Page 76 of Yes No Maybe

Nearing a congested red light, I downshift, slowing the VW and quieting our windy serenade.

“Rowan, I’ve been kind of a jerk. I’m sorry for the bad things I said. Thanks for taking me to see Dad.”

“Anytime. I’m glad that he shares my opinion of your movie preferences. Do you ever watch anything without slashing or haunting or torture?”

She sputters out a light chuckle. “Um, not really. But it’s your house. You should pick the next one.”

I nod in quiet victory as the light turns green, and we roll into action again. “It’s the first Sunday of the month this weekend—free for residents at Airlie Gardens and Cameron Art Museum. I thought maybe we could take advantage?”

“Art museum sounds fun,” she says with a mild shrug.

I play it cool, but I’m beaming inside.

“Rowan, is it okay if I take a few driving lessons with Jack? He offered yesterday. Well, he and Tom.”

“Oh, um, sure. Or, um, I could teach you.”

“What happened yesterday?” She side-eyes me critically. “You and Jack were acting weird at the beach.”

Excuses and denials cue in my head like my relationship drama is something I need to protect her from. But I think of my students and how they hate it when people treat them like children and assume they won’t understand.

“Jack kissed me… and I didn’t stop him right away. So, now I feel horrible, and I don’t know what to do.”

Her cheek bubbles with her smirk. “It’s no secret that Jack has the hots for you… or that Mr. Maddix has been a dick. You should be with whoever makes you happy and not feel horrible about it.”

“What would make me happy is someone I can trust. Right now, that’s neither of them.”

Sara nods. “Then don’t do anything. Let time figure it out for you. They’ll either build your trust or wreck it. It’s like with Dad. He thought he could trust his cousins, but they proved him wrong. He won’t give them another chance after this. But you could do a test if you wanted to move things along.”

“A test?”

“Yeah, I just did one on you,” she says, laughing.

“Really? Did I pass?”

“Yep. I already knew about Jack’s kiss. He told me.”

I groan. “He shouldn’t have bothered you with our… mess.”

“I’m good with messes. Trust each of them with something important and see who disappoints you. I did that with my so-called friends in the eighth grade. Someone was talking about me behind my back, but I didn’t know who. So, I told each of them I had a crush, but I told them different people. When the rumor got back to me, I knew who’d told my secret.”

“Wow, that’s clever… and a little devious.”

She shrugs. “I take friendship very seriously, and I don’t have time for anyone who doesn’t.”

“Fair enough. I’ll think about it. Thanks.”

“If it helps, Jack sounds serious about you.”

“Jack’s serious about material for his book, serious about whatever he wants at the moment, but not serious about me. He’s… we’re not… the same.”

“Hmm, not exactly, but different might be better. Can we order Chinese for dinner? And can I invite Ella over?”

“Sure,” I say, handing her my phone so she can place the order and grateful for the subject change.

Twenty-Five

Rowan

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