Page 55 of Spring Tide

“I’m tired.”

“Okay,” she speaks slowly, carefully inching out of the room. Her confusion is so palpable that it’s starting to scramble my brain even more. “I’ll see you on Tuesday, then. My place?”

“Tuesdays aren’t going to work for me anymore.” I rub my face with both hands, frustration slipping through. “I’m gonna be picking up some more shifts down at the pier.”

“Oh, should we reschedule, then? I can do any other weekday or on weekends after lifeguarding. Just as long as I know ahead of time.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“What do you mean?” A deep furrow tangles her brow. “It’s no big deal for me to work around your schedule.”

My thoughts are misaligned, tumbling and scattering into one another faster than I can manage. “It’s just not fair, Harper.”

“What?”

“It’s not fair that you keep doing all this shit for me. You’re busting your ass to help me after I blackmailed you—going out to dinner with my friends, faking it for my sister—and I’m giving you nothing.”

“I don’t mind. I—”

“You should go.”

Her face falls. “What?”

“You need to go.” I force my spine upright, attempting to clear the emotion from my voice. “I’m not ... I think I need to just calm down and think for a minute.”

We’re backtracking, scrambling toward the front door together. My fingertips make contact with the small of her back, and I almost crack into pieces.

“Okay, yeah,” she murmurs. “Call me when you figure things out?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later?”

“I’ll text you.”

Once she’s out the door, I let the panic swell inside me, threatening to swallow me whole. Two more shifts at the pier, along with football practice, recovery training, midterms, and God knows what else.

But this is what’s best for Giorgie.

My heart thumps against my rib cage, fighting for space with the frozen air inside my lungs. I draw in a long breath, willing all the anxious thoughts to subside.

I can do this. I know I can, because I have to.

17

HARPER

“What’s gotmy girl so down in the dumps?” Eden asks, slinging one tiny arm around my shoulders. The two of us bump hips, swaying softly as we head out of our Friday lecture.

“Honestly?”

“No, lie to me.”

My shoulders drop with a quiet sigh. “I think I just miss Luca.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Kind of?” Eden’s arm slips back down, fingers looped around her backpack straps. “He’s been radio silent all week. I texted him to, um ... reschedule our hangout, but he never replied.”

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