Ugh. I hate it when Livvy's logical.
"I'm owning it tonight too." She tilts her chin, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Ryan's going to regret making me so mad."
She's also hell bent on proving to Ryan that she doesn't need him. I guess they got into a yelling match in her front yard. She didn't even care if their neighbors saw, and she told me all about it when she got to my house.
"But then I looked across the street and there he was, standing in his front yard with his mouth hanging open. I'm surprised he wasn't recording it on his phone. Dustin saw everything," she announced just before flopping backward on my bed. I'm shocked she's so worried over what her ex-best friend-and occasional former hookup-thinks about her relationship with Ryan. "I haven't talked to him in what feels like forever, and the first time I see him, he gets to watch me argue with my boyfriend. Talk about humiliating."
She's been quiet ever since, silently stewing over what happened. I just hope they don't get into yet another argument tonight. What she needs is a little distance from Ryan.
"Do you think Dustin is here?" Livvy asks as we enter Cannon's house. The place is small, which means it's crowded inside and the music is so loud I can hardly hear myself think, let alone hear what Livvy is saying to me.
"Who knows?" And who cares? Livvy shouldn't. But she's scanning the room, trying to be subtle but failing miserably.
And I know she's not looking for her boyfriend either.
"If you spot him or Brianne, tell me." She turns to face me. "I want to talk to him."
"Why?" When she says nothing I slowly shake my head. "Talking to Dustin while you're in an argument with Ryan is like playing with fire, Liv. Someone's gonna get burned." Probably her, but I don't say that. She's a big girl. She can figure this stuff out on her own.
"But I need to explain to him what happened." She grabs my arm and gives it a squeeze. "It's embarrassing, knowing he watched us arguing. He heard Ryan say such awful things to me. I don't want him to think we're always like that."
"Who cares what he thinks about you and your relationship with Ryan?" I pull my arm out of her grip. "You should care more about Ryan and what he's thinking right now."
Livvy rolls her eyes and resumes her scan of the room once more. "I have nothing to say to him. Not until he apologizes to me first."
She's being ridiculous. "What exactly did he say to make you so mad?" I'm opening myself up to a minimum two-hour conversation here, but I'm too curious to stop myself.
"He called me a moody bitch." Livvy turns to look at me, her mouth formed into a thin line. "He's supposed to love me, not call me names. Right? Or am I expecting too much?"
Valid point, but I know how Livvy works. "So did you call him anything?"
"I said he was a rude prick." Livvy crosses her arms and sniffs, her lips curled downward in clear distaste.
Ah. And there it is. They sling insults at each other, and the angrier they get, the worse the insults are. I've seen it happen a few times lately. At first everything seemed perfect between them. I thought they were total couple goals.
But after Halloween, something switched. They've been getting on each other's nerves a lot quicker. She nags him and he picks on her. I'm tired of it and I'm not even the one in the relationship.
"Hey." I grab her hand and tug her close so I can whisper in her ear. "Forget Ryan. Forget Dustin. Let loose and have some fun. Just … don't let your boy problems ruin everything tonight."
Livvy pulls away, her eyes wide. "If you want me to let loose, you have to let loose too. I know you're still down in the dumps. We should both get our drink on tonight."
"We can't get too out of control," I warn her, unable to help myself. I'm like her mother and she's my wayward daughter.
She laughs. "We won't. I promise."
Uh huh.
Livvy squeezes my hand. "Forget Ryan. Forget Dustin. Forget Tuttle. Boys suck."
I nod and release her hand. "Totally. Boys do suck."
Maybe if I say it loud enough, I'll believe it. Because yes, Tuttle really does suck.
But then again, he doesn't. Not at all. He's damaged and emotionally stunted, yet he's also smart and sweet and quick to react and …
I miss him. I want him. If he walked into this house right now and demanded I talk to him, I would. I so would. I wouldn't even hesitate.
Which is stupid. I know this. I'm a logical person. My feelings for Tuttle are illogical and confusing. Does that mean those feelings are love?
I'm not sure.
Distance helps in the healing. Somewhat. The longer I go without dealing with Tuttle, the better it'll get. Maybe I'll even forget all about him someday.