I want to argue with her, try to convince her that I would have been a fun date, but really, I wouldn’t have been. I wasn’t in a good place, and I certainly wouldn’t have been good company.
“Fair enough,” I mutter, taking a sip of my coffee.
“I just knew he’d give me what I needed after Brad bailed.”
“Why’d he bail?”
“Work or some bullshit. I don’t know, and I don’t really care. It just proved that I’ve been right about keeping him at arm’s length if he’s going to let me down on the most important night of the year.”
“That’s a bit harsh. He seems like a good guy,” I argue. Admittedly, I’ve never met the dude, but from what Bri has told me about him wanting to make things serious between them, I have to think he is one. It takes a certain kind of guy to willingly want to tie down my cousin, so he must have something good about him at least.
“Have you seen him since?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve been too busy. He’s like a fucking dog with a bone though, trying to make it up to me.”
“Just let him. He’ll give you what you need and then some if he’s really sorry.”
“I agreed to see him Saturday night. If he doesn’t bring his A-game, then he’s fucked.” She rips a piece of muffin off and throws it into her mouth. “Oh my God, I needed this,” she mutters appreciatively. “How are things with you, anyway? Seen Toby yet?”
I shake my head.
Sitting forward, she reaches across the table and takes my hand in hers, squeezing tight.
“You’ll figure it out. I’ve got faith in you.”
“You’re on Team Toby too?”
“Nope,” she says quickly. “I’m on Team Jodie Deserves to be Happy. I want you to do what’s best for you. And I’ll stand by your side the whole way. I mean, if you do choose him, I might just hurt him the next time I see him after all the bullshit he pulled, but I’ll be nice after that.”
“I love you, Bri.”
“Love you too, Jojo.”
“So how’s school and shit?” I ask, happy to change the topic of conversation and focus on her.
“Oh yeah, you know. I’m in one of the roughest schools in the city. It’s all fun and games when there’s a very high chance that every kid I’m teaching has a fucking knife in their pocket.”
I wince as the seriousness of that situation settles in my head.
I know the school she’s at has a bad rep, but shit. The thought of her risking serious harm while she tries to instil some knowledge into the youth we’re surrounded by is fucking terrifying.
“Can’t you get a better placement?” I ask.
“I’ve only got a few more weeks and I’ll move again. Final school,” she says, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“You’re going to be applying for jobs soon, right?” I ask, recalling her saying that the vacancies get released pretty early in the year.
“Yep, won’t be long and I could be a full-fledged teacher with my own little gaggle of reprobates to whip into shape.”
“Maybe don’t mention the whipping in your interviews,” I suggest with a laugh.
“Yeah,” she says with a wince. “Probably for the best.”
“Any idea where you’re going next?”
“Nope. They haven’t released them yet. I’m not too worried. It can’t get much worse than where I am. Unless they throw me into Lovell Academy. That place is the fucking pits of hell.”
“You are aware that you’ve probably just tempted fate, right?”