“So, Rebecca, fun day at school?”
“Leave me alone,” Rebecca snapped. “I hate you. Just take Molly home.”
“Such anger!”
When Alex pulled up in front of my house, Rebecca got out of the passenger seat and let me out.
“Bye, Molly,” Alex said casually, winking at me. “You’re sexy.”
“Alex!” Rebecca cried, blushing herself. “I told you, leave her alone!”
The last thing I heard as I ran inside was Alex’s cold laughter, filling the air like smoke.
“Earth to Molly!” Rebecca said, snapping her fingers in the air.
I blushed hotly, the memory of Alex’s taunting still lingering in my mind.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “What did you say?”
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “I can obviously tell you’ve got a thing for someone! You’ve been drifting off all afternoon! Spill,” she commanded, cocking her head to the side and looking at me over the edges of her glasses.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “I don’t have a crush on anyone!”
Rebecca shook her head and laughed. “You are so full of it,” she said. “Just tell me, Mol. You know I don’t care!”
I bit my lip. It’s your brother, I thought, wondering if I could ever confess how I really felt about Alex. But instantly, I knew – there was no way Rebecca would ever be accepting. Even if she didn’t totally hate her brother, she didn’t like her parents for favoring him. And while I knew she was right, it still made me feel a little weird.
"I can't," I said, biting my lip. “I don’t know. I don’t think he’d ever like me!”
“Well, I can’t even give you advice if you won’t tell me,” Rebecca said dryly. She closed her textbooks and leaned back in the chair with a sigh.
I wrinkled my nose. “You’ve never had a boyfriend, either.”
“He
y!”
“Well, it’s true.”
Rebecca looked sheepish. “No,” she said. “But I have had sex, remember?”
“I don’t know what I want,” I said softly.
“If he’s a college boy, he probably just wants sex.”
Again, Alex’s handsome face popped into my mind.
“He’s older,” I said. “Five or six years.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Alex is twenty-eight, and he’s still the biggest pig I’ve ever met. I don’t know how mature most guys are around that age, but I’d expect something better.”
I sighed. “Can we just not talk about your brother for like, ten minutes?” I asked, shaking my head. “It’s not that I don’t like him…”
“I know, you’re sick of my complaining,” Rebecca said. “I’m sorry. I’m just kind of mad – I really wish my family would come around!”
I nodded. “I know.” Suddenly, an image of a guy from school popped into my head. He wasn’t anything like Alex – he was lanky and lean, with dark hair in a braid, but he had smiled at me a couple of times. Once, he’d even told me that he liked my jeans.
“So?” Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “Who is this mystery would-be lover of yours?”