Everything Has Changed

Chapter Eleven: First Day Part Two

"Tomorrow." He says. "At four. I sent her your number but she said you didn't answer."

"What's her number?" I ask.

"It's some weird area code. I don't know."

I pause. "Oh, I didn't answer that for a reason."

"Why?" He wonders.

"I thought it was my Mom."

"Oh." He says. "Grace,"

"At home." I cut him off.

*****

Lunch and the next three periods consisted of us talking about stupid stuff, making fun of the teacher, and me avoiding everything he tried to bring up that was even remotely serious.

Now we're at my house after his Mom dropped us off. We're sitting in my room with a plate of chicken nuggets, and neither one of us is talking.

I know we're going to have to talk eventually, but neither one of us knows how to bring it up.

"Grace," he starts at the same time I say, I just don't understand why you didn't tell me that she's pregnant."

We both sigh at the same time, and he presses his lips together.

"Crystal isn't pregnant."

I raise my eyebrows.

"She's not?"

"No." He says. "Kyle made that up."

"Why? Did you tell him to?"

"No." He sighs. "He was trying to get you to talk to me."

"So he faked a pregnancy?" I ask.

"Basically, yeah. I broke up with Crystal, you know. About two hours after you moved out, I broke up with her."

"I wasn't trying to force you to break up with her." I mutter. "I just think she's bad for you. She's toxic. You shouldn't be with somebody that treats you like shit. And also, if you guys are broken up, why were you hanging out this morning?"

"We weren't. I asked her to give me my jacket back."

I nod slowly as I let the information sink in.

The plate of nuggets is empty so I take it to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher. I rinse the dip bowl and put that in the dishwasher too, and then I walk back into my bedroom.

He's standing up now.

"You don't have to be anxious. I'm over it. We can go back to being friends."

"Grace, I'm a virgin."

I pause before sitting down and turn to him fully.

"You told me you had sex with Crystal."

"I know."

"But you didn't?"

"Right. I was hanging out with her that day but we just made out and that's it. I didn't even grope her or anything. And we didn't do anything more than that during the four days we were together."