He didn’t say a word as he climbed out of his car and slipped into mine. Instead of making me feel better, the fact that he hadn’t commented made me nervous. I walked around to the driver’s side and got in, careful not to look at him.
“Where do you need to go?” I asked.
“Rick’s Tattoos over on my side of town.”
“You tattoo?” I asked.
I backed out of my parking spot and pulled onto the main road. I had no idea where Rick’s was, but I knew where the lower-class part of town was. He could just give me directions when we got closer.
“Nah. I’m only seventeen, so I can’t legally. I just work there as the shop bitch.”
Again, I couldn’t help but admire him for saying exactly what was on his mind. “Do you like it?”
“I do. Rick and his guys are great, and I’ve learned a lot from being there.”
“That’s great. I’m glad that you found something you love.”
The seconds ticked by slowly as we both stayed silent.
“I hurt you, didn’t I?” he asked suddenly, destroying the silence.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, hoping that he would believe me.
The truth was that he had hurt me. I wasn’t sure why, but the fact that he had labeled me a stuck-up bitch bothered me. Sure, I could be one if I wanted to, but that wasn’t usually the case.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said as he stared at me.
“I’m not lying to you,” I said stubbornly
“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes.”
I had no idea how he could be in my head like this. There was just something about him that made me care about what he thought of me. I’d lived my entire life not caring what others thought, yet here he was, pushing his way into my life without even trying. I couldn’t deal with this.
“What gives you the right to ask that?”
“I don’t have that right, but I want to know. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and if I did, I really am sorry. I grouped you in when I shouldn’t have. You’ve been nothing but nice since I got here this morning.”
I glanced back and forth between him and the road, unsure of what to say. “Yeah, it did hurt a little.”
He turned away from me. “I knew it did, and I’m sorry. Sometimes, I speak before I think. Listen, I don’t want to start out like this. Can we start over?”
“Does it really matter that much to you?” I asked.
“Yeah, I guess it does. I’m just not sure why,” he said as he turned to face me.
“Well, I’m willing to ignore this afternoon if you are. You could use a friend since you’re so antisocial, and I’m willing to be that friend if you let me.”
He grinned. It was the first one I’d seen since he’d gotten in the car.
“I am not antisocial.”
“Yes, you are. You completely ignored Todd in class today.”
“I did not ignore him. I nodded when he said hi.”
“That doesn’t count. You’re supposed to be sociable, you know, as in, like, talking to someone,” I said as I grinned back at him.
“Whatever. Maybe I prefer not to be around people.”
“Why would you say that?” I asked, confused.
“Because people are assholes. I learned long ago that the only person I can trust is myself.”
For someone so young, he was definitely jaded. I had no idea what had happened to him previously, but it was obvious that he didn’t care about others or what they thought of him. Someone had hurt him, and for some reason, I cared.
“Not everyone is an asshole. Some of us still care.”
“If there’s anyone out there that cares, I’ve yet to meet them, besides my mom. It’s just her and me against the world. Fuck everybody else.”
He had just given me a bit of information about himself without even realizing it. I smiled as I glanced over at him.
“You’re close to your mom, I take it?”
He nodded. “Yeah, my mom is the only one I have left. It’s been me and her for years, and I like it that way.”
“Where’s your dad?” I asked.
“No clue. I can barely remember him. The bastard left us when I was little.”
“That sucks. My dad travels a lot, but at least I still get to see him. If not, I might go crazy without him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“My mom and I don’t get along. She’s too busy planning committee events to be a mom.”
“You said before your parents are divorced. Where is your dad?”
“He’s in a band, so he travels a lot. It’s been like this my entire life, so I’m used to it. I just wish he was home more to help me deal with her.”