When Barbie Takes Over

38- The Talk

“After dinner he got really jumpy. He was like that for a while, then he got really grumpy. I think he’s just over tired with the basketball season starting on Friday, you know the stress?” Ashley suggested.

“Basketball starts Friday?” I asked. I hadn’t known this, Garrett never mentioned it.

“Yeah it does,” Ashley said.

“Huh.”

“So if you run into him upstairs, just be warned that he’s a bit grouchy,” Ashley said.

“Okay,” I said.

I continued crutching up the stairs and into my temporary room. I shrugged off my sweater and placed it on the bed before crossing the hall to Garrett’s room.

I knocked on the door but there was no response. When I knocked again and I was still answered with silence, I pushed open the door.

“Gare?” I asked.  I noticed he was sitting on his bed, his headphones and his laptop balanced on his lap.

I crutched into the room and tapped Garrett on the shoulder. He jumped slightly before his eyes settled on me and he scowled. He slipped the headphones off and placed them on the laptop.

“Finally remember about me, eh?” Garrett sneered. He put his laptop on the nightstand so that I had his full attention.

“You wanted to talk?” I asked, not fazed by his rudeness. His parents had said he was grouchy. I moved his legs over and sat on the edge of his bed, placing my crutches on the floor so they were out of my way.

“Yeah but I meant earlier,” Garrett said with the same rudeness as before.

“You said when I got back, and I’m back now,” I said with a shrug.

“I thought you would be back a long time ago!”

“Does it matter, Gare? I’m here now,” I said. “I could leave if you wanted me to?”

“No!” Garrett said quickly and loudly. “No,” he said in a more quiet tone. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Sorry, I just, I- I thought that you were avoiding me for some reason. I thought that you didn’t really want to talk to me. Especially after last night...”

“Gare, my parents just wanted to spend some time with me. I swear. I’m not avoiding you or anything. I really do want to know what you want to talk about, and why would last night matter?” I said, discarding all his doubts in one speech.

Garrett moved so that he was sitting next to me with his feet touching the floor like me. He rested his elbows on his knees, and then his head in his hands.

“Ugh, I’m sorry Pigtails. I just, I really want to talk to you and I just kind of freaked out,” he said into his hands.

“It’s fine.” I said. I then rammed my shoulder playfully against his. “So what’d ya want to talk about?”

“Oh well um...” Garrett stood up suddenly and tripped over my crutches. I giggled at the panicked look on his face when he stumbled slightly. But he caught himself and kept walking towards the door.

After closing it Garrett joined me on the bed again.

“I want to...” Garrett looked down at his comforter so he wouldn’t have to look at me. “Apologize for everything last week.”

“What?” I asked. Last time I checked, I had been the one to break us up, not him. It was because of what I did that he broke up with me.

“You kept trying to apologize and I kept... I kept pushing you away, I’m sorry about that,” Garrett said, meeting my eyes. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please just hear me out?”