Dirty Curve

by Meagan Brandy

“He’s exactly what meets the eye on the outside: gorgeous, charming, and magnetic. Athletic. But it’s ... it’s like there’s this hard shell of expectation he has to fill because his exterior packaging says it’s the one he belongs in, like the epitome of stereotypes.” “That’s shitty but makes sense.” “Yeah.” I nod. “But the filling inside the shell isn’t made up of the same things.” I pause, thinking of his cocky ways, and fight a smile. “Okay, some of that’s on the inside too, but it’s the honest parts. He is cocky, but that’s because he’s good at what he does and he’s unapologetic about it. It’s oddly endearing.” I chuckle. “And he is charming, but it comes from how he communicates. He’s direct, straightforward, and unafraid to let on to what he’s thinking.” My palm falls to my stomach when an airy sensation begins to swirl. “It’s strange though, because you’d think someone who is all those things would be able to brush off what others say, and it seems like he does as far as the school papers and campus jerks go, but I can tell when I’ve insulted him.” “Hold up, what?”