Page 124 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

Lacey

I won’t. Don’t forget your Hawaiian shirt ;)

On yesterday’s hike, Theo, Chance, and Aaron got it in their heads to throw a beach-themed spring break party tonight. Every sophomore who hasn’t gone home for spring break is invited, and judging by the number of people who RSVPed on the event’s page, this is going to be a party for the books.

Oh, and Hawaiian shirts are mandatory. The uglier they are, the better—the boys were even talking about having a “most hideous shirt” contest.

I sit up in bed, scrolling through my notifications. I have two messages from my stepdad, Daniel, and one from Aaron.

Daniel

I should be there after lunch. Can’t wait to see you all.

Daniel

I got that dessert the kids like. Oh, and I was thinking I could make your favorite for dinner.

I text him back quickly.

Lacey

Shrimp tacos???

He answers a minute later.

Daniel

You know it. So, what do you say?

Lacey

I say HELL YES. I haven’t had those in ages. See you soon!

With everything going on lately, I’d almost forgotten about Daniel’s annual visit. He comes to stay with us for a few days every year during spring break. It’s one of the only times we get to see each other, aside from our dinner dates every few months.

He always makes up a story about going on a business trip, just so that my mom won’t suspect a thing.

She definitely wouldn’t approve of him being close with her ex’s kids. Knowing her, she’d probably see it as a betrayal, just like she saw me taking care of my siblings as a slap in the face and an act of utmost disloyalty.

My siblings absolutely love Daniel—and his cooking, which they’ve openly admitted is better than mine—and they think of him as the cool uncle who shows up once a year and showers them with presents. I’ve repeatedly told him he does too much and that he doesn’t need to spend all that money on gifts whenhe’s already helping with the rent and other expenses, but he always goes above and beyond to make us happy.

I check the time on my phone. He sent me that first text two hours ago, but I’m just seeing it now. He said he’d be here after lunch, and it’s already eleven.

I can’t remember the last time I woke up this late. In my defense, TJ and Kelsea came over last night, a few hours after we left the lake house. Needless to say, Sierra was thrilled to have her bestie over for dinner.

After we ate, we played some board games and then watched a ridiculous comedy together—yes, as in the kids chose to have movie night with us rather than lock themselves in their bedroom. I know, I couldn’t believe it either. TJ and Kelsea left at around midnight, hence why I slept in this morning.

With that said, I should probably get started on lunch. On the rare occasions that I’m not up before them, Oli and Sierra make their own breakfast, but I don’t trust them not to eat PB&J for every meal, so I always make it a point to cook them something more nutritious for lunch.

I remember I had a text from Aaron as I’m padding into the kitchen in my pj’s. I’m not sure why he would text me. I tap our text conversation.

Aaron

Text me when you get to the party tonight. We need to talk.

I furrow my brow, a million scenarios racing to the forefront of my mind as I skim over his text a few times.

Aaron was acting a bit weird yesterday. He kept staring at TJ and me in the rearview mirror on the drive back. He also didn’t seem too pleased about us being all lovey-dovey with each other.

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