getting. You felt like I was taking your twin away, and so you kept making me play with you instead…since Dona wanted more girlfriends. But then we had more fun doing things Dona didn’t want to do. Dona then got jealous and made me spend more time with her. And back and forth and back and forth, like that.”
“I don’t remember that,” he said seriously, taking a bite. The look on my face must have been hilarious because he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Shut up!”