Page 41 of When October Starts

“I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell anyone. I don’t think you understand how hard it was for us to keep it secret.”

“I don’t,” she replied. “But I want you to know that I support you, no matter what.”

It was too late for that as well. Ezra was gone, and I was unsure if he’d actually show up one day after my eighteenth birthday.

“Is that all?” I asked. “I think I wanna be alone again.”

Pixie got up from the couch and nodded. “Call me if you ever want to hang out before college starts. I’d love to spend some time with you before I leave town.”

She wouldn’t attend Lakewood with me. Her parents decided to send her off to Florida, although she wasn’t very keen on that. But talking back to them was not an option.

I nodded, then watched her leave my house with a sad look on her face. It was hard enough to not see Ezra, but even after all Pixie has done to ruin my relationship, I couldn’t stay mad at her forever.

What would I have done if I were in her situation?

Would I be mad at her for not telling me that she was dating a man that happened to be our teacher, or would I keep it a secret if it would help her not get hurt?

Either way, I wasn’t and would never be in her shoes. Instead, I had to keep walking in my own, hoping to see the man I loved when October started.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Juno

“Did you ever try and message him?” Aggie asked. It was August, and I spent most my days sleeping in late, then I rode my bike to the port and took the ferry over to the island.

My mind drifted to Ezra while I moved the food around on my plate. “I didn’t.” I could’ve called him. Now that he wasn’t my teacher anymore, there was nothing holding us back from dating. Except me being still underage.

But something felt off, and I figured if he didn’t call me first, I wouldn’t run after him. Maybe he needed some time to think.

“Don’t you love him anymore?” It wasn’t usual for Mom to ask me questions about Ezra, but tonight, she was not holding back

She wasn’t very keen on how it all ended back in June, but thanks to Aggie, Mom tried to not make a big fuss about it.

“Of course I love him.” I didn’t have much more to say. I was being patient, waiting for October to come.

“I’m going to see Pixie after dinner,” I told them, and Aggie smiled brightly.

“That’s wonderful, Juni. I’m sure Pixie’s gonna be very happy.”

I figured so too, and even if it took me like a month to get over it, I decided that before she left for Florida, I wanted to spend some time with my best friend.

“I can’t stay mad at her forever. I miss her.”

“Are you not finishing that?” Mom asked, pointing at the sad, vegan steak on my plate.

“I had a bowl of cereal just an hour ago,” I said. “I can eat it later though.”

“It’s not gonna taste good anymore when you let it sit for a few hours.” Mom grabbed my plate and started cutting my steak into pieces.

I watched them eat for a little while longer, then got up from the table and pointed to the stairs. “I’ll go get my things and then leave. Not sure when I’m coming back again.”

*

Pixie’s parents weren’t home. I could tell by the empty driveway and loud music blasting through the speakers. Knocking or ringing the bell wouldn’t get Pixie’s attention, so I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick message, telling her that I was standing outside her door.

After sending it, the music in the house stopped for a second, letting me know that she had just received the message.

Not ten seconds later, Pixie opened the front door and smiled with a tilt of her head. “Hi,” she said.