Page 118 of Always You

Her sigh speaks volumes. “It definitely would be better if we’d be going to the same school.”

“So, still shit, huh?”

“Not really. We just don’t see each other a whole lot, and it fucks with my head.”

“You mean, the rumors about him and other girls?”

She gives me a reluctant look, doing something to me, because I’m used to Julie being confident and perky. “Jason says I have nothing to worry about.”

Hearing Jason’s name lifts my eyebrows, but then I nod, hiding the urge to ask if she knows how Hunter’s doing. I shouldn’t care.I don’t care.“I’m sure Jason would tell you if his brother was cheating on you. They are not exactly friendly.”

“But they are still brothers,” Julie rebukes.

“Jason hates Jacob, Jules.” I give her a reassuring look, then pull my phone out of my bag, noticing a missed call. “Oh, Mama called me.”

“Oh, how’s she been? She’s really doing good, right?”

“Yeah, she’s thinking about taking a part-time job in Bett’s Bookshop.”

Dialing her number, I place the phone against my ear while I wait until she answers.

“That would be cool. You two used to hang out there all the time,” Julie reminisces with a sweet smile curling her pink lips, and I mimic it, thinking about all the Saturday mornings my mother and I would snoop through the shelves.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Mama’s soft voice graces my ear, warming my heart but making my face fall when I notice the tone in her voice. My good mood is whipped out of the air as if lightning strikes me, a bad feeling folding around my heart.

“Hey, Mama. You okay?”

“No. I’m not.”

“What’s wrong?” I keep staring in front of me, seeing from the corner of my eye how Julie is throwing me a questioning look.

“I went to the doctor’s today. They found another lump.”

Desperation washes over my body, paralyzing me from head to toe. Not even knowing how to respond to that. Wondering when this nightmare will be over.Ifthis nightmare will ever be over.

“How bad?” My voice breaks.

She stays quiet as she pushes out a breath. “It’s bad.”

Swallowing hard, I turn my gaze to Julie, feeling my heart pounding against my ribcage, still staring at me in anticipation while I know there is only one option for me. As much as there is a feeling inside of me, dying to be selfish for once, I can’t. I can never live with myself if I do. Without hesitation, I take a deep breath, knowing I’ll have to prepare myself for another round of hospital visits.

It’s gonna be okay.

We’ve done this multiple times before, and we can do it again.

“I’m coming home, Mama.”

46

Nostalgia hits me in the face like a red brick.

I park in front of the local pub, getting out of the truck, followed by Jason, as we glance around at the old, decayed building. It seems like yesterday when we were sixteen, desperate to flash our fake IDs for a drink. Never worked, though. I blame Jason’s blonde hair, blue-eyed baby face.

“Feels weird to be back here, man.” Jason lifts his black LA Knights snapback, scratching his head, giving me a flustered look. We haven’t been home since we moved to LA, always being busy with something.

Or at least that’s what we told ourselves.

That we needed to set priorities. Jason had exams to study for. I couldn’t leave because of my gym schedule. But after Jason’s parents got divorced two years ago, they both moved to a different part of the state, and he had no more reason to come back to Braedon, North Carolina.

---