Page 58 of I Blame the Rival

“I bet he does.”

Nico cracks up and it doesn’t take long for me to join. Even though I missed out on the fairytale, there’s no one I would rather have in my corner than Nico. He’s the friend I always needed, the one person I could always turn to until my life spiralled into darkness.

I almost gave up our friendship with a bottle of pills, but just like our ill-fated love story, it wasn’t meant to be the end. The doctors who pumped my stomach gave me a second chance and this time I won’t lose sight of what’s important.

“Wait. Does this mean I get to meet him?”

Nico sits up, making me fall over on the bed, “Oh my God, he should come to our next movie night! Wes will be so excited to meet him.”

Pushing myself upright, I huff out a laugh, “Inviting Skylar over to watch a movie with my older brother and his closest friend sounds like a terrible time. No offence.”

“Babe, we both know I’m yourclosest friend, but I see your point.” He purses his lips, thinking it over, “What about inviting him to our next lacrosse game? Then you could chill in the bleachers and we could do the casual bro hug at the end.”

“Do you even know what a bro hug is?”

He scoffs, “Of course, I do. I’m just too sophisticated to swoop to that level of childish masculinity.”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t get cheeky with me, Miss Sleeping Over at a Boy’s House. I’m not above blackmail.”

I laugh, “Pretty sure I have more blackmail on you than you do on me.”

“Touché.” He grins, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze, “Just make sure I get to meet Skylar first. I can’t have Wes holding that over my head for the rest of my life.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Skylar

“Blue or green?”

Lacey hums, thinking over her answer. We’ve talked on the phone every night since that first call, and every time it lifts some of the weight off my chest. There’s something about hearing her voice that makes me feel like I can breathe without my past bleeding through the layers.

“I’m going to say green. I love the aesthetic of thick, heathy leaves.”

I bite back a smile, “So, your ideal phone background would be a pile of fertile leaves.”

She laughs, “If you saw my succulent collection, you would understand. My plant babies have some of the prettiest shades of green. My favourite is probably this little cactus that's a dark green colour, almost like a tainted emerald.”

“Like your eyes?”

The question stuns her into silence and I clamp my mouth shut.

I would have to be blind not to notice Lacey’s devastating features, but I do my best not to draw attention to them. Her long legs and sparkling green eyes are such a small part of my attraction to her that it feels shallow to complement the outer layers when there’s an even more enticing beauty underneath.

At the end of the day, my flower is so much more than the petals on her stem.

“You’ve noticed the colour of my eyes?”

“I’ve noticed a lot of things about you, Flower. I know the way your eyes change shape when you smile. The way your cheeks darken when I catch you looking at me. The sound you make when you’re reading a funny book. The weightlessness that fills my chest whenever you’re nearby.”

Swallowing thickly, I whisper the rest of my confession, “I know that you’re the only person who makes me feel like more than just Skylar.”

Silence falls on the other end of the line. I lay my head back and study the chipped state of my ceiling. My pillow still smells like Lacey’s shampoo from the night she spent here, a flowery scent that has helped to chase away the demons on more than one occasion.

I don’t know if I will ever deserve her, but I do know she felt perfect coming apart in my arms.

“I think it’s my turn to tell you a secret.” Lacey blows out a breath, “I used to think you smile with your eyes but recently Idiscovered that wasn’t true. You smile with your heart and it’s easily the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

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