thoughts.
“Why is that funny?” He frowned. I stood close enough to see my reflection in his glasses. The bangs surprised me; an already forgotten addition.
“Only because …” My mind stumbled, searching. “My mom wishes I was more social, too.”
That wasn’t exactly true. After what happened with Aaron, my mom wanted me to have “healthy relationships,” but she preferred that I have friends over to our house, where she’d know I was safe. She almost forbade me from riding in Tessa’s car entirely. “Teen drivers have such a high rate of accidents,” she’d said.
“Ah,” Max said. “I thought you were making fun of me.”
“Never,” I lied, as a pang of guilt hit me. This was not good. I really needed Ryan Chase’s cousin to like me. Plus, if I stayed here talking to him long enough, Ryan Chase was bound to come to his car eventually. My friends could wait.
“Actually,” I said, buying some time, “when I was younger, I would sneak off at slumber parties to read whatever book I’d brought. My friends still make fun of me for it.”
He smiled genuinely now, but his eyes traveled above my head.
“You ready?” he asked someone behind me. I turned my head to find Ryan Chase, striding toward us.
“Yep,” Ryan said, jingling his car keys as evidence.
“See you Monday,” Max said to me as Morgan appeared on the sidewalk near the car, flagging me down.
“You coming?” she called to me.
“Yeah.” To the guys, I said, “See you later.”
“Bye, Paige,” Ryan said, like we were friends. I half expected his grin to have an actual glint to it, with a Ding ! like a toothpaste commercial.
I hurried to a coy-looking Morgan. She crossed her arms. “They sent me on a search-and-rescue mission but, clearly, you needed no rescue. What did Ryan Chase say to you?”
“Um, he said, ‘Bye Paige.’ ”
“Oh. Well, he totally gave you the eyes.”
“I think that’s just … how his eyes are.”
“Dreamy? True.” She laughed as she pulled me toward Tessa’s car.
“Coffee?” Tessa asked, once we’d climbed in. It wasn’t really a question. She took the back roads with the windows down, and I closed my eyes, feeling my hair dance all around me.
I spilled my family drama to my friends after all, in two numb sentences. “My mom and dad have been dating each other for four months. My mom told me tonight.”
“Oh my God ,” Kayleigh whispered, and Morgan elbowed her.
“Are you okay?” I knew Morgan well enough to expect this question first, along with her hand on my arm. Kayleigh slurped at her drink, and Tessa leaned a bit closer, our shoulders touching.
I shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. They’re dating, and that’s it.”
We were in the corner booth at Alcott’s, our usual spot on the nights when Tessa’s parents were actually at home. Sometimes we got drinks and talked the whole time. Other nights, we gathered our books or magazines of choice, alternately reading and laughing—at Kayleigh’s dramatic readings from Cosmo or Tessa’s scandalous facts from a rock star’s autobiography. This could go on for hours, tucked away from the rest of the world.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier tonight?” Kayleigh frowned. “We could have skipped the party.”
I shrugged again. “I didn’t really want to talk about it.”
“That’s okay,” Morgan said. She twisted one pearl earring. “We don’t have to talk about it. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“It’s okay if you’re not okay,” Kayleigh added. There were too many okays flying around, and it was becoming glaringly obvious that I was not, in fact, okay.
I glanced around at each of them, their eyes on mine,and sighed. “It’s just that everything I thought I knew seems different. It’s like, when my parents divorced, it was a period. Not an ellipsis.”
Morgan shook her head after a moment. “I don’t follow.”
“It wasn’t ‘Divorced, dot-dot-dot,’ ” I said. “It was
“Why is that funny?” He frowned. I stood close enough to see my reflection in his glasses. The bangs surprised me; an already forgotten addition.
“Only because …” My mind stumbled, searching. “My mom wishes I was more social, too.”
That wasn’t exactly true. After what happened with Aaron, my mom wanted me to have “healthy relationships,” but she preferred that I have friends over to our house, where she’d know I was safe. She almost forbade me from riding in Tessa’s car entirely. “Teen drivers have such a high rate of accidents,” she’d said.
“Ah,” Max said. “I thought you were making fun of me.”
“Never,” I lied, as a pang of guilt hit me. This was not good. I really needed Ryan Chase’s cousin to like me. Plus, if I stayed here talking to him long enough, Ryan Chase was bound to come to his car eventually. My friends could wait.
“Actually,” I said, buying some time, “when I was younger, I would sneak off at slumber parties to read whatever book I’d brought. My friends still make fun of me for it.”
He smiled genuinely now, but his eyes traveled above my head.
“You ready?” he asked someone behind me. I turned my head to find Ryan Chase, striding toward us.
“Yep,” Ryan said, jingling his car keys as evidence.
“See you Monday,” Max said to me as Morgan appeared on the sidewalk near the car, flagging me down.
“You coming?” she called to me.
“Yeah.” To the guys, I said, “See you later.”
“Bye, Paige,” Ryan said, like we were friends. I half expected his grin to have an actual glint to it, with a Ding ! like a toothpaste commercial.
I hurried to a coy-looking Morgan. She crossed her arms. “They sent me on a search-and-rescue mission but, clearly, you needed no rescue. What did Ryan Chase say to you?”
“Um, he said, ‘Bye Paige.’ ”
“Oh. Well, he totally gave you the eyes.”
“I think that’s just … how his eyes are.”
“Dreamy? True.” She laughed as she pulled me toward Tessa’s car.
“Coffee?” Tessa asked, once we’d climbed in. It wasn’t really a question. She took the back roads with the windows down, and I closed my eyes, feeling my hair dance all around me.
I spilled my family drama to my friends after all, in two numb sentences. “My mom and dad have been dating each other for four months. My mom told me tonight.”
“Oh my God ,” Kayleigh whispered, and Morgan elbowed her.
“Are you okay?” I knew Morgan well enough to expect this question first, along with her hand on my arm. Kayleigh slurped at her drink, and Tessa leaned a bit closer, our shoulders touching.
I shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. They’re dating, and that’s it.”
We were in the corner booth at Alcott’s, our usual spot on the nights when Tessa’s parents were actually at home. Sometimes we got drinks and talked the whole time. Other nights, we gathered our books or magazines of choice, alternately reading and laughing—at Kayleigh’s dramatic readings from Cosmo or Tessa’s scandalous facts from a rock star’s autobiography. This could go on for hours, tucked away from the rest of the world.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier tonight?” Kayleigh frowned. “We could have skipped the party.”
I shrugged again. “I didn’t really want to talk about it.”
“That’s okay,” Morgan said. She twisted one pearl earring. “We don’t have to talk about it. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“It’s okay if you’re not okay,” Kayleigh added. There were too many okays flying around, and it was becoming glaringly obvious that I was not, in fact, okay.
I glanced around at each of them, their eyes on mine,and sighed. “It’s just that everything I thought I knew seems different. It’s like, when my parents divorced, it was a period. Not an ellipsis.”
Morgan shook her head after a moment. “I don’t follow.”
“It wasn’t ‘Divorced, dot-dot-dot,’ ” I said. “It was
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