Teach Me To Behave

9. What You Don't Know

I'm lying on my bed for the final night of our break. There's a knock on the door. "Come in" I offer. The door creaks open and Joey's head slowly pops in, "Get out." I retreat.

Joey ignored my orders and enters, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry" he forces out uneasily. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I was just . . . concerned." I sit up and place my back against the head board of my bed. I don't respond to him. He comes over and sits on the edge of my bed. "The silent treatment? Really Mila? In all fairness, I told you that I didn't like him before you decided that you did. What happened to bros before hoes?" He whines.

I puff out a held together giggle. I didn't want to laugh, I wanted to prove to him that I was really upset, but I couldn't help it with him. I slap his arm as hard as I can, "Ow!"

"That was for making me laugh when you know I'm mad at you" I crossed my arms. Joey smiled at my right before I swung at him again.

"Ow! What the hell!?" He rubs his arm.

"And that was for acting like a total jerk!" I acknowledge.

"Fine. I'll take that hit. I'll take another one if you stop talking to him completely" Joey bargains. I shake my head, pouting my lips at him. "Joking" He decides, putting his hands up in defense.

I wait a long silent moment before I begin the serious-best-friend-talk that was bound to happen anyway. "Joe. I understand why you don't want me around him. I know that I barely know who he is, and trust me that scares me more than it should scare you. Because the more I don't know about him, is the more I want to be around him to learn more about him. We've known each other for years, and how many guys have I day dreamed about?"

"A lot" Joey chuckles answering my question.

"And how many of those guys have I actually talked to and wanted to make something happen?" I ask raising my brows.

Joey pauses, pretending to count on his fingers, avoiding the painful truth. I slap his shoulder and we both laugh. "None." He answered truthfully.

"Exactly. And now he comes along and trust me he is the LAST person I would've ever expected to have this weird connection with, but I do. And I know you think that he's just playing this role to mess with you or that I'm just another girl that he's flirting with, but I can feel it. It's not like that." I explain trying to get through to him.

Joey shakes his head, "If you can say those same things after he gets what he wants, which is to get in your pants, then I may take what you're saying into consideration."

I don't respond. I look down at my lap and fiddle with my fingers.

"Come on Mila, why do you think he sees you any different? Just imagine how many girls he's slept with" Joeys pushing me in the direction he wants me to go, but trust me, I've thought of all these things.

"I know one of them . . ." I whisper almost silently. I pray that he didn't hear me, that way I can cover it up with; nothing, I said nothing. But when I look up at his face, I realize I'm outta luck.

"You slept with him? You-" Joey's jaw is dropped and he says no more.

"It wasn't like that" I try to smooth out the confession but there's nothing to really dim it down. It is what it is. "I didn't plan on it, it just all happened so fast and I wanted him so bad t-"

"T.M.I" Joey says putting his hand over my mouth. I chuckled under the layering of his palm.

Joey stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He breathes through his nose, in then out. "We're best friends and that means everything I do is out of love. But you're right, I shouldn't have acted the way I acted. It's your life. Your love life. I just don't wanna see you get hurt. He's not a bad guy, he's really not. He's just . . . different. He's like a special case." Joey pauses. I say nothing, not until he's finished. "People can change, I suppose, act different for a specific person in their lives. I'm not saying he's incapable of love or lust, I'm just saying it's all buried deep down inside him somewhere. Though, if anyone's gonna dig it out of him, it's gonna be you. It's up to you Mila. I'll always be your best bud. I'll always be here for you no matter what you decide. Just please-"