At that point, I really do feel accepted. This gives me confidence to hang out with them more without Dylan. "No problem. Who needs him anyway?" I joke. "I'll walk you out," Derrick says after I say my goodbyes to everyone. "There are too many weirdos around here." He watches me get into my car and waves when I drive away with a smile on my face. After I get home from Raven's, I eat a quick dinner, which consists of leftovers, then I hole myself up in my room to do homework. In the middle of listening to music and finishing my English homework, my phone starts buzzing. The only person who calls at nine o'clock at night is Casey, so I immediately answer it. "If you're going to ask if ice cream is an appropriate meal at this time, then the answer is yes," I say, sitting up in my bed. "So, it's okay to eat ice cream right now, but not for lunch? Your logic is backwards," Dylan's voice comes through. His voice surprises me. I didn't expect him to call. "I thought you were Casey," I say, smiling. Why is he calling me so late? "If that means I'm labeled as Best Friend on your phone, then it's definitely okay," he chuckles. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not." I pause. "So, what's up?" I hear shuffling on the other side before he says, "I was just wondering what you thought of Derrick and Jared's performance. The guys said you had fun." It's a little upsetting that he left me by myself at Raven's, but that didn't completely kill the vibes that Derrick and Jared sent off while performing. "I had a great time with the guys. Derrick and Jared killed it," I say. Being around a bunch of guys was a little intimidating, but they made sure I was having fun and wasn't uncomfortable. "Yeah, they always put on a good show." "What about you? How was your night?" It's an innocent question, but I hope he tells me about Kay. The guys say Dylan shouldn't get involved with her, but why? The line is quiet before he speaks. "It was alright." Not the answer I want. Maybe if I open up to him more, he'll do the same. We're friends and friends tell each other personal things. I debate with myself over telling him about Jacob, but ultimately I think he can help me decide what to do. It's a bit of a reach to try to get him to open up, but it's worth a try. "Can I tell you something?" "Yeah, sure." "I've talked to Casey about this, but it's gotten to the point where we've talked about it too much and her help isn't helping. Not that I don't appreciate her help, because I do. This might be too girly of a topic to talk about with you, but I kind of need an outside opinion." Hopefully that makes sense to him. "Okay. Continue." Here goes nothing. "So, you know that Jacob cheated on me after my parents died." "Right." I take a deep breath. "It just...everything seemed so sudden. I didn't expect to lose my parents so suddenly and I definitely didn't expect to lose the one person who I thought would help me through it all, you know? I thought he loved me. Then he cheated on me and I dumped him as soon as I found out. I didn't talk to him all summer and I thought that would help me get over him. I thought if I could put it all behind me, I could move on. That obviously didn't work. When I saw him on the first day of school, everything about him I thought I pushed away came right back. I figured becoming friends with him would help me try to move on. I thought if I could see him move on, I could finally move on." "That isn't working out, is it?" he asks me. "Not exactly..." I trail off. "He invited me to his soccer game over the weekend. His parents are having some trouble, so he wanted some extra support. Being friends now, I didn't think it was a big deal. Then I saw his mom there and we got to talking and it felt like old times again. After the game, Jacob and I were talking and he told me he still had feelings for me and one thing lead to another and he kissed me and I kissed him back." The other end is quiet again and for a second I think he fell asleep. "Why did you kiss him back?" he finally asks. Of course he asks the question I've been asking myself since then. I let out a long sigh. "I got caught up in the moment. It's so hard because even though I was the one who dumped him, he's the one who ended it when he slept with that girl. I was so emotionally invested in our relationship and he wasn't. It wasn't over for me." Letting it all out feels nice, but there's still a decision to make. Hopefully Dylan can help me make it. "I know I was upset with you last week about being friends with that douche, but I guess I can see where you're coming from," he says. "Casey hates him, so she wants me to drop him completely, but it's not that simple. It's not easy to just forget someone like that." He sighs. "Listen, Lace, I'm not good at this kind of stuff. Me and the guys don't talk about our relationship problems regularly." My heart drops a little. Disappointment washes over me and I shake my head. "Right. Yeah, I didn't mean to dump all of that on you. I'll just figure it out on my own." "No, no. I didn't mean it like that," he says quickly. "I'm trying to say that me and the guys aren't poster boys for perfect relationships. We've all done some shitty things to girls. I just want to tell you that while I'm not the best person to take advice from, if I were you, I'd try to move on." Hearing it from him gives me confirmation, but I know the moment I see Jacob again I'll crumble. "You're right. I'm already in the process of trying to do that, but it's not working. Nothing seems to be working." "Well, for one you need to stop being his friend. That was and is a horrible idea." "Fine, fine." "I'll help you if you want," he says. "But only if you're really serious about it. I don't want to waste my time if you're just going to run back to him only to get hurt again." It's going to be hard, but I need to move on. Jacob is clearly not the right person for me. "I'm serious." "Okay. Mission Move-the-Fuck-On is a go." I laugh. "Thanks, Dylan. It means a lot." Somehow I knew he'd make me feel better about the whole situation. Not that Casey hasn't, because she absolutely helped me feel more confident. "No problem." I'm getting ready to say goodnight when he speaks up again. "Hey, since we're having a moment or whatever, I just want to tell you that girl Kay and I aren't dating or anything. It's more of a friends-with-benefits kinda thing." She isn't his girlfriend. Noted, but I'm still curious about why the guys don't like him being with her. That's clearly a conversation for another day. "You know a friends-with-benefits situation usually results in someone having feelings for the other, right?" "Yeah, well we'll see about that." "Just be careful, Dylan Parker. I don't think the world can handle a mini-Dylan right now," I tease him. He lets out a laugh. "Oh, trust me. I know." "Good." The conversation is dying down and I don't know what else to say. I want to know more about Kay and how they met and why he's in this situation with her, but I stop myself. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing," he says. "Just English homework." "Shit, we have homework?" "Get working, Dylan. I'll see you tomorrow," I tell him, laughing. "Goodnight, Lace."