“I knew he’d be late,” she said, shaking her head and looking sour. “I told Mom he’d be late, but she didn’t care!”
I knew better than to argue with my friend. As much as I loved being best friends with Rebecca, I didn’t know why she seemed to hate her brother so much. How could anyone hate someone so cute, with that twinkle in his eye? He was pop-star handsome, surely he had to be really friendly and fun.
At twenty minutes past four, the roar of an engine filled my ears. I looked up to see Rebecca’s dad’s Mustang convertible, candy-apple red with the top down. Sure enough, the handsome boy from the photos was behind the wheel. When he saw Rebecca, he honked the horn and smirked.
Rebecca took a long time climbing to her feet. Alex threw me an amused look, then turned to his sister.
“Rebecca!” Alex said, smirking. “I had no idea you were such a little lesbo! Who’s this charming friend?”
“Shut up, Alex,” Rebecca said through gritted teeth. “This is my best friend, Molly.”
Alex made his eyes wide. “Oh, the famous Molly!” He raised an eyebrow and snickered. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
I bit my lip, blushing harder than I’d ever blushed in my life. It was almost as bad as the time I’d wet myself in second grade, right in the middle of the school play Alice in Wonderland.
“Hi,” I said shyly.
“Is that all you can say?” Alex teased. “The way Rebecca talks about you, I would’ve expected a lot more! Still growing out of your baby fat, I see,” he added.
“Shut up, Alex,” Rebecca hissed. “I hate you!”
Alex clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Well, too bad, sis,” he said. “Molly, care to join us?”
Still blushing, I clambered into the tiny backseat. Looking down at my chubby belly poking out of my shirt, I slunk down low.
“So, Rebecca, fun day at school?”
“Leave me alone,” Rebecca snapped. “I hate you. Just take Molly home.”
“Such anger!”
When Alex pulled up in front of my house, Rebecca got out of the passenger seat and let me out.
“Bye, Molly,” Alex said casually, winking at me. “You’re sexy.”
“Alex!” Rebecca cried, blushing herself. “I told you, leave her alone!”
The last thing I heard as I ran inside was Alex’s cold laughter, filling the air like smoke.
“Earth to Molly!” Rebecca said, snapping her fingers in the air.
I blushed hotly, the memory of Alex’s taunting still lingering in my mind.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “What did you say?”
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “I can obviously tell you’ve got a thing for someone! You’ve been drifting off all afternoon! Spill,” she commanded, cocking her head to the side and looking at me over the edges of her glasses.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “I don’t have a crush on anyone!”
Rebecca shook her head and laughed. “You are so full of it,” she said. “Just tell me, Mol. You know I don’t care!”
I bit my lip. It’s your brother, I thought, wondering if I could ever confess how I really felt about Alex. But instantly, I knew – there was no way Rebecca would ever be accepting. Even if she didn’t totally hate her brother, she didn’t like her parents for favoring him. And while I knew she was right, it still made me feel a little weird.
"I can't," I said, biting my lip. “I don’t know. I don’t think he’d ever like me!”
“Well, I can’t even give you advice if you won’t tell me,” Rebecca said dryly. She closed her textbooks and leaned back in the chair with a sigh.
I wrinkled my nose. “You’ve never had a boyfriend, either.”