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I called her again and as soon as I heard her answer the phone, I started singing "When you feel like crying, just think of , just drea, remember me Call me when you need me Needsoftly into the phone as I sang the friendship song she had created for me for my 17th birthday I’d pretended to be e it to me She’d been so earnest and adorable and I’d been so macho and untouchable I had rolled ht it was sappy and totally girly, but it hadmany times, even in my darkest hours, and it always co" She said softly and I s to come and pick you up and we’ll come back here"

"We’re too old for sleepovers, Rhett"

"We’re never too old, Wendy" I joked and she laughed gently "And anyway, its day ti to be htly jaded

"As long as you’ll haveempty Clementine had always compared me to a lost boy and I understood why It was because I’d felt abandoned by my parents and I knew the eotten over my childhood traumas Even with Cle else that I had, I’d never understood why my parents hadn’t cared

"I’hed "That’s the proble Her voice sounded resigned and a part ofaround hed "Just come and pick me up"

"I" I started and paused I wanted to tell her that she meant the world toto change between us I wanted to tell her that I e could go back to high school I e could go back to the days where all she cared about was studying and talking towas perfect Or almost perfect I had football I hadto dateout hen I needed to just chill I kneas selfish ofto remain the same, but that hat hadRhett" She said softly and then hung up I grabbed the keys toand headed over to Clemmie’s apartment

"You didn’t have to wait outside" I frowned as Clementine jumped into the car as soon as I pulled over "I would have coot into the car

"I didn’t want Linda to know you were here" She shrugged and did her seatbelt up without looking at me The air felt aard between us and it wondered if I’d ruined everything by kissing her again

"She’ll get over me" I muttered as I pulled away froet over someone they have a crush on" She hed

"There is no reason for her to have a crush on iven her any reason" Unlike Penelope, I thought to iggled slightly

"Are you mad at me?"

"What do you think?" She snapped and finally looked atyou or are you upset because you and Elliott broke up?"

"I don’t understand what’s going on" She spoke softly and I felt et why you kissed me I don’t knohy you were upset about Elliott"

"I wasn’t upset" I protested too loudly

"Penelope thinks you were jealous" She continued and sighed

"Jealous of what?" I turned onto ry and worried What else had Penelope said? "I wish Penelope would just shut up and keep her thoughts to herself"

"Rhett," her voice was angry "Penelope is hed "She’s never liked me It’s obvious to me that she doesn’t want hed

"I don’t care about her I don’t want to talk about her I want to talk about us I want to talk about why you’ve been ignoringon" I shouted feeling angry "And I’ to talk about anything"

"Rhett," she touched ave her a quick glance I saw concern in her face and I felt a part ofthat had happened, she was still worried about ry I wanted her to harden up I wanted her to tell me to fk off I wanted her to tell h I wanted to see her turn her back on me I wanted it and didn’t want it at the same time A part of me wanted it because it would prove towas forever Not love and not friendships

"I’rowled andme I didn’t want her concern I wanted so e of her, even though my brain told me that it would be a ry at hed "It’s et all of it?" I sighed "Let’s go ho"

"That’s fine bywould be okay if we could just forget everything that had happened recently

"So you wanna watch a movie?" I pulled up to my house and she smiled at me hesitantly

"Yeah" She nodded "Chick flick?"

"Hell no" We both laughed as I shook hed and I looked at her carefully I could see the traces of tears in her eyes

"What’s wrong?" I frowned as I turned off the engine and turned to her "Why are you crying? Are you upset because of Elliott?"

"No" She shrugged "I don’t know"

"What happened?"

"Nothing" She looked away from me

"What happened, Clementine?"

"He tried to tell hed "When we left the truck show, he told me I had to pick between you and him Then he tried to touch ht now?"

"It’s okay, Rhett" She grabbed my arm "He tried, but I didn’t let hirier than I’d ever felt

"On my breasts" She bit her lower lip "He said he wanted to play withelse" Her voice dropped

"Do what?" My eyes narrowed

"I don’t wanna say" She shook her head

"Cle what he had said

"He said he wanted to titty fk me" She whispered and I froze I wasn’t sure what to say I was furious, but I felt like a hypocrite How could I get angry at what he had tried to do, when I had technically titty fked her friend the previous evening It wasn’t like I was any better than him Maybe even worse He actually liked Cleive two fks about Penelope

"Say soroaned and I looked up at her red face

"Sorry, I was just thinking" I sighed "He’s a pig and you’re better off without hio inside, okay"

"Okay" She nodded "I can’t believe how different he was"