We drove in silence to the old elementary school playground. The school had burned down, like, when their parents were kids, and now the playground was a popular spot for teenagers. Actually, it's a hook up spot, but that's the exact opposite of what they were there for.

"Can I talk now?" asked Jack. I had shushed him in the car, because it's not safe to drive while strangling your best friend, you know?

"I don't know, are you gonna be stupid?"

"Listen, I just want to know what the deal is."

"There's no deal, Jack. We're not dating, we're not even a WE!" I yelled, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell. I won't yell anymore."

"Don't be like that. Don't treat me like a child, I don't need your sympathy," he said.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" I asked him, "You're kidding me, right? Do you want me to feel bad for hooking up with Ben, or do you want me to treat you like a grown up?"

"I don't want you to feel anything about hooking up with Ben, I don't want you to have hooked up with him in the first place!"

"Well that can't happen. We did hook up, okay! It happened, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. But I did stop it, okay?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you stop kissing Ben? It clearly isn't because you're holding back on any feelings for me."

"I stopped kissing Ben because while I'm not into romantically, I do care a lot about you. And I knew that Ben and me hooking up would hurt you."

"That's true. You know he's just using you to piss me off, right?"

Sure, I had expected such things, but hearing Jack say it like there was no other reason Ben could possibly have for kissing me hurt nonetheless.

"Oh, thanks for that," I said, trying not to get angry again, "Because nobody kisses me unless its to piss you off, right?"

"No, come on, that's not true and you know it," he responded, "Plenty of guys have kissed you. I just mean that Ben wouldn't be kissing you if you weren't, you know."

"If I weren't your friend?" I filled in for him, "So your brother, who you hate, is too good for me now?"

I didn't mean to be so rude; honestly, I just couldn't understand what he was saying. Well, maybe also I wanted to be a bit rude.

"For the love of God, stop jumping to conclusions! I'm just saying Ben could have any girl in the school, and I just think its a little strange that he chose to make out with you in his truck after you made out with me in his truck!"

I was fuming now. I never said that Jack was smooth, but this kid was digging himself into a hole and I wasn't about to sit around and wait for him to crawl out of it.

"Okay, so, just to clarify; you think I'm jumping to conclusions in saying I'm not good enough, but you think your brother could do so much better than me? Is that right? Just checking," I said, jumping out of my car and slamming the door shut behind me, "And, by the way, we did NOT make out. I gave you a- a- a PITY kiss for Christ's sake!"