Page 105 of Eleanor & Grey
The minute he left, I pulled out my cell phone and texted Shay.
Me:Landon asked about you today.
Shay:Oh yeah? Did you tell him to burn in hell? I hope you told him to go to hell.
I smirked, knowing it was getting under her skin a little.
Shay:How did he look? Did he look uglier in person than he does in the movies?
Me:Oddly enough, he looks even better.
Shay:Ugh. Of course he does. Whatever, I’m done thinking about him.
Shay:But just to be clear, did you tell him I was doing great and I never thought about him again after high school? Next time make sure to tell him that.
Shay:God. I hate him. How dare he just randomly ask about me! The nerve.
She kept rambling on and on, and I felt a bit pleased about it. It was nice to have something to tease her about now, seeing how she always teased me when it came to Greyson. It felt as if my cousin and I were finally on an even playingfield. Each time she mocked me, I’d be ready to mock her right back.
* * *
“How long are you going to walk me to class?” Karla groaned as we headed to her first period of school the Monday after Lorelai’s party. It was our new normal, and needless to say, she hated every second of it.
“Until your father tells me to stop, I guess,” I replied.
She sighed. “He’s been extra annoying lately.”
“He’s just doing his job, Karla. That’s all. He’s been going through a lot.”
“We’ve all been going through a lot.”
“Yeah, I know.”
She huffed. “You have no idea,” she grumbled.
I combed my hand through my hair and gave her a small smile. “You know, I was around your age when I lost my mother too. So I know how hard that can be.”
“Yeah? Did it leave you scarred up like a monster too?” she asked before glancing my way and shaking her head. “Oh wait, nope. You’re still beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful, too, Karla, and trust me, this is not what I looked like in high school. My nickname was Brace Face.”
“Oh, wow, so I guess you and me are the same!” she exclaimed, her sarcasm loud and clear. “My scars arejustlike having braces. I can’t wait to grow out of this stage of my life. Oh wait...” She rolled her eyes extra hard.
“Watch where you’re going, freak,” someone muttered as they bumped into Karla, making her stumble backward.
“Hey, watch it!” I barked, though Karla seemed pretty unfazed by it all. Those kinds of things happened to her moreoften than not, even with me standing right there beside her. I couldn’t imagine the things they were brave enough to say to her when an adult wasn’t around.
“Just let it happen, Eleanor. Clods are gonna do what clods are gonna do,” she said matter-of-factly, keeping her head down.
I raised an eyebrow. Did she say clods? “Did you just make aWesley Petersreference?”
“Yes, duh.”
“You’re aWesley Petersfan?”
“It’s iconic in today’s world, Eleanor,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“Um, hi, I am aWesley Petersfanatic. I’ll have you know I loved the series before you were even born. I used to have to wait years for the next book to come out!”
