The Love Hack

Chapter 20

"I never liked him anyway!" Mindy exclaimed after Lexi had finished recounting the events that had just taken place, in between sobs. They were sitting on the couch in their dorm room along with a wad of Lexi's tissues.

"I don't know how I can continue with his class, Mindy. I may need to drop it after all. I just won't be able to look at him without crying."

"No, girl! Don't let him shake you! He's being dumb and any guy would be lucky to have you!"

"But why would any guy want me? A girl who doesn't put out isn't exactly the most exciting thing." Lexi's red, puffy eyes glanced down at her hands.

"No, Lex! Stop second-guessing yourself! You're amazing, smart, beautiful, and strong! Whether or not you decide to have sex shouldn't matter! It's your choice what to do with your body! Any guy with half a cell in his brain would recognize that, suck it up if it doesn't float his boat, and be thrilled just to be in your presence."

Lexi gave Mindy a weak smile. "Thanks, Mindy. I love you."

"Lex, I love you so much! And it kills me to see you like this! I can't tell you how badly I want to torch his house to the ground."

Lexi laughed and then blew her nose into the wad she picked up. "It's not his fault, Mindy. I'm the one that's the prude who can't seem to forget the stupid promise I made to myself. I'm realizing I'm just going to be alone forever, and just have to live with that."

"Okay, A, stop with the dramatics! That's my thing. And B, you literally had a cute boy just this morning ask to take you on a date."

"Oh, Wes definitely seems like the type to date a virgin," Lexi said with a sarcasm laced in her voice.

"You don't have to put so much pressure on yourself. It's just one date, you can have some fun, and forget about stupid Tommy Boy."

"I don't think I'm in any state to date right now. I'm on a job and I can't have any distractions."

"Lex! Everyone needs a break from work every once in a while! I really think this will be for your own good! Listen, let me say this because I love you even though it might not be easy to hear." Mindy took a deep breath in before continuing. "You always put barbed wire around yourself and don't want to let people in. And I tend to be the same, which is why we're best friends. But as your best friend, I have to call you out when I think you're actually hurting yourself more by doing that versus experiencing any heartbreak that might come up if you let someone in."

Lexi smiled. "Did you come up with that all by yourself?"

"Well, for the most part, I saw a speech Selena Gomez made that was something to that effect, and it really resonated with me." Mindy smiled back warmly.

Lexi fiddled with the tissue in her hand, contemplating Mindy's words. Tom made her realize she longed to be loved by someone that wasn't in a platonic or familial sense. She wanted the kind of love that was based on choice. Two people choosing to love each other despite a mountain of differences and a world of unknowns. It was like a delectable dessert that you only hear about but never manage to get a taste of as it was either too expensive or unavailable.

Yet, Lexi did manage to get a taste. It was merely a small sample, like one of those they package up in a plastic cup at Costco. And while it never compared to the whole dessert, the simple taste forced the clouds to part and hunger to awaken. And as much as Lexi tried to forget about everything happening with Tom, a part of her knew there was no going back. She wanted the whole damn cake - chocolate kid from Matilda style.

"Fine. I'll go on a date with Wes."

"Yaay!" Mindy wrapped her arms around Lexi for a brief, but tight hug. "It's going to go great, trust me! Now let's go shopping."