It is like the world has dropped out from beneath me, and all that remains is AJ McGabe’s smug face.
I stare between him and my childhood friend, feeling an incredulous heat rise to my cheeks.
“Are you serious?” I say.
I must look like a fool with my mouth gaping open, but I can’t help it. The guy I’ve despised for years is best friends with the one who’s always had my back.
But also, AJ can’t hide what he’s thinking. “George isn’t a guy? Your best friend is Gina Evans?!” He shakes his head like he’s still trying to grasp the situation.
“Wait, wait, wait…” Jake looks between us. “This is Queen Bitch Gina, and this is Manwhore AJ?” He starts to chuckle.
Jake is trying to hold in his laughter at the situation. No help from that place, so I turn back to the asshole who’s the cause of this absurd scenario—who’s now backed up by his two football minions, PJ and Drew.
“Why did you tell Jake your name is Andy?” I hiss at AJ.
“Because my name is Andy.”
I stare at him, confused. “No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” he shoots back. “Andrew James McGabe. We shortened it to AJ to avoid confusion.”
“Andrew Robinson”—Drew gestures to himself—“and Andrew Paul Jones.” He gestures to PJ, who nods. “Three Andrews in one class gets confusing real quick, so we modified our names.”
I stare at the three Andrews for a moment. I guess it makes sense I didn’t know—I transferred in freshman year, but most of the kids had already gone through middle school together, or earlier.
Jake laughs loudly. “I can’t believe you thought my George was a guy all this time.”
AJ shakes his head again. “You never corrected me when I used male pronouns.”
Jake laughs harder.
“I can’t believe this,” I mutter. I pinch my nose bridge and try to calm down.
“This doesn’t change anything,” AJ insists. “She’s still—”
I huff and pick my bag up. “Jake, come on, we’ll go off campus to get food.”
Jake shrugs and fist-bumps the Andrews. “Catch you guys later, I guess.”
I walk next to Jake, who’s saying something about food, about the surprise on AJ’s face when he saw him, but his voice blurs into the ache behind my eyes.
I watch my feet move. Each step forward carries me away from one disaster and closer to another.
“Earth to George. Did you hear me?” Jake asks, his keys jingling with his footsteps.
“Yeah,” I lie, not sure which question I am answering.
“You want anything special, or should I just order for you? I know what you like,” Jake says.
“Sure. Whatever.”
AJ’s smirk, that condescending tilt of his mouth, flashes in my mind. I still can’t believe that Jake knows him, let alone that they are acting like long-lost brothers.
All I want is to spend this year with Jake and leave this place, and everyone in it, behind. I hadn’t counted on AJ becoming part of that year.
“Think we’ll make it back before fifth period?” Jake asks, snapping me back to reality.
I shrug, swallowing the tightness in my throat. Jake and I have been friends all of our lives, but I wonder how long it would take before Jake picks a side.
It’s probably easier to blend in with the football team as a guy than to stay best friends with someone like me.
After all, Jake doesn’t know about Gina, the cheerleader. He just knows George.
“You all right?” Jake asks.
“Mmm,” I say, preferring not to give an actual answer.
His green eyes gleam with amusement. “You have to admit it’s damn funny though. You should’ve seen his face. Like he’d seen a ghost or something. It’s a small world.”
“Small world,” I echo in a tiny voice. Jake’s right there, steady as he’s always been. My constant…until he isn’t.
“He’s a dick,” I blurt.
When Jake raises his eyebrows, I say, “AJ. He acts like a total dick.”
Jake smirks. “And you act like you want to murder him. What’s the deal?”
“He’s not who you think,” I say, eyes fixed ahead of me. “You don’t know him.”
“Sure I do. He’s Andy,” Jake says, like that explains everything. “Why does it bother you so much?”
I am surprised when Jake texts me to go to his, I mean Gina’s, house after school the next day. After checking that my dad is still at home to look after the girls, I drive to the address he sent me.
An older version of my friend answers the door, his brown hair streaked with silver and a full beard on his chin. Familiar green eyes crinkle with a deep grin.
“You must be Andy!”
“Hi, yessir. Nice to meet you, Mr. Nelson.” I shake his hand.
“Psh! Call me James.” He steps back and motions for me to come inside. “I hear you have two close friends called Andy too. Did Jakey tell you my best friend is a James too?”
I smile and shake my head.
“George’s dad. But we call him Jimmy, so it’s not so confusing, just like you guys.”
“Dad! Stop boring my friend and let him come upstairs.” Jake sticks his head down the stairs, his hair flopping over his face.
His dad gives him the finger and chuckles. Now I know where Jake gets his laid-back personality from.
I walk up to where Jake is impatiently jiggling by a closed door.
“My room is just through there. I’m waiting for George to exit the bathroom. Hopefully, before I piss myself.” He hits the door with his palm.
“TMI, dude.” I laugh, push open the door, and make myself comfortable on his bed.
I can hear Gina downstairs talking to her dad and decide to go snoop on her a little. I push open the door next to Jake’s and take in her bedroom.
It’s nothing like I was expecting. I thought it would be all pink and fluffy with a huge walk-in closet overflowing with clothes.
In reality, it’s painted a teal color, but it’s hard to see behind all the posters and framed pictures. So I step in to look at them closer.
Signed framed photos of famous skaters and BMX riders cover one wall, and the one behind her bed is overlaid with photos of her family, lots and lots of her and Jake over the years.
She looks so different. Happy. The other two walls are dotted with posters of musicians. I pick out Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan—none of the shitty pop stars I’ve heard her gush over with the cheerleaders.
I spin around to see Gina fuming in the doorway.
Well, at least I think it’s Gina. She’s got her usually perfect hair messily scraped back into a bun, and her miscolored eyes are almost hidden behind a heavy pair of black Ray-Ban glasses.
Her face is absent of the normal layer of makeup, and I can actually see the porcelain skin properly.
In place of her regular, tight revealing clothes are baggy sweatpants and a faded Pixies T-shirt. There’s a bang, and Jake shuffles up behind her, looking confused.
“I…uh…I just got disoriented on my way back from the bathroom.” I smirk and brush past her. “Nice panties, by the way.” I can feel the heat of her glare as she slams the door behind me.
Jake pushes me lightly with his shoulder as we walk back into his room. “Dude, don’t rile her up. I’m the poor guy who has to deal with her after you’ve gone home.”
“Sorry. Look, I know she’s your friend, but she’s such a bitch.” I sit back on the bed and grab the controller.
“Andy, don’t make me beat you for talking bad about my best friend.” Jake puts his hands on his hips, and a look of frustration passes over his face.
I’ve never seen Jake look anything but chilled out before—unless we’re playing football. Then he’s just plain evil.
“Chill, dude. I’m sorry, okay? No more Gina talk. Strictly bro time in here.”
“Hells yeah!” Jake’s face breaks into a grin again, easily placated, and he grabs the other controller.
“Motherfucker!” Jake throws his controller down in frustration as I win and capture the flag again.
A snort from the doorway makes me turn. Gina is leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.
“Think you can do better, sweetheart?” I smirk, offering her Jake’s discarded control. “I’ll beat your ass on here as easily as I beat your ass in all of our classes.”
Jake oohs and claps his hands.
With running commentary from Jake, the game is dominated by Gina.
When it finishes, I push the control away from me with a growl. “Was I just hustled?”
“Yup!” Jake pulls Gina in for a tight hug, spinning her around until she squeals to be put down.
I can’t help but smile as she readjusts her crooked glasses back onto her nose, grinning widely at her friend. “George here is kick-ass at kicking ass.”
“Dork,” Me and Gina say at the same time.
Jake collapses into laughter as we glare at each other. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and strands of her hair have fallen out from her bun, framing her face.
I quickly shake my head. Where did that thought come from? This is Queen Bitch, the fucking girl who makes it impossible to get through the day without a snide remark. She thinks she’s so much better than everybody else.
“Whatever…loser.” She turns on her heel and leaves, her bedroom door slamming shut a moment later.
I can’t believe that Jake thinks the world of her.
When he finds out what she’s really like, there’s no way he’s gonna want to hang out with her.
