Starboy

Chapter 38: Pink Champagne

"Brandy, Miles, you guys made it!" Natalie says happily.

"Benji, you know Miles, right?" Natalie asks Benji. "Miles is Brandy's boyfriend."

Benji's eyes widen as he looks back and forth between Miles and me. "Your boyfriend?" He stammers as he looks me straight in the eye. "You... you have a boyfriend?"

I bite my lip in nervousness. I try to speak but nothing comes out. I nod as I attempt to say "mhm."

"It's nice to meet you, Benji," Miles says as he reaches out his hand.

Benji scoffs. "You, too," he says as he ignores Mile's handshake. "Brandy, can I talk to you?" He asks me.

"I'll see you later, babe," Natalie says as she walks off.

"I'll just... leave you two alone," Miles says quietly as he also takes off.

When it's just Benji and I, I attempt a smile. "What's up?" I ask.

"Who the hell is that?" He asks. "Your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend," I laugh. "Don't worry. Natalie ran into Miles and i while we were at the mall and she assumed we were dating. We went along with it because I knew she was getting jealous of me," I explain.

"What were you doing with him at the mall?" He interrogates me.

"Well, I ran into him. He helped me pick out this dress. Do you like it?" I ask.

"Of course I love it, Brandy, you look beautiful. I just can't believe you were out with that douchebag."

I narrow my eyes at him, kind of surprised by his attitude. "What's wrong?" I ask. "We're just friends."

"There's no way that guy just wants to be friends with you. You're telling me he's never made a move? And then you invite him as your date to my birthday?"

"Okay, it sounds bad," I say. Then I realize that he is being completely unfair and hypocritical. "Actually, no," I say. "You're here with Natalie," I remind him. "And you kissed her. I've never kissed Miles."

"I didn't kiss Natalie, she kissed me. And I'm only here with her because my parents didn't give me any other choice. You voluntarily came here with him."

"You didn't have any other choice?" I laugh. "You can make any choice you want, Benji, you're a whole ass adult now. You act like your parents have this total control over you and what? Now suddenly you have to listen to them? What changed? Because the Benji I know has never listened to his parents before," I vent.

We both stare at each other, probably disappointed with how this night is going. I realize that the words I had uttered could not be taken back.

"You know what..." I sigh. "Maybe I should just go."

"You would do that to me?" He asks lowly, clearly no longer mad, just tired. "You would ditch me on my birthday?"

"I just don't know what else to do, Benji. You're being really unfair right now, I don't know if I like it," I explain.

"Just tell him to leave," he says.

"I can't do that," I say. "I can't kick him out, I didn't even invite him."

"Then who did?" He scoffs.

"Natalie!" I answer. "Natalie invited him, I just went along with it. So if you really want Miles to go home then you should tell your girlfriend—the person who invited him here—to tell him to go. I can't do this right now." I walk off, not knowing where to go.