Proving Webster Wrong

Chapter Two -- Drew

"A little grease never hurt anyone," I said. It probably actually had but didn't think about that.

"It never did anyone any good, either," she replied with a smile. "Aren't you going to bless the food, Andrew?" she said raising her eyebrows again. It was like a command, the same old bossy she had always been. At least bossy Chloe was different from bossy Crystal. How had I ever gotten used to being surrounded by so many bossy girls?

We bowed our heads and I said grace in a voice that was probably too quite and too fast. Nothing about this situation felt normal, like old times, like I had hoped it would.

I took a bite of my pizza and chewed. Chloe watched me, her eyes squinting, and her hands never touching her pizza. "This is good pizza," I said after swallowing hard.

"Start explaining things."

Another bite. A sip of soda. Wipe the grease from my fingers and I try to think.

"Stop trying to be gentle or what ever with your word choice. Just tell me what's going on." Her voice was harsh but there was a bit of concern there. What her face didn't give away her voice sure did. Whether she admitted to it or not Chloe really did care about people. I spent enough time at all things drama club related thanks to Crystal to see the mother goose quality she had around the younger students.

"I don't know where to start," I gave up and admitted.

"Start with why you broke up with Crystal." One hand moved to the pizza.

"Chloe, this whole thing might be easier if you would eat. It's kind of –"

"Awkward with me just staring at you? Okay, I understand." She picked up the slice and took a bit. "See, if you tell me what you're thinking things are much easier."

I wanted to add, "says the girl that never really tells anyone what she's thinking," but thought better of it.

"Well, you know how she is, always controlling everything and insulting everyone," I started. It's hard to tell someone why you broke up with your girlfriend when it turns out that the two of them really are so much alike.

"Andrew, I think we both know that there's difference between what Crystal was really like and what you're describing." She had already gotten through the first slice of pizza and was now going through her routine on a second.

I finished off my own slice. "I guess so."

"Do you want to know what I think?"

I nodded and gulp down some soda. That's why she was here. I needed my old best friend again. I need things to just be like they were before it all got so twisted and wrong.

"I think the whole situation seemed a little too much like an abusive relationship."

I nearly spit the mouthful of soda across the table onto her but instead it just dribbled from my nose and mouth down my chin. Chloe reached for a napkin and hand it to me, covering her mouth with the other in a poor attempt to kind her snickers. It didn't do anything to hid the way her eyes crinkled up at the corners in a way that made her hidden smile more real than the toothy fake one she had shown earlier.

"It wasn't an abusive relationship," I said once my face had been cleaned of the soda and spit.

"Abuse is as much psychological as it is physical. Think about it."

It could have been true. Crystal had always controlled everything so much that I never had any say. Anytime I might make a choice she would go on about how stupid I was and she was constantly talking about how I wasn't "man enough." I was never allowed to hang out with any of my friends because she always complained until it was just the two of us or we were with her friends. And the whole reason our old group had been torn apart was her insane jealousy. She saw to it that I never spoke to Chloe or Terri-Beth. It was if she had just decided one day that they would be her greatest enemies.

"I guess it could have sort of been that way." I felt the blood rush to my ears.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just as possible for a guy to be in an abusive relationship as a girl."

"Where are you coming up with this stuff?" I shoved a large bite of pizza into my mouth. She was starting to sound like someone that thought it might me cool to be a psychologist so she had read a bunch of online articles.

It was her turn to pick up a napkin and take her time wiping the grease from her fingers. "Why am I the one you're telling this too?"

"Because we used to be best friends. You were always the person that I told everything."

"That was when we were kids. We grew up, Andrew."

"No, we were pushed apart."

She brought her hands up to the table and started doing twisting thing with her finger again. Her face was stone. I didn't have a clue what she could be thinking.