To My Future Cheating Husband

XIII. Plumber Prince

I shook my head, "Nothing." The diagram the teacher drew is questionable. It looks like a cow when it's supposed to be a map of the world.

"You look like someone who's in distress," Shelbie wasn't looking at me anymore. She leaned closer, "Want to hear something?"

"What?"

"I met a cute plumber."

My pencil drops, but no one paid attention. They were either on their phones or dead asleep. Somehow, a good majority of them manage to keep their eyes open. How talented. "What?"

"Remember when you talked to me about plumbers?"

I nod, "Yeah."

"And our whole conversation about how it's none of anyone business who someone else dates?"

"Yeah." I don't understand how the less than five minutes conversation could do anything.

"Well, after I went home. I thought about things, and my dad's friends - plumber - had a party. He got invited, and he asked me if I wanted to go. So, I thought - why not?"

"You...went to a plumbers party?"

She nods, "There was this plumber apprentice, and he is so cute. Want to see him?"

"Sure." There may be a chance I hooked her up with someone else other than her future husband.

Shelbie leans her phone towards me. The history teacher noticed our interactions but ignored it. I think he's finished with teenagers. My eyes parted slightly at the young man on the phone. Nope. Nothing changed. That's her husband.

"Cute, huh?"

I nod, "Adorable."

Shelbie puts the phone in front of her and smiles widely, "His parents are coming over to have dinner tonight." The school bell rang, and the teacher kicked us out of class.

"I thought you would never date a plumber," I said.

"Yes. But, I realized that's being closed-minded." She gathered her books and walked beside me. "I mean, who would let go of such an adorable guy."

"He deals with toilets." I need to act this way to sound a bit normal. I don't really care whether Shelbie meets her husband now or the future.

"Pipes," she said. "He deals with pipes, and pipes are very important."

"You never thought about pipes before in your life."

"Well, now I do and appreciate every hardworking pipe out there." A guy can really change a girl's perspective.

"Pushing all the plumber and pipes aside. Isn't he way older than you?" Like you're one to talk, Ava.

"No. He's only twenty-one. He started his apprenticeship right after high school. It turns out he went here! I was a freshman when he was a senior! How crazy was that?" She pushes the books closer to her breasts. "If only we knew each other at the time."

"And an eighteen years old would totally be into a fourteen years old."

Shelbie waves me off, "Guess what?"

I can't believe there's more. "What?"

"It turns out we met a few times when we were younger." Her cheeks turn red, "He said I grew up gorgeous." Shelbie touches her face and squeals. "Me! I grew up gorgeous." It's not an unknown fact that Shelbie Xiong is a beautiful young girl, and she will only get more attractive with age.

I leaned against the hallway and shook my head. Ah, young love. Then, the thoughts arrive. Can I have that? Can I become someone who's head over heels for someone else? Someone who can enjoy youth without despair.