They don’t respect women. And that’s the problem. They’re all a bunch of bros, who are eager to add girls’ names to their sexual conquest list. That’s it.
That’s all we are.
Even Franklin and Maggie, who I thought were sort of solid, really aren’t. Theirs is a volatile relationship that I wouldn’t want.
None of the relationships at school are ones I long for. The boys are either too forward, or too immature. I’m not a particularly religious person, but I do value my body and my morals. My parents have always stressed how careful I should be when choosing who I eventually share my love and my body with.
They do their best to talk me out of being in any sort of relationship with someone right now, especially my father.
“Well?” Crew’s deep voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I blink him back into focus. “What do you think?”
“You’ll be nice?” My voice is cautious.
“You want real? Or do you want nice?”
I guess when it comes to Crew and his opinion of me, they don’t go hand in hand.
Good to know.
“Real,” I say, sounding a lot more confident than I feel.
“I want the same. Lay it all out, Birdy. Tell me all your secret thoughts about me.”
His words make me bristle. How can he take something that sounds so innocent and make it seem dirty? “I don’t have secret thoughts about you.”
“I’m disappointed.” He chuckles, the rich sound making me warm. “I have all sorts of secret thoughts about you.”
Interest flares deep, and I mentally tell it to stop. I don’t care about his secret thoughts of me. “I don’t want to know them.”
“You sure about that?” His brows knit together. He seems surprised.
I shake my head. “Absolutely. I’m sure every one of them is lewd.”
“Lewd.” He chuckles again. “Nice word choice.”
“I’m sure it’s accurate.” I flip past the list of questions I created in my notebook, smoothing my hand across the fresh clean page. “Are you ready?”
“We’re doing this?”
“Let’s set a timer.” I grab my phone and open up the clock app. “Ten minutes?”
He nods. “Tell me when to start.”
I set my phone on the desk and grab my pencil, my finger hovering above the start button as Crew grabs a pen, clicking it a couple of times, I’m sure only to bother me. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
I start scribbling immediately all of the things I’ve heard about Crew over the years. A few of my own assumptions. Considering we’ve never really talked before, I have no clue if any of the things I’m listing are actually true or not.
Which makes me feel kind of bad, but I don’t let the guilt linger for too long.
I’m too busy writing out my list.
Crew, on the other hand, takes his time, scribbling a few words here and there. Tapping his pen against his slightly pursed lips as he contemplates whatever he’s thinking about.
Knowing that he’s thinking about me throws me a little. Makes me hesitate, my pencil still poised upon the paper, my breath lodging in my throat when I glance up to find him watching me. We stare at each other for a beat until he points the pen at me and immediately starts putting something down on paper.