Page 19 of Talk to Me

“…and my friend said he’s a total asshole!” Collin crowed.

My friends laughed as I frowned down at the screen.

“Who? What?” Several of my friends in the video spoke up at once.

“Theo Hendrix!” Collin laughed. “He has American Lit with him, and he said that Theo sat right next to him and was a total dick to him. Like, was totally rude and—”

Theo pushed the lock button with his thumb, effectively making the video disappear and the screen go black. My gut turned with feelings of embarrassment and betrayal. I was embarrassed because it would’ve been impossible for Theo to not know who Collin was referring to in the video. I was the person who had sat by him in American Lit during the first week. Furthermore, I was embarrassed because I couldn’t deny I had talked to Collin about my experience with Theo in class.

However, a deeper, sharper feeling of betrayal stabbed at my gut. Collin had completely lied in the video. I’d never said those things about Theo. So, he had no reason to say what he’d said in the video he’d made for Peepers with our friends. Was it for clout? A bit of fun? The thrill of gossip about a pseudo-celebrity? I was so confused and hurt.

Then I realized how Theo must feel.

“Wow,” I said.

It wasn’t the most brilliant response to the video, but I didn’t know where to begin.

“Yeah,” Theo said, shaking his head. “So…don’t lecture me. All right? Just leave me alone.”

He waved a hand, as if shooing me away. Instead of doing as he said, I slowly squatted down so that our eyes were on the same level. Theo frowned at me, displeased with my ignoring his command.

“First of all,” I said, “I’m sorry. That…that’s really shitty. To see someone talking about you like that.”

“Yeah? No shit, “Theo said. “You know your friends tagged me in that? They didn’t want me to miss it. Or any of my followers who haven’t completely given up on me yet. Now they get to see how I’m an asshole to my classmates.”

I cringed.

“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I don’t know if it will help, but I didn’t say those things. I said you were ‘standoffish’.”

Theo frowned at me.

“I shouldn’t have been talking about you at all,” I said. “Either way, it was shitty of me, no matter what was said. But…my friend was talking about you, and I thought he’d find it interesting that I sat next to you in American Lit. And since you didn’t, like, talk to me, and you just nodded when I tried to be nice, I told him you were standoffish. I didn’t call you any names. Not until today.”

An impish smile pulled at the corner of my lips. Theo turned his head to look away, but I was certain I saw the corner of his mouth quirk slightly before it was moved from my sight.

“So,” I said, “again, I’m sorry. That was really shitty of me. I should have known that gossiping at all was wrong. It was immature and rude of me.”

Theo kept his head turned, but I could tell he was watching me out of the corner of his eye.

“And I’m sorry for…this,” I said. “You had every right to be mad with me today. I’m the dick.”

I rose from my crouched position and turned. A few steps away from Theo, his voice stopped me in my tracks again.

“You’re forgiven,” he said. “But you have dicks for friends.”

I looked over my shoulder at him, an uneasy grin sliding onto my face.

“Yeah,” I said. “Kind of a punch to the gut. Feeling a little betrayed, to be honest.”

“I bet.”

“I’ll be sure to let them know what I think when I see them,” I said with a sigh. “That’ll be a fun conversation.”

He chuckled. “Yeah.”

I watched him over my shoulder for a moment, then decided to try politeness again. Spinning slowly on my heels, I walked back over and held a hand out to him.

“I’m Josh Montag,” I said. “Hi.”