Hold up a second. Did Carli just curse at me? Cursing in general and cursing at somebody are two different things. But I tell myself to be cool and roll over on my side to face her, hoping she’ll face me, too.

She gives me a hard glance before staring back up at the ceiling.

Be cool, Rex. Be cool. “I knew you were going to the doctor today. When I didn’t hear back from you, I was worried that you were going to have to sit out the rest of the season. Can you blame me for that?”

No answer. She rolls her eyes and starts fiddling with her necklace without even bothering to look in my direction.

Be cool, Rex. Be cool. “I mean, I drove all the way over here just to make sure you were okay.”

She glares at me, says, “Nobody asked you to come over here,” and looks back at the ceiling.

Okay. Clearly I have Carli confused. And it’s my fault. I’ve texted her sixteen times today. And called her three. And then brought my ass all the way over here in the freezing cold to check on her. But you see, I’m not that dude. That dude that’s going to be sweating her. That dude she can ignore and treat however bad she wants. That dude she can push around. Clearly she thinks I’m that dude. But he is not I.

And I get it, her parents are breaking up. But it’s kinda old news, isn’t it? It’s not like they just plopped it on her today like, Surprise! They’re not even living together.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the whole situation is still sad. But if she didn’t feel like talking (even after she got the great news from her doctor), she could’ve at least sent a text telling me she’d hit me up tomorrow or something. But no. Nothing. And now instead of apologizing, she wants to treat me like shit? Naw, dawg. I’m not even going out like that.

I sit up in the bed and look over at her, and she actually has the nerve to look up at me with an attitude. Like I’m the one in the wrong.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be poppin’ up over your house again,” I say.

“Good” is all she says and closes her eyes.

A hurt deep inside me hurls its voice up through a dark sky. “Good? Really, Carli?”

She ignores me.

Another hurt, another hurl, but my throat closes over its voice. How could you do me like this? After everything we’ve shared. And now it’s like I’m nothing to you. Like I’m nobody, I scream inside myself.

I swallow my hurt back down. “It’s getting late,” I say, and stand up.