Page 127 of Wrong For Me

I shrug. “He was a dumbass.”

Bodhi leans across the table. “Yeah, but you needed that job. And you quit, without having anything else lined up.”

“It was a part-time, minimum wage job in a college town. They’re not exactly rare.” I’d found another one the next day so I don’t understand why he’s going on about this. “I’m not going to work with someone like that, dude.”

“And what about the time sophomore year when I got mono and my douchebag Economics professor wouldn’t let me out of my midterm?”

I’m feeling distinctly uncomfortable now. “You sat in on the review lecture and took notes,” he continues when I don’t answer. “And when my mom called me panicking because her faucet broke off and water was shooting all over the kitchen? My dad was out of town and she couldn’t get a plumber to answer after hours and God knows I had no idea what to do.” He looks at me pointedly. “You went over there with me at midnight on a school night and fixed it.”

I shift. “It wasn’t like it was hard.” Besides, Bodhi’s mom had always been good to me. Any time she sent him care packages at school, she always made sure to send me one as well.

He’s grinning. “And what about the time—”

“Bodhi, is there a point to this?”

“Yes.” He presses his palms against the table. “The point is, you’re a really good friend, whatever you might think about yourself. Are you grumpy sometimes? Sarcastic? Sure—but that’s part of your charm. You’re also loyal as hell. You would defend your mother to the death no matter what she put you through as a kid.”

“It wasn’t her fault—”

“Iknow, Leo. She wasn’t well. But a lot of kids would have a damn hard time getting past the way that illness affected them. And I’m not saying that you’re not kind of messed up about your childhood, but that’s never stopped you from loving your mom.”

When I don’t say anything, he continues. “You’re also pretty fun to hang out with, when you let your guard down a little. You always make me laugh—” When I raise my eyebrow he smiles. “Your humor might be a bit more, uh, sharp than mine, but again, that’s part of your charm.”

I snort. Sharp. I guess that’s one way to put it.

“You’re also really smart, when you’re not being a dumbass. It’s nice to have a friend who can talk about real shit, not just football and video games.”

I shift in my seat. “This is nice of you, man, but if you’re ramping up to tell me you have feelings for me or something—“

He grabs an empty beer can that was left on the table and tosses it, hitting me straight in the forehead. “Hey!”

“What I’m saying, you dick, is that you’re my best friend for a reason. You’re not a bad person, Leo. You love that girl, I know you do. You would never do anything to hurt her, not like this.” He ducks his head, waiting for me to meet his eyes. When I do, I see nothing but sincerity in his gaze. “Of course you didn’t do this. Youcouldn’t.”

I have to look away, because I’m pretty sure the stinging in my eyes is tears. Bodhi would never make fun of me—hell, he’d probably burst into tears too, and make me hug him or something.

“You need to stop beating yourself up all the time,” he says firmly. “You love Rose. You’re good for her. And God knows she’s good for you.” He snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile as much as you have since that conference.”

“But what does that matter now?” I ask, my eyes still stinging. I point to his phone. “She thinks I betrayed her. Thinks I sold her secrets to a tabloid.” I shake my head. “This has happened to her before, man. And she did tell me that shit about her mom. She’s not answering her phone. It’s pretty obvious what she’s thinking.”

“This situation is messed up,” he says. “She’s probably overwhelmed and upset. But I don’t think she actually believes you would do something like this.”

“Why?” I ask, having no idea why Rose would trust me but desperate to believe him all the same.

He smiles. “Because she loves you too, man.” He leans across the table, his expression fierce. “So drink your beer, take a couple deep breaths, and let’s figure out how you get your girl back.”