7. The Silent Treatment
Ben
I got used to a lot of awkward silences with Mina the next few days. It was hard, when we didn’t have Splinters or Shards or Slivers to discuss, to find something to talk about that didn’t lead to what I’d almost said in her room. Sitting in my mom’s SUV, heading to pick up Aldo for a poker night, I kicked myself for even trying to bring it up without thinking it through, but it had come out, and it was there, and now… now we had a lot of awkward silences to fill.
There was one topic I could fill it with, but it was one I’d hoped to hold onto for a little bit longer.
“So, I’m going to Patrick’s Valentine’s Day party,” I said.
“I see,” Mina said.
“With Kevin and Haley,” I quickly added.
“I see,” she repeated.
“It’s one of those things that I’m expected t
