Still, I dreaded the idea of fighting with him for four long months while the house was being restored. It would be miserable for both of us – me in particular, since I was so much lower than him in the pecking order.
I gave him a pleading look. "Look, it's been what? Six years? Don't you think it's time we put the past behind us?" I forced a laugh. "I mean, you don’t see me complaining about my eyebrows, do you?"
His gaze flicked to my brows. "Hey, they grew back."
Talk about callous.
And besides, he was missing the point.As usual.
I tried again. "Yeah, but my grades didn't. That stunt in chemistry? It destroyed my grade point average. Youdorealize that, don't you?"
With something like a sneer, he said, "What, your perfect piece of paper?"
"It wasn't just a piece of paper," I said. "There was a lot more to it than that."
"Yeah? And maybe there was more to my truck."
I didn't doubt it. Still, a truck was replaceable. My scholarship wasn't. But Brody would never understand, and in the interest of mending fences, I tried to focus on the positive.
"Look," I said, "I know the truck was important to you. I get that. And I tried to pay for it. Remember?"
It was true.Being the kind of sap who always played by the rules, I actuallydidoffer to pay for the stupid thing, even though I had nearly no money of my own. Embarrassingly, the offer was only possible because the truck was so old and crappy, it was practically worthless – even if itwasan extended cab.
Still, Ihadoffered. And I hadn't wasted any time either. I'd made the offer in class the very next day, only to have Brody tell me – and not too nicely either – that he'd rather have revenge than money.
The jerk.
At the memory, I felt the familiar pang of bitterness and frustration. Maybeheshould paymefor the lost scholarship. But I never asked, whether due to misguided pride or the realization that Brody Blastoviak had even less money than I had.
Well, at the time, anyway.
Funny how much things had changed.
And now, he still hadn't responded to my statement. I tried again. "You do remember me offering to pay for it, right?"
His jaw clenched. "I didn't want your money."
Right. Because he'd wanted revenge instead.
So much for mending fences.
I glared up at him. "Well, goodie for you. So I guess you're pretty happy now, huh?"
He frowned. "Do I look happy?"
No. He didn't.
And neither was I.
Still, I had to say it. "Well you should be happy. You could buy a million trucks now if that's what you want, so why are you still mad about that one?"
The more I talked, the more pissed off he looked. In a tight voice, he replied, "It was more than a truck."
"Yeah. And it was more than my eyebrows, too."
When his only reply was a stony look, I threw up my hands. "You know what? Forget it." And with that, I turned away, intending to stalk off toward the beach.
That didn't happen.
