Fall from Love

I’ve just got a lot of stuff to sort out still. Maybe you should lay off him a bit; he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
    “I have been a little harsh on him the past few months.” She sighs. “So what did you guys talk about?”
    I should’ve known that she wasn’t going to give up that easy. I shrug and take a deep breath in. “Nothing really.”
    She leans forward, clearly wanting more information than I’m giving her. “That’s all you’re gonna give me?” she asks. “Details, Holly. I need details.”
    I can’t help laughing. “Really, we didn’t talk very long before Josh came in.” I shrug again, trying to think of something I can give her so she’ll be satisfied. “He thinks you hate him, though.”
    She rolls her eyes and falls back on the couch. “I don’t hate him. He just got on my nerves the past few months when he wouldn’t quit asking about you. I told him to just leave you alone, that you needed some time, but he wouldn’t let up. It took me threatening his life before he got it through his thick skull.”
    I laugh again. “Yeah, he told me about that.”
    “Listen, I know he means well and he’s just trying to be a nice guy, but the boy just can’t take a hint.”
    There’s a long silence between us until she asks, “So you’re okay then… I mean, being around him wasn’t too much for you?”
    Truthfully, I have no idea if I’m okay or not. The one thing I know for sure is that Carter brings up old memories and forces me to face things that I want to bury forever. I know that in order to get on with my life, though, I am going to have to face those memories… and that means facing him.

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
    A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.
    ~ Elbert Hubbard
     
    CARTER
    “Damn, dude. What did that calculator ever do to you?” Josh asks, walking into the kitchen.
    I ignore him and continue to punch numbers, frustrated that I’ve been working on the same problem for an hour and still can’t get it right.
    “Okay, I get it. You’re in one of your moods.” He grabs a bowl from the cabinet and pours himself some cereal. “So, I’ll talk and you can just listen, or ignore me, or whatever it is you do when you get like this.”
    Shaking my head, I try to drown out his words. He may hate it when I get quiet and retreat inward, but I hate it even more when he gets chatty in the mornings like a girl.
    “So, I’ve been thinking,” he begins. “We need to invite Jenna and Holly over for dinner sometime. We can hang out and everyone can get to know each other a little better. What do you think?” He’s leaning against the counter, facing me, awaiting my response.
    I glance up to see him stuff a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and watch a trail of milk dribble down his chin. After making a revolting expression, I shake my head and glance back towards my book. For one thing, he’s living in a fantasy world. Jenna hates me and has barely spoken more than a few words to me over the last few months except when she threatened my life if I ever tried to contact Holly. Also, Holly, the girl could barely stand to breathe in my direction without looking like she is in some kind of pain. Inviting them over for dinner and pretending that everyone likes each other doesn’t sound like the best idea.
    It has been two weeks since I saw Holly in the garage and I never called her for coffee. Every time I pick up the phone, I panic and hang up. I’m not even sure why. I wish I had a better excuse, like I don’t have her number or something, but that isn’t the case. I’ve actually had her number for months.
    One day when Jenna was over, I saw her phone lying on the kitchen counter. I could hear her giggling upstairs in Josh’s bedroom so I knew she wouldn’t be coming down anytime soon and see me going through her phone, looking for Holly’s number.
    When I don’t respond to Josh’s proposal, he slides into the seat across from me and chews loudly, annoying the crap out of me. I’m not angry at him. I’m angry with myself; angry that I am too scared to make a stupid phone call, but no matter what, I’m still not in the mood to deal with him. I slam my textbook shut and reach over for my backpack.
    “Okay, it was just a suggestion, man. No need to get angry.” Josh sighs and his spoon falls against the bowl, making a clanking noise. “I just want you and Jenna to get along better. I can’t have my best friend and my girlfriend