Page 54 of The Sweet Spot

“How come no one ever told us how much our twenties would kick our asses?” Gracie looks down at her foot, and I know what she’s thinking. She’s a ballerina at the height of her career, and she’s battling an injury and battling herself right now while she figures out what her next move is.

The move is easy for me to see, but I’m looking at it from the outside. It’s harder when it’s your life and you’re left to make the hard choices. I should know. I’ve been avoiding certain choices all summer.

I slip a white sundress dotted with tiny green flowers over my head and adjust the ties on my shoulders, then look at one of my oldest friends. “If they had told us, we wouldn’t have believed them.”

She shrugs one shoulder up to her chin and side-eyes me carefully. “Wear your emerald earrings... the ones set in the little diamond circles. They’ll make the green in your eyes and the green in the dress pop.”

I walk into my room with Gracie on my heels and lace up a pair of brown chunky-heeled sandals, then grab the earrings my dad gave me for my twenty-first birthday.

“Don’t hold a grudge against your mom for too long, Brynnie. Maybe she’s just trying to tell you something you don’t want to believe.” She wiggles her fingers at me in a wave. “I’m heading out. Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks, Grace.” I watch her leave as a pit begins to form in my stomach.

How many secrets can I juggle at once before everything comes crashing down?

Iget Winnie strapped into her car seat in the back of my car and stare at my Bluetooth screen. One message wouldn’t be the end of the world. Fuck it.

Brynlee

I did something.

Kenzie

Well hello to you too.

Brynlee

Don’t give me shit. It’s not like you have time for small talk. You keep telling me how busy you are.

Kenzie

I’m lying in the break room, supposed to be catching a few minutes of sleep while I can. But my brain won’t slow down. Wanna text or talk?

Brynlee

FaceTime?

Kenzie

**Thumbs up emoji**

My phone rings as the emoji hits my screen, and I brace myself. “Hey,” I answer as Kenzie pops up in pink scrubs. “You look good,” I lie.

“Shut up. I look like I haven’t slept in a week and was knee-deep in amniotic fluid forty minutes ago while I delivered the biggest baby I’ve ever caught.” She holds the phone above her face, lying back on a pillow in a dark room.

“It still sounds strange,” I mumble.

“Listen, it’s what we do. We catch babies.” Kenzie wasn’t lying. Bags big enough to move states line her eyes, and even in the dark on-call room, I can tell she hasn’t seen the sun in days. Winnie’s snores get louder from the back seat and Kenzie cracks up. “Tell my niece that Auntie Kenzie can’t wait to meet the sleepy little potato.”

“I will,” I smile.

“That’s not why you called, Brynnie. Now tell me what’s going on? What did you do?” she asks, very matter-of-factly, and I hesitate.

Am I really going to tell her this?

She groans when I don’t answer right away.

“Brynnie... I’m supposed to be sleeping.” Her words may seem irritated, but I know better. “Did you take the test?”

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