"Over." Katerina sighed. She pouted her lips in that annoying way that she does and waited to hear what I had to say. Like I'd actually been listening to that hour long lecture of why her Greg had dumped her. We were both seated at the edge of my bed. I, for one, was tired of this topic. I laid back on the bed and studied by fingernails.
"Well, there are plenty of fish in the sea." It was lame. I knew it, she knew it, the extremity of insensitivity of my statement stuck out like a sore thumb. Katerina's perfect rosebud lips were pursed in a pretentious pout.
"You could act like you care." I bit back a sarcastic retort. I'd told myself earlier that I couldn't be cynical around Katerina. It just wasn't fair to her. However, this was going a little far. I've been hearing about Greg for the past eight days. The first four were sympathetic. Then I started getting annoyed.
"Katerina," I said, twirling my hair with my finger and biting my lip at the same time, "I'm sure... I'm sure it'll blow over. You'll find someone else, OK? We're only freshmen. I don't think that Greg would have been your one soul mate." Katerina gave me the 'Oh shut up' look.
"You're fidgeting, Summer. I can't CONCENTRATE when you do that. We are trying to focus on my problem with Greg. God, how can you be so selfish? All I want is to know why he ended it. He told me that I'd find out later. WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" She demanded. All right, Katerina was my best friend and all, but the deep-seeded resentment that had been growing for her since kindergarten was starting to surface. This was MY Greg she was talking about. This was the Greg I would wake up in the morning and pull my hair into pigtails for. Just so he would smile and pull on them during recess in fourth grade. This was the Greg that was my best friend before Katerina came along and entered my life. Our life. This was the Greg that couldn't acknowledge my existence after he went through puberty and saw Katerina with new eyes.
So sorry if I care a little less than I look like I should.
"SUMMER, ARE YOU LISTENING?"
"Yes, yes, I am. Kat, I've been hearing you go on about this for ages. I don't know what it's supposed to mean. The most literary thing I can think of is that he meant you'll find out later."
The home phone started to ring, and I let it go to the answering machine. My room had it's own land line. One of the benefits to Mom's "No Cell Phone" rule.
"Hey," echoed the machine. I recognized the deep sandpaper voice. My heartbeat stopped. It was pathetic really, the way I acted. Katerina looked like she was about to chuck up her breakfast. "It's Greg. I guess you know I ended things with Kat. I didn't tell her why.I should tell you. You have to know. Call me back, Summer." The line went real. Katerina's stone-cold eyes scanned my expression.
"Oh, so you've been seeing him behind my back? This isn't the type of stuff best friends share, Summer. I thought you would know that." I didn't have a witty retort. Really didn't.
"What? No, it's nothing like that. That's the first time he's called me since---" Since he fell in love with you and crushed my hopes and dreams? I couldn't say that. I should have. But Katerina didn't give me a chance.
"B***h." That was it. I'd done nothing wrong.
"I'm not the one that's b***hing." My tone was hard and clear. I couldn't let her walk all over me. That's not how friends acted.
"Whatever you did to change his mind won't work. He'll get tired of you and come back to me," Katerina said. The hate in her eyes flickered and I knew she was trying to convince herself more than me. The lack of self-confidence, the neediness to be taken care of egged my temper more. I scoffed.
"Get real."
Katerina picked up her bag and slammed the door shut as she left.
I never intended to fight her over some guy. It was all wrong. I had more values than to squabble over a guy with my best friend. It was Katerina!It was my best friend.
But this was Greg.He was special, right? The little voice inside my head that knew my secret resentment for Katerina said:
"Get real."