Page 36 of Jump on Three

“No. I don’t think so.”

She smiled so wide her nose crinkled. “I think you’re gonna like it, lady. It’s got your kind of music in it, and…okay, I’m not sayin’ anything else. Let’s just watch.”

The credits were rolling when I ripped my eyes from the screen. Bella was grinning. “Loved it?” she asked.

Love didn’t quite cut how I felt after two hours of the journey and adventure of a cast of characters at an EDM festival. The music was…yes. Oh, hell yes. But it was the clothes, the friends, the dancing, the joy of being there that had me enthralled. How had I never seen this before?

Oh yeah, I’d been watching the same movies again and again.

“Yeah.” I glanced at the screen then back at her. “I have to watch it again to be sure, but I think that might become one of my comfort movies too.”

She pumped her fist. “Yes. I’m so fuckin’ pleased I got your taste right. I just had this feeling you’d dig it.” She jerked her chin at the TV. “Have you ever been to an EDM festival like that?”

“I haven’t. It looks amazing in a movie, but I don’t know if I could handle all the people and unpredictability.”

Embarrassing.

I would have killed to go to music festivals. If I could convince my brain I wouldn’t have a giant meltdown in that environment, it would have been my scene.

Bella shrugged. “You have to go VIP style like celebs. My dad knows lots of people in the industry. I’ve been to festivals where I got to hang out in a cushy suite and watch the performances from a private area. Personally, I prefer to get all sweaty and filthy with the crowd—you’re a VIP girlie.”

“I want to do that,” I breathed, my heart stuttering in my ears. “The VIP thing. I don’t know about the sweaty, filthy crowd thing.”

She laughed. “Okay. I’ll look into the festivals comin’ this way and we’ll go. We can make it a girls’ weekend if we can tear Delilah and Luciana away from their guys.”

My excitement dimmed. It was fun to imagine doing something like that, but actually doing it? I didn’t know if I could.

“Maybe,” I hedged. “When we lived in Spain, I asked Delilah to go to a festival with me, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. I doubt that’s changed.”

Bella’s face screwed up. “Uh, so? Is Delilah in charge of you? Last I checked, she was your twin, not your mama.”

“She isn’t controlling,” I explained. “She knows me and what I like—”

“Girl, please. How does she—or you, for that matter—know what you’ll think of anything unless you experience it?” She whipped out her phone, her fingers moving over the screen like lightning, and gasped when she found what she was looking for. “Oh, wow. This is perfect. There’s a fest coming up in April. I’m gonna send my dad the info. He’ll get us tickets. If Delilah doesn’t approve, she doesn’t have to come.”

My stomach was going wild, bubbling with excitement, twisting with nerves, dropping from dread. I wanted to go. Watching Bella’s movie had gotten me amped for it. But I couldn’t envision myself there, really living it.

“I don’t know.”

“No, babe, we’re doing this. I’m hyped, and to be honest, I need something to be hyped about after…” She started to fold into herself then shook the blues away and thrust out some cheer. “It’s going to be so fun, Ev.”

How could I not agree? Bella had been relentlessly sad, a wholly unnatural state for her. Now, she was smiling, bouncing a little, eager for this idea. There wasn’t a chance I would be bringing down her mood by saying no.

“Okay,” I whispered, twisting the hem of my shirt around my fingers.

“Oh my god! Yay! You’re the fuckin’ best.” She tossed her phone on the cushion between us, her eyes alight, ringlets dancing around her shoulders. “Now that that’s settled, what do you usually do before going into a new situation?”

Her question had taken me aback in more ways than one. First, that she had noticed I had to prepare myself for new things. Second, that she cared.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of it.”

Her spine curled forward, and she sighed. “Oh. Of course you can. I just—”

“Would you help me find festival clothes? I don’t think I can wear sequins, though.”

Her mood sprung back to life. “Hell yes, I can do that. No sequins, no problem. We’ll go neon.” She pressed her hands together beneath her chin. “What if we match? That would be so fierce. This is honestly the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“I would love to match with you.”

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