âtil dawn?â
âGood times. We arenât carefree anymore. Canât be when starting a career. Too much at stake. Big responsibility.â He didnât wait for my comment. âEverybodyâs got an itch they canât scratch until they move on. Let it go, Mallory. Change is an inevitable fact of life.â He gestured at Chad, drinking alone at a table across the room. âCheck out Powers if youâre looking for a challenge. Figure out whatâs plaguing him these days.â
Chad had been cheerful enough when Ben and I arrived. Now he downed tequila shots with beer backups, his expression deadpan.
âIâm sure you have a hunch,â I said and turned back to Jack.
âI might. Iâll tell you when I find out more.â
âBetter hurry. Heâs abandoning us. A lot of our friends are.â
He chuckled despite his frown. Crossed one long, lanky leg over the other. âYes. They are. Make new friends, Mallory. I may leave, too. We canât ever look back. Itâs sad to watch but our group is collapsing right before our eyes.â
I smiled and clung to his arm, feigning anxiety, which had always made him laugh. âOh, please, Jack. Please make it stop.â
He nudged his elbow against me and chuckled again.
I repositioned myself sideways, one leg up and one down, and watched him with devoted interest.
âI am not the all-powerful Jack Harwood you think I am, sweetheart, but thank you for thinking so these past three years. We will settle into our new lives and our careers. A few of us will remain friends. A few wonât, nor will we ever want them as friends for a myriad of reasons.â
âAn entire myriad, huh?â
His frown deepened. He made a
tsk
ing noise as he leaned back against Chadâs futon with arms folded behind his head.âFocus on your possibilities. Forget the losers.â He nodded toward Chad.
I gave Chad a quick glance. Even a week before, Jack never would have called him a loser.
âMaybe heâs in trouble.â
âHe ought to be except heâs such a rich, pathetic ass he wonât be.â Jack turned his focus on Dana. âOur futures can be whatever we choose. Picture the beautiful future you and Ben are creating.â
âHeâs all I think about anymore. I canât imagine life without him.â
âPrecisely. All of us can expect a spectacular future. Consider where Iâm headed.â
âSans Dana, Iâm thinking.â
He drew in a slow sip from his cup and shot me a devilish side-glance, that scoundrelly kind of look he wore whenever he felt playful. âPerhaps.â He tipped his head and clinked his plastic cup against mine, which was nearly drained of ginger ale. One corner of his mouth stretched into a mysterious smile.
âWhatâs up with Chad, then?â I asked.
âIâll say when Iâm not shitfaced. Itâd be good for you to know.â
I remained sitting beside Jack Harwood. Benâs astute older friend. A good-looking man, usually enthusiastic about life. A critical thinker. In the few short years Iâd known him, his educated opinion on any subject impressed me, the youngest in our group. Iâd be worse than sad if he told us goodbye, too.
âPeople will hurt you, Mallory, but only when you let them.â
Not clear why or when heâd formed that opinion, I disagreed. âIn some cases that isnât true.â My head filled with examples supporting my opinion. Still, I chose silence because I knew he had more on his mind.
He said nothing for a long while, however. Contemplating my response, or so I presumed. Rather than expanding his point per usual, he focused with knitted brow and penetrating eyes on a cluster of friends that included his then-girlfriend Dana Norris.He wrinkled his nose, and I sensed he disapproved of her âless is moreâ choice of clothing.
Ronnie Moore was there, too. She
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