Page 42 of Forever Wild

She looks back and forth between us again and finally just passes her phone to Jameson. “There are a couple group chats in there that capture most of it.”

He drops my hand to take her phone and scrolls through each of them. Yup. Still scrolling as I awkwardly stand there, feeling like everyone is talking about me, but I’m the only one who doesn’t get to know what they are saying.

As he reads, his shoulders relax, his face turning from the unfeeling mask he had been wearing back into a light smile.

He hands the phone back to Izzy, says a gruff “Thanks,” and reaches for my hand again.

We head for the exit, and I flip my sister off over my shoulder as I leave. Unfortunately, it does nothing to ease the uncertainty and hurt swirling in my chest.

What was that about?

Chapter twenty

Jameson

When I was twelve, my sister got some huge pink Barbie mansion that took up half of our living room. It had been a gift from my aunt—my dad’s sister who never had any girls of her own so always went all out on Lila. One day, my friends and I were fucking around playing football inside when I tackled my friend Brian directly into the dollhouse. The pink construction crumbled, completely wrecking the toy.

Lila cried for hours because she was sad, but also because she was so angry. It was the first time she had ever truly been mad at me for something I did that I couldn’t quickly make right.

I apologized over and over, but finally my dad took me aside and told me that I had two options: I could move on, and risk Lila never forgiving me, or I could make it right. But making it right would require sacrificing something on my part. I honestly considered just letting Lila get over it. I knew she would forgive me eventually. But I also knew I wasn’t likely to forgive myself for risking it.

So Dad let me do extra chores all summer, and it was all I did. It was the first time I realized I was exceptionally good at blocking out the rest of the world when I was focused on something important to me. I barely spent any time on anything that wasn’t earning money for the dollhouse. Two months later, I bought Lila a replacement Barbie house. It wasn’t quite as big as the first one, but it was the best I could do with the money I’d earned.

As the ice that filled my veins at the thought of the town knowing something I didn’t about the relationship between me and Bryn slowly melts, I recognize there is now frost coming from Bryn’s direction. Fuck. A replacement Barbie house may not be enough in this situation.

We both climb into the car, and she squeezes her hands together in her lap, turning her whole body away from me.

“I shouldn’t have asked to read your sister’s text messages,” I say, trying to break the tension.

“It’s fine.”

I’ve heard that from my mom’s and Lila’s mouths enough times to know that it’s not fine.

“Look, Bryn, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s fine.”

I hate the dejected tone in her voice. I throw the pickup into reverse as I say, “It’s not fine. You’re upset. And I don’t like seeing you this way. Can you please talk to me?”

I can see her staring out the window from the corner of my eye as I make my way slowly back to her sister’s house.

Finally, she says, “You essentially read the Wild Bluffs version of the National Enquirer to decide if I’m interested in you instead of just manning up and asking me yourself. I was having a great time. The last few weeks have been great. And you decided you needed to see other people’s opinions of us?”

When I don’t say anything, she continues, “What would you have done if Izzy’s random high school friend who I haven’t seen in five years had said she didn’t think I was good enough for you? Would you have just ended things with me on the spot? Do you care that much about what other people think of us eating dinner together?”

“Dating,” I growl.

“What?” She’s still upset, but at least now she’s distracted.

“We aren’t just eating dinner together, we’re dating.”

“Yes. Casually officially dating. I know.” She sighs. “Look, my ex ended things between us after three years because of what other people thought about me, and it’s definitely a sore spot for me now.”

Oh, shoot. I really hadn’t thought about how it was going to make Bryn feel. I roll to a stop in front of Kelsey’s house and quickly grab Bryn’s hand as she reaches for the car door. Barbie house time, I guess.

“Please just let me explain? And, after I explain, can we please circle back to the casually officially dating?”

I can see the war happening in her head, but finally she sighs and says, “Of course.”

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