15 Gasoline On My Fire

"GASOLINE ON MY FIRE"

When my dad said we had to discuss things as a family, I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. But the next day, my mom was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a small, stiff smile on her face.

We sat there in silence. Me picking at my nail polish, my dad staring into his coffee cup, my mom readjusting the salt and pepper shakers at the center of the table for the third time. It'd been ten minutes and neither of us had said anything.

My dad sat up straighter, glancing between us. "Okay. I think we should start with what happened the other week."

My mom and I shared a look. I didn't plan on saying anything. She'd just throw it back in my face and accuse me of making horrible choices.

When it was clear neither of us were going to speak, my dad sighed. "Someone say something. We have to get everything out in the open."

He definitely regretted his words as my mom and I started talking over each other. She skipped several details to say I accused her of killing Sabrina. I reminded her that she tried to use Sabrina's death as a scare tactic. We were so desperate to get our points across that neither if us heard Dad until he slammed his hands on the table.

We immediately shut up.

"Thank you," he said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples. "Now, Abby, why did you think it was appropriate to take Faye to the cemetery?"

"Because she needed to see where her choices were going to land her," my mom said bluntly.

"Why that day?" I asked. "I'd been home for days. You could've driven me out there whenever you wanted. But you specifically took me on a day I asked to go see Peter."

Her face blanked, taken aback by my question. "What does Peter have to anything?"

"Were you jealous?" I continued. "Were you upset that I could be rude and sarcastic and still get a boy's attention?"

"Faye," my dad warned. I ignored him. I wanted to know how much truth there was to what my grandma said the other day.

"Is that the real reason you hated Sabrina? Why you hate me? Because we didn't bend over backwards for anyone? Because we weren't as insecure as you?"

"Faye, that's enough," my dad tried again.

But I was done. The look on my mom's face--her mouth pinched, eyes narrowed with resentment--told me I was right.

Pushing away from the table, I turned to my dad. "If you want her to move back in, that's your choice. But I'm not making myself smaller so she feels more comfortable."

With that, I stood and went up to my room. Freckles followed me up. I pet her while looking through my phone. I checked my email a million times a day looking for an email from Bea Lopez. Did I miss my shot by taking too long to respond?

I should've answered her email sooner. It probably came off as unprofessional and unserious and flakey. Still, I refreshed my email as I ran my hand over Freckles fur.

On my fifth round of refreshing, I got a message from Peter. Freckles whined when I stopped petting her.

Are you at home?

Yeah, I replied.

Can I come over?, he sent back.

My parent's voice rose from downstairs. I didn't know what they were arguing about exactly and I didn't care to know. I couldn't put anymore energy into my mom. If Peter showed up, everything would've been awkward.

I was about to tell him that I wasn't in a social mood, but I stopped myself. Maybe this was the time to cut the cord.

I'll meet you at your house, I messaged back, rolling off my bed.

My parents must've moved their argument to their bedroom while I got changed, their voices muffled behind the closed door.

I slipped out of the house easily. It was a million degrees out and the short walk to the Conway's had my back sweating.

Peter was on his porch, eating a popsicle. He held a second one out to me. It felt wrong to accept it considering what I was about to do.

But it'd melt in this heat and it'd be rude to let it go to waste. That was a fact, not a way to stall even longer.

Accepting the popsicle, I sat next to him on the porch steps. Careful not brush any part of me into any part of him. I needed a clear head. It was bad enough I still felt the pressure of his kiss on my cheek. His hand on my thigh...I blinked the memories away.

"You snuck out yesterday." He said as I unwrapped my treat.

"I was only there for the cake," I teased.

"You left before you could get any," he pointed out.

I shrugged. "I'm not a fan of chocolate."

He jumped back like I struck him, hand to his chest. "First you don't bowl, now this?"

I laughed at his reaction, biting into my already melting popsicle. "I didn't know you took chocolate so seriously."

"You're killing me, Faye."

That sobered me up as I took another bit of the popsicle. I just had to say it. Rip off the bandage. It'll suck but once school started we'd be back to the regularly scheduled programming.

I finished off my popsicle before turning to him. "Peter, I--"

He cut me off by pulling a blue piece of paper from his jeans pocket. "I found this on my bed after the party."

Crap. After what he confess to me yesterday, and his mom's letter, I forgot about my gift to him.

He turned it over in his hands, glancing at me. "Does it really mean anything?"

Where was this going exactly? I wondered.

"With in reason," I said out loud. "I'm not robbing a bank with you."

He chuckled, chewing the inside of his cheek. "What about a date? A real one."

I thought back to all those weeks ago when we were in his driveway and hugging me had him sweating. That Peter was a lot more predictable than the one in front of me now.

Now I was the one gulping. I couldn't hold off ending things a second longer. "Peter--"

"I know why you're here," he said, meeting my eyes. His eyes squinted in the sun, nearly hidden behind his curly blond hair. "I know why you showed up yesterday. Why you came to the beach the other day."

He knew I'd been trying to break things off this whole time? "How?"

He shrugged. "You wouldn't have needed so much time to think unless you were trying to think of how a way to cause as little damage as possible when you turned me down."

I studied him. Was he ever going to stop surprising me?

"Then why do you want to go on a date?" I questioned, genuinely confused. "That'll just make things harder."

"Maybe. But I'm willing to take that risk," he said, not missing a beat. "Someone once told me the best things are the riskiest."

He was referring to the talk we had on the roof of Cloud Creamery forever ago. When he told me he was afraid of having his heart broken.

But this was ridiculous. He already knew we weren't going to be together.  Why would he put himself through a date with me knowing it wouldn't amount to anything? Why would he put me through that?

"No," I said, standing from the steps. "What would be the reason."

He stood as well, showing me the sloppy coupon I threw together yesterday. "You said I could ask you for anything."

"But--"

"Are you scared?"

My brow wrinkled. "Excuse me?"

He stepped closer, his usual scent of dry sheets lowering my resolve just for a second. "Are you worried a single date with me would change your decision?"

I scoffed at his boldness. "Is that what you think?"

"Why else won't you agree?" He challenged, a slow smirk crawling across his face.

"Because it's stupid!" I spat. He was being so difficult. "Why drag this out?"

"It was fine when you did it."

My mouth opened, ready to fire back, but nothing came out. Peter's smirk turned into a full on grin. Cocky and confident in a way I'd never seen before. I liked the look on him.

He was absolutely right and even more frustrating. "Fine!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air before turning to stomp away.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at six p.m.," he called out.

I flipped him off, even as a familiar flutter filled my stomach.

***

Later that night, I met up with Cherry on the roof of Cloud Creamery. The last two times we'd been there, Peter was with us. It felt weird without his presence now.

The sky was a grayish-blue, like Peter's eyes, as the night rolled in. I tried to put him out of mind as I asked Cherry for a Tristan update. She texted me the other day about going on a second date with him.

"We went to the movies," she said, picking gunmibears off her ice cream. A small smile playing on her lips. "After, we walked around the mall window shopping and talking about everything. It was really romantic."

Her giddiness was contagious, effectively pulling me from my foul mood. "You two are so cute together," I said, taking a bite of my ice cream. "I can't believe you rejected him. Twice."

She hid her face behind her hands. "I know. I blame my parents."

"I thought you blamed Zander."

"Him, too!" she agreed. "But my parents have such a cute relationship and my dad is amazing to my mom. I want what they have which means my standards are impossibly high."

"And Tristan is meeting them?"

"So far, yes. But we've only been on two dates. I don't want to get me hopes up."

I smiled as she blushed, staring down her melted ice cream. If Tristan broke her heart, I'd have to rip his out.

When I repeated that to Cherry, she giggled. "I'll let him know."

"Good. And tell him it's a promise, not a threat."

"Oh, uh, he also asked when we were going on another double date with you a Peter..."

My heartbeat picked up pace at the mention of Peter. "Why would he ask that?"

"He liked hanging out with Peter," she told me. Chewing at her bottom lip, she added, "I like hanging out with him, too."

I side-eyed her, knowing what was coming. "Cherry..."

"Why do you have to end things?"

I told her about the last two days with Peter. The stuff with his mom and about him asking me on a real date earlier that day.

She also knew about his birthday party, but didn't say anything to me about it because he asked her not to. Which made me question my best friend's loyalty just a little.

"Because," I exclaimed. "He can do better."

"What if you are the better? You could be soul mates."

I shook my head, looking up at the sky. "This is not one of your fantasy romance books."

"Think about the serendipitous way you met."

"In detention?" I asked, brows raised. "Where we agreed to use each other?"

She frowned, knowing I was right about our getting together being the least romantic thing of our relationship. "You helped him reconnect with his mom. And he helped you, too."

I pulled my knees up to my chest. "How did he help me?"

Cherry though for a second, twirling one of her blue braids around her finger. "He showed you that deserved more than what you've settled for in the past. That you deserve someone kind and patient with you. Someone willing to meet you half way. Someone who validates your feelings instead of making you feel bad for having any all."

I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to smother the small flutter in my belly. "It was an act, Cherry."

"No one is that a good an actor," she retorted. "Peter stopped faking his feelings that day we crashed Daniel's party."

My eyes snapped up at her. That night was forever ago. Had he really felt real feeling for that long?

You're the yeah-est girl I've ever seen. That dull flutter went into hyper drive as I remembered his words.

"Don't make the same mistake you made with Bea Lopez," she told me. "Peter will only wait for so long."

************

So, Faye has officially thrown in the towel with her mom and is protecting her peace!

Also, Peter is just full of surprises! And he's proving he can be just as stubborn as Faye when he wants something!

Thanks so much for reading and I'll catch ya in the next chapter 💖

Votes and comments are greatly appreciated 🥰🥰