Since Forever Ago by Olivia Besse Page B

affirmed, a proud grin on her face. “You become a walking contradiction! You’re mysterious! You’re perplexing! He’ll want to know more!”
    “Er, I don’t think that ‘mysterious’ would be the best word to describe a contradiction...”
    “It was all so simple this entire time,” Audrey sighed out, her eyes glazed over in wonderment. “This is literally life-changing information.”
    “Riley, that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard,” Liz said with a roll of her eyes. “Are you really going to believe all of that garbage?”
    “Why would Max and Evan lie?” Riley countered. “We can go to Evan’s stupid pre-birthday party later and you can ask them for yourself!”
    “Why wouldn’t Max and Evan lie is more like it.” Liz retorted with a laugh. “It sounds like a primer on everything that a guy isn’t looking for!”
    “That’s where you’re wrong,” Riley insisted, finishing off her drink with a flourish so as to emphasize her point. “We’ve been doing the complete opposite this whole time, and look where that’s got us! Besides, she understands what I’m talking about! Don’t you, Audrey?”
    “Where the hell did she go now?” Liz wondered aloud as the two of them glanced over at Audrey’s now-empty chair.
    “Oh my fucking gosh,” they could hear their friend’s voice ring out from a few seats away, followed immediately by one of her high-pitched giggles. “You’re so fucking right, bro. I could, like, totally use another fucking beer. And go Eagles, am I right?”

Fourteen
    ––––––––
    “S o, swearing like a sailor, drinking like a fish and shrieking like an airhead, huh? That’s the magic combination?”
    “Uh...”
    “I know exactly what you’re trying to do, by the way,” Liz added as she turned to face Max with a mysterious glint in her eye.
    Fuck .
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Max said, shifting uncomfortably on the kitchen stool as he gazed off in another direction. Please make her go away, please make her go away , he chanted silently to himself as he avoided looking her in the eye.
    Liz Graynor was the ultimate cock block, seemingly having taken it upon herself to protect all of her female brethren from the early age of five years old. Ever since they were young, Max had believed that she possessed secret magical powers when it came to deciphering boys’ motives and reading their minds. Like some sort of relationship sorceress.
    Fuck, had Liz finally figured out that he had basically been in love with her best friend for the better part of the past two decades?
    “I must say it’s pretty clever,” Liz continued as she took the seat next to his, much to the dismays of two younger sorority girls who had been eyeing it longingly. “Throwing her off by feeding her a bunch of bullshit so she’ll never meet someone new. You’re smarter than you look, Fletcher.”
    FUCK.
    “Did Noah put you up to this?”
    Huh?
    “Because if he did, that’s really fucked up of you to agree to it. Riley trusts you, you know.”
    “What are you talking about?” Max blurted out, turning to face Liz with a confused frown.
    “I mean, isn’t he trying to get back with Riley?” Liz asked matter-of-factly.
    “What?”
    “He texted her this morning,” Liz slowly replied. “I thought you would’ve known.”
    “What’d he say?” Max asked in as casual of a tone as he could muster.
    Liz shrugged her shoulders, letting out an annoyed sigh as she did. “You know, the usual. ‘Can we talk? I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Do you miss me? I miss you.’”
    “And what did Riley say?” Max slowly asked, bracing himself for the worst possible scenario that Liz could describe.
    “She didn’t reply,” Liz said with a shrug. “He didn’t tell you any of this?”
    Max shook his head, trying his best not to grin like an idiot. Noah hadn’t mentioned a word about his unsuccessful groveling when Max had spoken to him just two hours