Strings Attached

Chapter Four

"Well, you can't really blame her, Mom," I said. "Food is our Heaven here in Earth." I winked and Theodore, and he smiled.

"It certainly is," he said sheepishly.

"That's true, Mom!" Brianna exclaimed. "You can't blame me for the deliciousness of food!"

"Bri, you've got problems," I said, grinning.

"Not true!" Brianna exclaimed as she rubbed her stomach with her hands. "Ow! Maybe a little!"

"Next time, you should watch what you eat before you eat it," Mom told her.

"Maybe next time," Bri promised. "But for now, I need something for my tummy!"

Mom simply sighed. "Come on, Bri. I'll give you some medication."

Brianna and Mom walked into the kitchen, and Theodore and I stood in the living room by ourselves. I hated to admit it, but Theodore was not that bad. Perhaps if he dyed his hair a natural color and stopped talking in riddles I would consider him normal. But then again, who is normal anymore?

"So you liked my quote, huh?" he teasingly asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, it wasn't anything special. Get over it."

Theodore chuckled. "Why don't you admit that you do like me already?" he said.

I blushed and shook my head in terror. "What! I don't like you! You're so dislikeable that you make me want to puke."

"Is that so?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes! In fact, you are worse than an empty jar of Nutella!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, don't even mention that. It's every food lover's worst nightmare!" he exclaimed melodramatically.

"Exactly, and you are worse than that," I stated.

I smiled, proud of myself for having been able to compare him to a jar of Nutella.

Of course, I instantly realized how stupid my comparison had been and felt like punching myself for my stupidity.

"Well, I do like you," he said. "You're very cool."

I sighed. He was being nice to me, even when I had just told him that we was worse than a food's lover worst nightmare.

The thing is... He was not that bad. I did like him, but I did not want him to know that. Boys tend to become cockier and more conceited when a girl tells them that she likes them, even if they only see them as friends. Boys tend to misinterpret our words, and I did not want to leave room for misunderstandings.

Theodore was nice and all, but he was still a boy. Boys acted cocky when a girl was nice to them, immediately thinking that the girl had feelings for them. It was stupid, but it would happen. I did not want for Theodore to think that I had feelings for him, because I honestly did not, so I decided to simply change the topic as subtly as possible.

I fake yawned. "I'm getting sleepy."

Theodore raised his eyebrow. "It's barely seven P.M."

I felt like punching myself again. Why did I always humiliate myself in front of the opposite sex?

"Right." I fake yawned again. "I should be asleep by now. I started a new, um, diet, and it consists on eating all your foods by six P.M. and then going to sleep at six thirty."

Seriously? What was wrong with me that day? If there were an award for the lamest excuses ever, I would definitely win it. I always found a way to embarrass myself, and I did not even have to try to do it. I only had to be my lame, stupid self.