Girls Chase Girls | #1 [COMPLETE]

Chapter 11 (new)

Phaedra

Phaedra clicked her tongue, killing time. Because oh no, no way was she letting Xia get away that easily. "Okay, so you met an imaginary person?"

"Forget it." Xia cut her eyes across the street at—Phae had no idea who she was glaring at. Could be Slenderman for all she cared. She got out of the car, locked it behind her from habit.

"No way. You don't get to walk away with my heart, because you're too scared to have a fight."

Xia hissed, "Some of us like not having a criminal record. That must be really hard for you to beat."

"Wow, that's so uncalled for. You act like you're making the big sacrifice here, but you've got nothing to lose. You get me and I get you. That's fair, right? That's so fair."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's it mean? It means you're insecure and compulsive. You're obsessive. You're way too introverted for most people. You have the worst time just saying what you mean instead of talking around it." Phae just wanted to fix whatever it was. She liked Xia the way she didn't like most people. She wanted to keep her close.

"As if I don't know that! You wanna spend a little longer talking about what you don't like about me. Sure, I'm up for that. Lay it on me."

"This is what I'm talking about. Why would I spend a month hanging around somebody who got on my nerves? Yeah, I'll skip the drumroll—I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that. I'm cutthroat, I'm a roughneck; I keep a roll of pennies in my glove compartment because I'll get jail time if cops catch me with brass knuckles. I'm trouble and I know how to get into some. I know how to stay out of it, too. I know how to make my problems disappear."

"Are you threatening me?"

"God, you're killing me, Xia. I'm dying right now. Look at me, dying, dollface. How can you do me like this?"

"Stop kidding around. Drop the lingo. Talk to me." She wasn't trying to be invisible now, she was trying to be heard. So was Phae.

"If I wanted you gone, you'd have transferred schools by now. You'd be in Ass End of Nowhere, USA, repeating junior year and crying to your court-appointed therapist. I can do that. I've done stuff like that. I wouldn't do it to you." She didn't do that at all anymore. She had a court-appointed therapist too.

Xia sat down heavily on the curb, her legs having turned leaden under her and knees gone weak. It must be something she ate, or didn't. They hadn't made it to dinner.

"Now, she gets it," Phae muttered under her breath. "I like you. You're not a trick or a joke or a bet. This has always been real. I just didn't know if it was something you wanted or if it was just gratitude getting in the way. Catching one-sided feelings hurts."

Xia sniffed and wiped her face. She reddened further when she realized she'd started to cry. Phaedra took off her scarf and offered it to her as a handkerchief. She hesitated.

"Nothing I can't wash off later."

Xia smiled a little and took it. Phaedra thought she should do more of that. Xia's smiles were small, timid things, like she wasn't quite sure she was being laughed at and wanted to be prepared. Did we do that to her? She couldn't remember ever having it out with the secretary of the Asian Student Association, but maybe she'd just forgotten. Phae used to be mean before she started liking herself. The other girl took her hand and tangled their fingers together in a warm, slightly sticky mess. Phae sat next to her.

"Do you," Xia started and lost her nerve. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Go out with me—again, I mean. Something I want to do. Let's go do something."