Page 125 of Clinically Awkward

“Yes.”

“My sister.”

“Yes.”

“And you punched her boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected. “She broke up with him. After I punched him. Because he called her boring—which she’s not. She’s incredible. And funny. And smart. And⁠—”

“You’re in love with her.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” I said anyway.

Julien blinked. Then he blinked again.

Then—he started laughing.

Not a chuckle. Not a polite laugh. Full-body, doubled-over, gasping for-air, hysterical laughing.

What the hell?

“You—” Julien tried to speak, failed, and laughed harder. “You punched—” More laughing. “Oh my God.”

“Julien?”

He was leaning against the table now, one hand pressed to his chest, tears streaming down his face. “Are you okay?” I asked cautiously.

“You punched Colton Whitcomb,” he gasped between laughs. “You actually—Oh my God, you punched him in the face.”

“Yes?”

“Because he called Vivian boring.”

“Yes.”

“And then you got arrested.”

“Yes.”

“And made the front page of the newspaper.”

“Yes.”

He laughed harder, and I was genuinely concerned he was having some kind of breakdown. “Julien, do you need me to⁠—”

“I hated that guy,” Julien said, still laughing. “I hated him so much. He was... Oh my God, he was the worst. And you punched him.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad?” Julien straightened up, wiping his eyes. “Quinton, I’ve wanted to punch that pretentious asshole for months. He showed up at a family dinner once and spent two hours talking about his car and his gym routine. My mother wanted to stab him with a fork.”

I blinked. “So... you’re not going to kill me?”

“For punching Colton? No.” He grinned, an actual, genuine grin. “For getting arrested and making front-page news? We’ll discuss that later. But for punching Colton Whitcomb in defense of my sister’s honor?” He clapped me on the shoulder. “That’s the most respectable thing you’ve ever done.”

“I—what?”