“Good point,” I admit under my breath.
“Exactly. Now. The question is, why did he kiss you if he was going to turn around and give your number to his friend?”
I shrug. “No idea.”
As Indie taps her finger against her chin, her eyes glaze over, considering all the possibilities.
“Hmmm….”
“You’ve been saying that a lot this morning.”
“Because you’ve been giving me a lot to think about,” she quips without blinking an eye. “Tell me this. Who do you want? Levi? Or Conner? I mean, I know you want Levi. But do you think you could be happy with Conner too?”
My heart plummets into my stomach as I even consider letting Levi go. But let’s face it, if I want to be happy, I’ve got to get out there instead of waiting around for a certain friend to see me as something more.
Glancing at a very intrigued Indie, I admit, “I don’t know…. I’ve always wanted Levi. But I’m also sick of waiting for him to notice me. It’s been years. And that kiss messed with my head. Especially when he turned around and practically shoved me into his friend’s arms right after it.”
“Yeah. That’s the part I can’t wrap my head around,” Indie admits. “I say we use it to our advantage, though.”
“Our?”
“Hey! I’m as invested in this as you are.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh at the ludicrousness of the situation then wave my hand through the air. “Well, alright, then. How do we use it to our advantage?”
“We rub his nose in it. Let Levi see exactly what he’s missing out on. You’ve always been there waiting for him to get his head out of his ass and give you a real chance. Now, we’re going to make him think like he’s lost it.”
“So, we’re going to use Conner? I don’t know how I feel about that.” It still feels weird to say we when it’s definitely going to be me who uses him, but I appreciate the camaraderie and stick with it.
“I don’t look at it like we’re using Conner. I look at it like you’re taking the leap into the possibility of a relationship, and you’re going to see how many arms are willing to catch you when you jump. You don’t know my history with Rhett, but in a nutshell, it was messy. And seemed impossible. And so far out of my reach, it’s not even funny. And even though I had to go through hell to finally be happy, I’m so glad I did. If Levi can’t figure out how amazing you are, then you still deserve to find your happiness. And maybe it’s with Conner.”
“You really think so?” I whisper.
“I know so. But if we’re going to make this work, then we need to knock them both on their asses.”
“And how do we do that?”
“We call in Sophie.”
“Oh, we don’t need to do that,” I start.
What I really want to say is that I so don’t need to air out my dirty laundry to everyone at Get Baked, but she sees right through me.
“Yes, we do. Trust me, Charlie. You might be a tomboy, but it’s okay to get dolled up once in a while too, and Sophie knows exactly how to blow a guy’s mind.”
“So, what exactly does this mean?”
“It means the next time Conner asks you on a date, you’re going to say yes.”
“And what does that have to do with Sophie?”
“Oh.” She gives me a devilish grin. “And we’re going shopping. You need a big dose of confidence, and you need to take the best friend blinders off Levi. Sophie’s a master at delivering both of those. Julio can cover while we all go out. I’ll text Sophie right now.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Thanks, Indie. I’ve never really had a girlfriend before.”
“Whelp. Now you’re stuck with me. And bring along Suzette too.” With a wink, she adds, “Seems like she belongs in on this secret mission too.”
What the hell did I get myself into?
Chapter Seventeen
Charlie
Indie wasn’t kidding when she said she was just as invested in the situation as I am. She practically booted me out the door after our conversation, insisting I give Suzette an update. By the time I got to Forever Grey to do exactly that, I had received a text from Indie that said she’d already recruited Sophie and to plan on going shopping later that afternoon.
Which is where I am now. In the dressing room at a department store with more clothes strewn across the floor than I have in my entire closet at home.
The clang of hangers hitting the door breaks my focus from the mirror on the wall to the gap between the ceiling and the top of the door. Sure enough, another handful of outfits have been delivered.
“Try these on too!” Sophie calls.
“More?” I reply, exasperated.
“Yup! And don’t change out of them until we can all give our votes, Charlie Brown! You’ve been cheating!”
I want to smack Sophie for the nickname, but Indie Pie insists that it’s simply one of Sophie’s quirks and not to be too offended. Apparently, she gives everyone a nickname once she’s deemed them part of her circle.
That should make me happy, right? That I’m part of her circle?
I run my hands along the black leather skirt and Ramones T-shirt she’d tossed over the door a few minutes earlier, impressed with the way I look feminine but still like me.
Yeah. I guess I’m okay with her claiming me.
Pounding on the door ensues.
“Come on! I’ve been patient, but I’m over this whole sneaky, hiding away in the dressing room shit. Let’s see!” Sophie yells. Man, for a tiny girl who’s carrying a set of twins in her swollen stomach, I have to give her props for her energy.
With a sigh, I pop my head out of the dressing room to see Sophie, Suzette, and Indie sitting in cushioned chairs and anxiously waiting for my runway debut. Ya know, since I was cheating before and wasn’t giving them their votes on whether I should yay or nay to the outfit.
“Let’s see it!” Suzette twirls her finger, silently ordering me to do the same.
I spin around on my toes to give them a view from all angles. Catcalling, hooting, and overly-enthusiastic “woo-hoos” commence, making me laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Bowing, I say, “Thank you. Thank you.”
“You look hot!”
“Definitely a keeper!”
“But what do I wear for shoes?” I ask, wiggling my bare toes to emphasize my point. “I don’t do heels.”
“That’s fine. Just wear some Chucks or something. Remember. You’re still you. Just a more dolled up version.” The way Sophie, or Tink, as I’ve recently heard Indie call her, says it makes this more feminine version of myself seem so easy. So attainable. I almost believe I can pull it off.
“Really?” I ask in disbelief. “Chucks?”
“Yup. Ooo…you could do red to make the colors in your shirt pop!” Suzette adds.
“And pairing it with some matching lipstick too? Girrrl….” Sophie kisses her fingers like a fat Italian man describing pasta. “Perfection!”