Remember When #featured #AllStars

Chapter 25

I was surprised by her tone and just answered, "Mmm hmm."

I went about my task, opening a bag of Ruffles and dumping them into one of the Tupperware bowls that was waiting on the table. Margie gave a snort and spat back, "So, what, are you guys like back together again or something?"

I folded the empty bag and threw it in the trash as I shot a confused look her way. When I saw the snotty look on her face, I decided to say, "Um, not that I owe you an explanation, but we're just friends."

She crossed her arms and added, "Well, no wonder. I heard you wouldn't give it up and that's why he broke up with you."

What?

I was stunned on about twenty different levels.

Firstly, I couldn't believe how Margie was talking to me. It's not like we were bestest buddies or anything, but we'd always been friendly with each other over the years. Yet there she was, talking at me as if our friendship suddenly didn't exist.

Mostly, I was surprised at what she'd said about Trip and me. People thought we were a couple at one point? And they thought we'd broken up because I was holding out on him?

I was fairly shocked to find I was the subject of a very misinformed grapevine. God. Didn't people have anything better to do with their time than talk shit about other people's lives?

I leaned against the counter across from Margie with my arms crossed, mirroring her same pose. I felt my anger rising like a heat wave up the back of my neck. Any minute, steam would start escaping from my ears.

"First of all, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." I leaned forward, trying to seem intimidating, and aimed two fingers in her direction to continue, "And secondly, it's none of your business!" I only half-registered that Lisa had entered the kitchen as I added, "What the hell is your problem tonight anyway? Are you serious?"

Margie snorted back, "Are you? What, you think a guy like Trip enjoys your company so much, he's willing to take cold showers every night?"

What was up with her? What a psychopath!

Before I could get over my astonishment and say a single word, Lisa piped up. "What do you care?"

Margie actually had the bad taste to look smug as she said, "Well, I got to second with him, which was further than her."

Lisa snapped back, "Yeah, in front of everyone, trampoid. Too bad you skipped first, probably because he couldn't risk taking the bag off your head."

Margie's jaw dropped open, but she didn't dare say anything back. She knew she'd been outmatched. She just gave a huff and stormed out of the room, leaving Lisa and me to look at each other in disbelief.

I would have laughed, but I was still too taken aback to find any humor in the situation. I mean, Margie and I didn't hang out every other minute, but we were sociable enough in school, and even if that weren't the case, I thought she had acted entirely out of line. I didn't know where the nasty streak was coming from.

Two hours later, we saw her making out with Rymer in the hallway, so Lisa and I figured she must have just been completely drunk. Or on drugs. Or had survived a massive blow with a blunt object to her head.

How else to explain not only the bad attitude toward me, but the fact that she was hooking up with Rymer?

Speaking of hooking up... Sargento and Heather seemed to be hitting it off, without any intervention from me or Lisa, so it was like they were meant to be. But even more unexpected was watching Cooper lavish attention on Heather's friend Becca all night. I knew she'd had a crush on him forever and I couldn't help thinking that if Coop hadn't spent the better part of the past six months nursing my broken heart, those two could have gotten something going a lot sooner. Now, with only a summer left before we all went our separate ways, I felt like I'd robbed both of them the chance to actually give the relationship a real go.

Standing there watching them gave me the smallest attack of jealousy. Not so much that Coop had finally gotten over me, but more because I'd spent my entire senior year basically single, in love with someone who would never see me as more than a friend. It was agony, but I was learning to deal with it, because I knew it was even more tortuous when Trip was totally cut out of my life. After half a year in that state, I'd already decided that having him as a friend was better than not having him at all.

I felt an arm slip around my waist and turned my head to see Trip smiling behind me. How did I live the past months, not seeing him smile at me like that? I gave his arm a quick squeeze as he asked, "Having fun yet?"

I could feel the length of his body pressed right up against mine from my shoulder to my calves. Yeah. I'd say I was having fun.

"Yep. Another Rymer party. Fun, fun, fun."

He laughed and released me from our hug. "Jeez, Lay. That dress is something else. I almost feel like I should take you out of here to ah, you know..." then he leaned in to whisper, "go dancing."

Such a tease.

I was thinking of calling him out for being a big flirt, but instead, the words that came out of my mouth were, "Actually, you think we could find somewhere to go talk?"

He raised an eyebrow, almost mocking me for suggesting we "go talk", which in high school world, was a euphemism for "make out". But he saw the serious look on my face and must have decided not to bust my chops. "Yeah, sure. I kinda figured you'd want to eventually. Let's start saying goodbye while we polish off our drinks."

"Sounds like a plan."

 ***New chapter tomorrow! (Not to be a tease, but you're gonna love it. Just sayin'.)***

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