I will say it again, Carly. Your brother is quite weird and I'm sure you will agree wholeheartedly.
But what happened today is that I decided to ask him if we could work together for the science competition, and he seemed so thrown-off.
Somehow it reminded me of Carly's REALLY high mood swing after her first date, when we were still 13, as she geeked out over that boy all week.
And spoiler alert, they're an official thing now. Imagine me everyday. But Archie wasn't like that, no way. He seemed shocked too. Like he didn't know how he was to react. Was he mad at me or something?
At first, I thought I had misread his reaction. Maybe he was just distracted or had something else on his mind. But the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. Why did he seem so thrown-off by my request?
Later that day, I found myself replaying our conversation over and over again, trying to piece together what had happened. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something wrong, that I had somehow upset him. It gnawed at me, an uneasy feeling that refused to go away.
Did I come on too strong? Was it too sudden? Or was he preoccupied with something else entirely? The possibilities churned in my mind, each one more unsettling than the last.
I tried to push the thoughts away, focusing instead on the task at hand. But it was no use. The image of Archie's bewildered expression kept flashing in my mind, refusing to be ignored.
It's the next day (2 days since I got that letter), I decided I can't just let it go. I need to talk to him, to understand what was going on. Even if it means facing an awkward conversation, I need to know.
***
Okay it's the end of the day. And I totally chickened out and just asked Carly. She looked at me with a strange expression. Teasing? Happy? Confused? Sad? Angry?
"I think you know, Aura... my dear sweet baby girl, my smartest yet dumbest best friend, you." she said in between laughs.
Yeah, he was stressed, and my first guess was right. Oh, but I forgot to mention his verbal response. He said something along the lines of a cross between a yap and a 'yes'.
I consider it a yes, then?
***
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