Just a Crush

Chapter 25

"Are you insane?"

Aubrey gaped at Travis. How could he ask the lady that? He had zero sensitivity. She stared closely at the lady trying to gauge if she was offended but she only laughed and batted her hand as if Travis had shared a friendly joke. Okay. Maybe she was crazy.

A few awkward seconds later she calmed down and pulled a small rag from her handbag to wipe the sweat off her face. Travis looked away. The rag - my God, it was fucking soaked.

"Crazy. Loony. High." The woman grinned and shook her head. "It's not the first time someone's asked me that."

"And it won't be the last."

"Please excuse him," Aubrey said cutting in before Travis really got out of hand. "He can't help but be a jerk. You actually caught him on a very good day."

Travis let the little insult slide. Most times he agreed with everything she threw at him and other times he just brushed them off. He knew for a fact that it pissed her off because she couldn't argue with him if he never argued back.

Aubrey actually stood and engaged the woman in a pointless conversation. Aubrey was his girl and he liked her a lot but she was just too damn nice. She needed to learn to tell people to fuck off.

"Okay. That's enough Marjorie. Leave them alone."

A man came jogging down the sidewalk towards them and apologized profusely as he steered the woman they now knew as Marjorie in the opposite direction. Travis recognized him too. How the hell did he put up with that woman?

"Okay. So. Yeah...What was that?"

Travis brought his hand up and rubbed his ear. He looked down at Aubrey. Damn. Everyone on earth probably heard her. The looks they were getting proved it.

"What's all the attitude for?" he asked deliberately dragging the words out lazily. Just as he expected, her eyes darkened and her lips curled up. There she went getting angry for no reason at all.

"You're the one with the attitude," she said. The lady didn't seem to notice Travis' open hostility but she still felt bad about it. "You didn't have to be so rude to her."

"Listen. Margarine -"

"Marjorie!" Aubrey threw her hands out. "Her name is Marjorie."

"Margarine tried to take a picture of this." Travis emphasized his point by grabbing his crotch. "To show her old freaky friends. And I'm the rude one?"

Silence. "That was - Oh my god. Oh my God. The lady from the football game." Aubrey sucked in a breath and snapped her fingers repeatedly. She started laughing uncontrollably. Travis waited patiently for her to finish and after a minute or so she finally did.

"No wonder you were so defensive. What'd you think she was going to do? Rip your pants off?"

She wiped at the dampness in the corner of her eyes. He glared at her and she looped her arms through his and ruffled his hair. "If she touched you I would have kicked her ass."

Travis looked down at her with cool eyes. "Aubrey. Please."

"Hey!" Aubrey gave him an offended look. "I'm serious."

Whenever she heard of girls fighting over a guy or vice versa she always thought they were stupid. Why fight over someone who most likely didn't like you back? In the end you'd only end up hurt and looking stupid. That's how she used to think - until Hannah.

Because of that girl she finally understood why girls slapped the hell out of other girls. Ever since the look she'd gotten at the game, she just had this overwhelming urge to drag Hannah's face over a grater again and again. Just thinking about her was putting her in a sour mood.