Proving Webster Wrong

Chapter Eleven -- Chloe

"I'm taking you," Andrew said, his eyes staring me down so hard I was sure I'd be able to feel the heat from them and know without looking. He picked up another honeysuckle and turned it over in his fingers. "Your Dad warned me that you had never dated anyone before. Why haven't you?"

It was such a stupid question. Why should he care if I had ever dated anyone?  My fingers started twisting. "Because I just never wanted to."

"You're lying," Andrew said as he tossed his second bloom onto the ground. He pointed to my twisting fingers. "Have you ever liked someone?"

"A long time ago, but never enough to date them." I knew what question was next. My fingers twisted faster. Count to sixteen, it'll all be over soon. I had lied and he was going to ask me all three of the allowed questions.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees."Who was it?" So obvious. 

I laughed with ever word of my answer, "You. It was back in seventh grade, but Crystal had called dibs. I'm over it now. It was just a stupid middle school crush."

It wasn't all a complete lie. Crystal had only called dibs because I told her he was like a brother because I didn't want her to know. It had taken me forever to get over that, to be okay with seeing the two of them together. A heartbreak that I refused to call what it was, because I was scared. But it wasn't as bad as the heartbreak I knew could be down the road if I hadn't lied to her,  the break up heartbreak. A little scratch to protect guard against a gash. A shot of a dead virus to keep from getting the real thing.

"So why haven't you dated anyone at all?"

"Because of my OCD. It tears things apart and I don't want to give it something else," I looked down at my hands as I whispered the words.

I wanted there to be a teasing smile on his face, to know that he was getting joy out of this. I don't know why, really. I guess I just wanted to know that he was enjoying the torture while he could because things wouldn't be fun for him when I had my turn. But his face was dropped into that frown he always seemed to wear.

"Did you know that when you frown like that it makes it look like you have cotton balls stuffed right below the corners of your mouth?" I wanted my words to be harsh, but I remembered the rules and tried to keep my voice light.

Andrew turned to look at his reflection in the back window of the truck. He poked at the spots with this fingers. Then he tried on different expressions. "Nah, it always looks like that."

I wanted to say something about it being from all the frowning he does. That his muscles would be stuck in that position for the rest of his life, like how adults always tell a child crossing their eyes that they would get stuck like that.

"Question number three." His fingers went to the clasp of his watch and started fiddling. The clicking of the clasp was annoying. "What is your favorite cookie?"

I laughed as he bit the honeysuckle and spit out the end. "All cookies are great. I'm not choosing between them. Although sugar cookies are gross, so plain." I was laughing so hard it was silent so I looked like I was choking. I don't know what was so funny. Maybe it was the relief of it not being such a personal question. Though, my grandma always says that you can tell a lot about a person by what sort of cookies they like.

She would never tell me what me not liking sugar cookies meant. As a kid I liked to believe I liked adventure and imagination since I like everything except for the most ordinary. I was wrong. I didn't like adventure, unless it was in a good story.

Andrew was laughing too. I thought he was laughing at me laughing like an idiot, but I couldn't stop myself.

Finally we caught our breathe. Once our faces weren't so red and our faces ached Andrew gave the next question. "What do you want to do after graduation?"