Page 6 of Home in Nevada

I listen closer, trying not to laugh. Yep, she does. I make a mental note to tease her about it later.

I scroll through my contacts. Jamie’s name is still there. I hesitate before tapping on it, careful not to accidentally call him. My thumb hovers over the screen, and I swallow hard as I open our message thread.

Jamie: I miss you.

The last text from Jamie blazes on my screen in the dark, a bright ghost that refuses to fade. It’s dated almost two years ago, and it’s like a punch in the gut every time I see it. I never responded. God, I feel like such an asshole. Jamie was my best friend, and I ghosted him. Completely.

But we agreed to this, didn’t we? It was supposed to be mutual—a clean break. We both knew that whatever we had couldn’t follow me out of Nevada. I had to move on, get a fresh start out of state, and pretending we could stay friends was a fantasy. Too complicated. Too much history. The kind of tangled mess you just have to cut free. So I decided to say goodbye and forget everything that happened. Just rip off the Band-Aid.

Except then he texted me.

And I panicked.

When that message came through, it was like a trapdoor opening under me. I remember staring at it, feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I had no idea what to say. I’d spent months trying to forget Nevada, trying to erase every bit of it from my mind. And there was Jamie, popping back up like he’d never left my head. The message came out of nowhere, shattering my resolve. So, I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. I shut down the app, shoved my phone in my pocket, and told myself I’d figure it out later.

But then a day passed. Then a week. Too much time slipped by, and it felt too awkward to reply. I’d crossed the line from hesitation into silence, and after that, it was easier to just keep ignoring it. Guilt piled on top of embarrassment, and soon, that thread was buried under dozens of other conversations. I convinced myself it was better this way. Out of sight, out of mind.

I haven’t thought about that text in ages, but now it’s staring at me again, like an old wound I never let heal. My thumb brushes the edge of the screen, and I accidentally scroll up—right to the top of our conversation.

My breath catches. There it is. The very first message.

I remember exactly when I sent it.

Jeff:dude i got the new game i told you about…

Jamie:sweet

Jeff:come over to my place after school. i'll drive us

My phone’s got texts saved all the way back to senior year. It’s like a digital time capsule of our friendship, stretching back to when I first got my car—a beat-up old thing, but it was ours. We spent so many nights in that car, parked out by the lake or down some dirt road, making out like we didn’t have a care in the world.

I scroll through the messages, looking for something more than our usual banter. It’s mostly the typical stuff; guy talk, short and stupid exchanges, and a few pointless arguments over things like who ate the Oreos we brought to practice. Spoiler: it was me.I ate the Oreos.Jamie never let me live it down.

Mixed in are a few memes, random photos, and then—oh God—the blurry dick pic Jamie sent during history class. I can still feel the heat crawling up my neck when I remember it. That was Jamie in a nutshell, though: zero shame, all confidence. He thought it was hilarious, sending it right in the middle of Mrs. Perez’s lecture. I, on the other hand, nearly had a heart attack. Mrs. Perez had walked right up to my desk, asking what was so funny. I’d had to sweet-talk my way out of handing over my phone. If she’d seen that picture, she would’ve needed therapy.

I laugh under my breath, feeling a pang of nostalgia that’s sharper than I expected.

Jamie was such a pain in the ass. But as I keep scrolling, something makes me pause. My finger hovers over the screen, and I squint at the text that pops up. It’s not like the others—it’s different.

Something that doesn’t fit with the carefree, joking vibe of the rest of the thread.

Jeff:You're being fucking dumb, quit texting me about it.

Jamie:i hate you jeff

Jamie:i can't believe you hooked up with someone already

Jamie:it's been less than 24 hours since you broke up with priscilla

Jamie:i mean what the fuck jeff?????

Jamie:god i fucking hate you sometimes

Jamie:i'm so tired of doing this

Jamie:we were gonna do this EPIC PRANK JEFF

Jamie:AND YOU FUCKED IT

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