Page 73 of Wright Kind of Trouble

My eyes widened. “Wow. Did she really?”

“And I agree with her.”

I nodded. “Me too.”

“You…you do?”

“Of course. Isn’t that the point of us not dating? You want me to grow up and get to decide what I want when I have a more fully developed prefrontal cortex.”

“I mean, those aren’t exactly the words I’d use.”

“Yeah. Well, I’m not stupid. In fact, I’m very smart when it comes to everything but you, apparently.” I sighed and released the tension from the conversation. I had known it was going to end up like this. I’d known, and I’d done it anyway. I wrapped my arms around his waist. “This is a dream, Chase. This entire weekend is a dream. Graduation is the end date. You set it from the beginning. I knew that this weekend wasn’t going to change anything.”

He held me closer. “I hate this.”

I pulled back enough to slip my arms up around his neck. “I knew the weekend would end. I’d do it again.”

“Me too,” he breathed.

Our lips touched. A bittersweet tragedy. An inevitable conclusion met again.

I just hoped when we did meet our end date that I didn’t have to make the choice my mom assumed I’d make.

My dream or Chase?

Was there much of a difference anymore?

19

Harley

October

“The new album doesn’t have enough keys,” West said to Campbell.

Campbell, the lead singer of Cosmere, flipped him off.

“God, you’re so whiny,” I said, pushing my brother.

Whitt snorted, basically his agreement.

West pulled me in for a hug. “Shut up.”

“A few years ago, you were dreaming of selling out venues, and now, you’re complaining because you don’t have enough solo moments?” Whitt asked with a scoff.

“Hey! I was playing sold-out venues,” West argued.

Campbell laughed. “Yeah, at a pub in Germany.”

“Those are the best fans, man.”

Cosmere’s latest studio album had hit all the Billboard milestones. A number one hit, a number one album, most sold vinyl in twenty-four hours that year, most streams for a new album that year, and on and on. Their tour was kicking off from Lubbock, Texas, and they’d sold out the entire football stadium with seats on the field, totaling to nearly a hundred thousand people.

I sometimes still couldn’t believe it was my brother up there. I definitely hated that it meant he was regularly recording in LA. Touring was even worse though. He’d spend the next six to eight months touring the world.

The only time I had plans to see him between now and the end of the tour was graduation. He’d promised that they’d scheduled a break at the start of the summer. So, he would be home to watch me walk.

Campbell punched West after his latest joke and then headed over to Blaire. West laughed and turned back to his siblings.

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