Page 42 of Love Me Not
“Have you ever coached a football team?” I asked, unable to hold my tongue.
The older gentleman took a second to realize I was speaking to him. Brow furrowed, he turned my way. “No, I’m not a coach.”
“Then you aren’t qualified to criticize Coach Collins, are you?”
“Linds,” Donna whispered.
“I’m not criticizing the coach,” the man defended. “I was only saying if they did a few things differently the boys could have won.”
“That’s called criticizing. I can show you the definition if you’d like.”
“Excuse us,” Donna said, before tugging me out of my seat and away from the table.
“Where are we going?”
She cleared a path amazingly well. “You need some fresh air.”
“I need that man to shut up, is what I need.”
We breezed through the back doors of the school, and Donna kept going until we were at the far end of the portico. Spinning she said, “What’s wrong with you?”
Me? “There’s nothing wrong with me. Didn’t you hear that guy?”
Arms crossed, she watched me with narrowed eyes. “Do you like Trey or not?”
Where did that come from? “This isn’t seventh grade, Donna. What do you mean do I like him?”
“I’m trying to understand what’s going on.”
“Going on with what?”
“You. One minute you claim you want nothing to do with him, and the next you’re ready to fight an opinionated old man on his behalf. Which is it? Because we both know you only defend people you care about, and that was a quick defense of a man you very loudly and very frequently claim not to like.”
I didn’t only defend people I cared about. I defended people who needed defending. Not that Trey couldn’t defend himself, if that blowhard ever had the guts to say those things to his face, but he didn’t and I heard them so I stepped up. For a coworker.
“All I did was put the guy in his place. It’s not like I challenged him to a duel. Pistols at dawn on the school lawn or something less poetic.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she said, gaze locked on mine. “We’ve all respected your non-dating stance, but this guy is becoming a friend and none of us want to see him jerked around. We also don’t want you to miss out on something out of sheer stubbornness.”
“I’m not missing out on anything, least of all a man.”
Donna pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re so freaking stubborn.” Dropping her hands to her sides, she said, “You absolutely do not need a man to be happy and fulfilled. That’s a fact.”
Finally. “Thank you.”
“At the same time,” she went on, “if we’re lucky, there are opportunities for extra happiness that come our way, and before you know it you’re happier than you ever imagined.”
This always happened when another one of them paired up.
“I get it,” I said. “You’re in love and it’s warped your brain and now you want everyone else to feel all mushy and gooey on the inside, just like you do. That’s a sweet idea. Really. But I don’t want a man. Any man.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not any man. One man. That’s all I’m suggesting. Maybe it’s time to take off the blinders and think with your heart instead of your head for once. I don’t believe you dislike him as much as you claim, hon, and it would be a shame to deprive yourself of something really good because you were too stubborn to take a chance.”
“I’m not?—”
“Are you okay?” a voice cut in. I spun to find Trey holding the door open. “Oh, hi, Donna. I didn’t see you over there. I thought Lindsey was out here by herself.”
“No problem,” she said walking toward the door. “I was going inside anyway.” Stepping around me, she whispered, “Talk to him.”