Change of Heart Read Free Page A

stop.”

“D
    o you want me to wait for you?” my dad said. We were sitting in his Porsche at the curb outside of Billy’s house.
    I shook my head.
    â€œI don’t know how long I’m going to be,” I said. “I’ll just go home after.” My mom’s house was only a couple of blocks from Billy’s. My dad lived much farther away.
    My dad said okay. He probably thought I was still mad at him, but I wasn’t. I was mad at Nick. Like I said, it was complicated.
    I kissed my dad on the cheek to show him there were no hard feelings. After he drove away, I rang Billy’s doorbell.
    Billy’s mother answered.
    â€œHe’s upstairs,” she said. She meant the third-floor family room, where I found Billy slumped in front of the TV, his cell phone in one hand, the remote in the other, a damp cloth in a bowl of melting ice on his lap, and what looked like a history essay beside him on the couch. Both of his eyes were black, and his nose was swollen. He didn’t even glance at me when I entered the room.
    â€œHey, Billy,” I said. “Are you okay? How’s your nose? Is it broken?”
    No answer.
    â€œI called you,” I said. “Didn’t you get my message?”
    Nothing.
    â€œCome on, Billy. Talk to me.”
    Instead, all I got was stony silence. He reminded me of Nick—which was weird because Billy is nothing like Nick. I crossed the room and shut off the TV. Billy clicked it back on. I stood in front of the screen to block his view.
    â€œLeave me alone, Robyn,” he said.
    â€œNo way. You’re my friend.”
    â€œHe stole her from me.”
    I turned off the TV again, pried the remote from his hand, and sat down beside him.
    â€œShe likes him, Billy. I know it hurts, and I’m really sorry. ” I had told him that dozens of times already. “But you’re making yourself crazy. You have to try to get over it.”
    â€œBut I love her.”
    I knew how that felt. There’s nothing worse than wanting to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with you.
    â€œBilly, the more you harass her, the worse you make it.”
    â€œHarass her?” He looked hurt and confused.
    â€œMorgan called me—”
    â€œShe said I was harassing her?”
    â€œShe says you’ve been phoning her nonstop. She says you follow her around. Billy, you attacked Sean.”
    He hung his head.
    â€œI know it was wrong,” he said. “I knew it even while I was doing it. But he gave me this look. And he said—” He broke off abruptly.
    â€œHe said what?”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter.” His eyes glistened when he looked back up at me. “I couldn’t help it, Robyn. I lost my temper.” I tried to remember the last time that had happened. Billy was good-natured, laid-back. I didn’t think he
had
a temper. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t stop thinking about her. I just want to talk to her. But she won’t take my calls. She won’t even speak to me.”
    â€œShe wants you to leave her alone.”
    â€œWhat am I going to do?”
    I touched his arm. “Come on, Billy. You know Morgan. You know how she is once she makes up her mind about something. There’s nothing you can do.”
    I stayed for another hour and listened while Billy told me—again—about finding Morgan and Sean together that first time (“He was kissing her, Robyn, and he saw me. He looked right at me and he kept right on kissing her”) and about confronting Morgan (“She said, ‘I should have told you.’ You know what that means, right, Robyn? It means she was seeing him while we were still together.”). He told me that all he wanted, all he had ever wanted, was to talk to her.
    â€œIf I could just explain to her how I feel—”
    â€œBilly, it doesn’t make any difference how you feel. Not about this.” I’d told him that