the hating game ; lrh

forty-four

"GOD, HE IS SO hot in this movie," Anna gushes, her mouth half-full of sushi as she practically drools over Channing Tatum in 'She's The Man'.

It feels like years since Anna and I have spent time together without any of the boys around, so a sleepover tonight seemed like a necessary activity. I have been so preoccupied with everything going on in my life with Luke that I have been slightly neglecting Anna. So, spending this time with her tonight feels comforting and familiar — it washes away all of my worries surrounding Luke, which seem to be occupying my mind more than usual as of late.

Since the Hemmings lunch, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what Luke said — or, rather, almost said — to me in the living room. More and more, I cannot shake the feeling that he is hiding something from me. Despite how much I want to trust him, I can't help but feel that he is lying to me, and his track record certainly does not help his case. I want to confront him about it all, but I don't really have any solid evidence — I don't have any real reason to doubt him aside from a 'feeling' that I have, and I know how terribly a conversation with only that as my iron-clad evidence might go down. So, I have remained silent.

"What ever happened to Amanda Bynes?" Anna asks, shoving another chunk of sushi into her mouth.

I shrug, following suit and plucking a piece from the tray before us. "She got a bunch of face tattoos," I relay the only information about the woman I know.

Anna turns to me, a disgusted look on her face. "Gross," she comments, shaking her whole body as if to rid herself of the idea.

On the television screen, Amanda Bynes' character walks into her dorm room to find Channing Tatum with a tampon up his nose to stop a nose bleed.

Anna rolls her eyes, scoffing loudly. "Boys are so stupid," she says, shaking her head at the screen.

"I mean, it's kind of smart," I admit — really, there's no reason the functionality of a tampon couldn't be useful for stopping nosebleeds. It essentially works exactly the same way.

Anna either ignores or doesn't hear my comment, instead turning her whole body to me and pushing aside our sushi tray, telling me that she means absolute business. "Matt is so stupid," she huffs, revealing to me that she wasn't actually angry at all men, just the one she happens to be seeing. "I swear he doesn't listen to a thing I say."

"Like what?" I ask curiously, dragging the sushi tray back over to us so I can continue eating.

Anna huffs again, as if I'm the source of her issues rather than Matt. "He fell asleep when I was talking to him last night!" She practically screams the words, her arms flailing about and a horrified, betrayed expression on her face.

"He fell asleep?" I gape, mouth and eyes both wide with disbelief, and she nods. I know that Anna can talk a lot, but that is quite extreme. "What were you talking about?"

"My dead cousin!" Anna responds, screeching now, but I can't bring myself to quieten her because I am just as horrified.

"Oh wow," I sit back against my bedhead, shaking my head to myself. "That's bad."

"I know," Anna sighs, seeming to relax slightly, and sits back against the bed as well. "Boys." She then turns to me, appearing slightly curious now. "Any men in your life?"

I shake my head instantly and let out a fake laugh, praying to whatever higher power might exist that my act is believable. "God no," I laugh, glancing across at a blank-faced Anna. "After Ash, I am glad to be rid of them."

I immediately shove two slices of sushi into my mouth once I finish speaking, hoping that it might distract from the complete lies I am telling my best friend.