Page 30 of Catching Feeling

Jellybean: Seriously though, I promise no third degree. I just want to meet her. That’s all.

Jesus fucking Christ, Rosie.

I laugh out loud, scrolling through the remaining messages, then quickly type a message back that I promise to call her later and try to set something up. Clearly, now isn’t the time.

“Dinner’s done,” Viv mumbles from the counter, slamming her textbook shut.

Okay… so are we angry now?

When I stand, the chair scrapes across the floor, echoing around us. Even the break in silence can’t seem to cut through the tension in the room.

Grabbing a bowl from the cabinet, I load it down with spaghetti and grab three pieces of garlic bread, then join Viv at the table.

Her eyes widen at the amount of food on my plate, but I just shrug. “Athlete, remember?”

“How could I forget when you remind me ten times a day?” Her retort is sharp as it slices through the air between us. Damn, I thought we were past all the hostility? Shit-talking banter, nah, we’re still balls-deep, but this?

“Okay, spill. What the fuck is up, Viv? And before you say nothing, something is obviously wrong because your claws are even sharper than usual. Quite frankly, I want to enjoy this bowl of food because I’m fucking starving, and I can’t do that when you’re shooting daggers at me with your eyes.”

Sighing, she pushes a meatball around her plate before dragging those deep blue eyes up to meet mine. “I am not shooting daggers at you. You know… not everything is about you, Reese. Although, you seem to believe it is.”

Alright, so we’re deflecting. Back to being closed off.

Cool. Buuuut I’m not giving up so easily. I wanna know what’s got her like this, what’s bothering her.

I care, even though she acts like she doesn’t want me to.

The spaghetti in front of me wafts to my nose, and I grab the fork, digging in and shoving a forkful into my mouth, groaning with my lips wrapped around the utensil.

Holy shit. This is fucking good. Not even good, but amazing.

I swallow it down before responding.

“Nah, I know this isn’t about me because if it was, you would’ve already torn me a new one. What’s happening, Viv? You should know by now that I’m persistent, and I’m not giving up until you tell me what’s going on.”

Her eyes narrow, and she drags her gaze back down to her plate. “Nothing. I’m good.”

“Lie to everyone else, but don’t lie to me,” I say and cut my eyes to her over my bowl. “I live here, remember? So I’m not going anywhere. So just tell me. Who knows, maybe I can help.”

“You can’t.” She sighs dejectedly, then rolls her eyes, so I wait her out. After a few minutes of hesitation, she says, “I’m just feeling really overwhelmed right now. With my schedule, my job.” Lowering her voice, she whispers hesitantly, “And my mom. And on the way home from work today, my car started to make this sound, and I’m sure that’s going to cost an arm and a leg to fix. There you have it. All my problems laid out for you. Happy?”

After another bite, I say, “Well, my sister, Rosie, used to tell me growing up, tackle the smallest problem first. I always really struggled with my ADHD, and she was constantly trying to find ways to help me cope with it, and it was one of the things she taught me. Take the smallest problem and chip away at it, then move on to the next.”

Viv leans forward after setting her fork down and props her elbows on the table. I notice the thin chain bracelet on her wrist that has a little ghost emblem on it and how it feels perfect for her. “How old were you when you were diagnosed with ADHD?”

“Seven? Maybe. I don’t really remember exactly when. My parents got me tested at my pediatrician, and I was on medication for a while, but I started playing tournament ball when I was twelve, and it was making it fucking impossible for me to keep on weight, even when I forced myself to eat, so we decided to take me off of it. My grades suffered when I did, so I struggled for a long time. Until Rosie started to help me with managing it.”

“She sounds amazing,” Viv says, a soft smile on her pink lips. “Your sister.”

I nod. “She is. She’s my best friend. Okay, so take the smallest part first, and see what you can do to work on it. Maybe take off a few shifts and give yourself a chance to catch up on school- work. What about your car? Let’s go drop it off at the mechanic and get it fixed.”

For a second, she says nothing, and then a grimace passes over her face, and she laughs humorously, shaking her head. “Yeah, well, obviously, I don’t have the money for that, Reese.”

Ah, so maybe I can help? Money is the one thing I can seem to contribute to this.

“Okay, no problem. What’s your Venmo? I’ll send you some, and if it’s more than that, I’ll call the shop and take care of it.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t offer to pay for my stuff, Reese,” she says. The mask of coldness drops back in place. “I’m not your charity case.”

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