The Little Mistakes (boyxboy)

Chapter 33

I slid into the backseat next to a scarily-stoic Phoebe while the other two got into the front seats. It took a little bit to get out of the traffic jam that the parking lot had turned into following the end of a game, but then we were making the short drive home.

I was the last to walk into the house through the front door. Everybody was calling greetings and asking questions from across the house. I said my own hellos to everyone and a happy birthday to Scott before excusing myself to go to my room for a minute.

No sooner had I walked into my closet to change my clothes out for a baggy, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants than did Phoebe walk into my room after me. I hadn’t seen or heard her, but when I turned my shirtless and boxer-clad self around to go grab my pants, she was standing there with a clenched jaw, angry eyes, and crossed arms.

I jumped back a foot or so from the sudden shock of seeing her there. I was embarrassed to admit that I even let out a pathetically-girly shriek as well.

It only took me all of three seconds of looking at her to realize that this wasn’t right. And not because she was clearly going to scream at me for something, but because even though being in your underpants wasn’t that weird, I felt exposed. The huge bruises that I had accumulated on my knees and legs were obvious and then the cluster of small ones on my wrists that I usually kept covered weren’t that inconspicuous either.

“Shit, Phoebe,” I said, nearly in panic-mode as I scrambled to put my clothes on.

“You are so damn unbelievable,” Phoebe started out with. I looked at her in confusion as I finished pulling on my clothes. “How could you do this to me?”

Her tone was so demanding but I couldn’t understand what she was getting at. My brows creased deeply as I looked back at her. “Phoebe, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t even ‘Phoebe’ me,” she snapped. “I knew you were stupid, but I had no idea you were this dumb.”

I blinked at her in shock. “W-what?”

“You know, I bet he doesn’t even like you. He pities you, and that’s all. And you’re probably just as fucking slutty as Kieran can be, maybe even worse. I swear that’s the only thing he wants you for.”

With those words from my little brunette cousin that I had once liked so much, I felt like I had been slapped in the face harder than when Rikert had done it. My throat grew thick with tears when I put the pieces together that she was talking about Rikert and me.

“You’re so pathetic, Caise, that it’s annoying,” she continued. Her hands were flying in anger and I stumbled back, the movements startling me more than her words at this point. “You follow him around and it’s clear to everyone in the world that he could care less about you.”

My heart wrenched and my hands started to shake as much as my bottom lip was. “Phoebe, please don’t--” I feebly tried to say.

The younger girl glared at me. “I’m only telling you the truth. The sooner you get it through your head, the better. Because no one wants you and they never will. You’re an asshole and you’re just freaking sad.” She paused and paced a few steps in front of me. “God, do you even know how much I like him?”

My jaw dropped at her last question, but she never gave me a chance to say anything. She just kept rambling on, yelling and cursing at me. I don’t even know at what point the tears started to fall, but I noticed that my cheeks were wet from them.

“I’ve had my eyes on Rikert Evitts for the last four years, Caise! And then you just swoop in and take him!” Phoebe cried angrily. “He wasn’t even gay. You ruined it, though. You ruined everything like you always do! It’s no wonder you never told anyone who you were dating. Because he’s ashamed of you. And who could even blame him?”