Page 62 of Always Us

“Yeah. I guess it will be.”

“Jade, I hate to race off the phone like this but I have class. I have to go.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

I reach down for my backpack just as another person sits beside me. There are tons of open benches. Why does everyone insist on sitting next to me?

“Hey, what’s up?”

I recognize the voice and turn back and give the owner of that voice a kiss. “Don’t you have class?”

“Not for a half hour.” He puts his arm behind me on the bench. “I saw this hot girl sitting on the bench and I had to come check her out. What are you doing out here?”

“I called Harper. Get this. She went to Sean’s place and they did it.”

“They had sex?” He says it just as someone walks by.

“Don’t say it so loud,” I whisper.

He laughs. “It’s a college campus, Jade. People talk about sex all the time.”

“Whatever. So anyway, they did it and she spent the night over there. And now he’s gone and she’s even more depressed than before.”

“Why did she even go over there?”

“She wanted to say goodbye.”

“By having sex with him? And spending the night?” Garret shakes his head. “Sean should’ve never let that happen. Poor guy’s so damn in love with her I’m sure he couldn’t help himself, but if someone found out—”

“They’d hurt him?”

“Just forget it. He’s on the road now. He’ll be fine.” Garret gives my shoulder a squeeze and I slide over until I’m right up against him.

My phone rings and I’m thinking it might be Sean, but it’s William, my uncle.

“Hi, William.” I look at Garret as I say it. He looks as surprised as I am. William never calls me. I haven’t talked to him since that weekend we all met at Grace’s house.

“Hello, Jade. How have you been?”

“Um, okay, I guess.”

“I’m sorry to hear about Holton. How’s Garret doing?”

I glance at him. “He’s doing okay. I mean, given the circumstances. He’s been checking in with his dad to see if he has any updates. But so far, it sounds like nothing’s changed.”

William’s quiet, then says, “When did Garret last talk to his father?”

“I don’t know. He’s here with me now. I’ll ask him.” I turn to Garret. “When did you talk to your dad?”

“About an hour ago. He has meetings all day in New York so he couldn’t talk long but he said my grandfather’s condition was the same.”

I direct my attention back to William. “Did you hear all that?”

“Yes. I’m just a little confused.”

“What do you mean?”

“I talked to Eleanor this morning to see how she was holding up and she said Holton had improved overnight.”

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