Page 68 of Why We Break

“Oh my God, Hannah!” Caroline exclaims, her eyes wide. “I knew you were hiding something, and I was suspicious at the state cheer thing, but I just told myself there was no way. How long has this been happening?”

“Umm, the night we went to Boot Scooters,” I say sheepishly, while Margaret and Caroline shriek.

“I knew it! Headache, my ass. You weren’t looking for Tylenol!” Caroline accuses and I shrug in acceptance.

“You caught us,” I tease, reaching forward to refill my wine glass before taking another long sip.

“But wait, that was months ago. So, are y’all together, together? What’s the plan?” Margaret asks curiously before leaning over to rub Leroy’s belly where he’s spread out on the sofa beside her.

“I guess you could say we’re figuring it out. We’ve been sneaking around, and it was supposed to be just for fun, but it’s definitely more. I didn’t tell him anything until last night, and it was obviously a lot to take in. He’s been hinting at wanting a relationship for weeks, but I said no because I thought he’d run in the other direction once I told him why I ended everything. Plus, we haven’t talked about how to handle the school thing.”

“Okay, well, from everything you’ve said, it sounds like he’s not going anywhere. So what do you want?” Caroline asks, and I take a minute to think over my response.

“I mean, in a perfect world, I’d want to be together. I gave my heart to him that summer, and I’ve never really gotten it back, you know? But I also can’t help but feel like I’m being selfish because I know he wants a life I can’t give him.”

“Hannah Marie Scott, I know that you’re not thinking about giving up a life you want just because you’re scared!” Caroline exclaims, sitting up straight and looking like she’s ready to fight with me if she hears an answer she doesn’t like.

“No, no. Not anymore. Not really, at least. I mean, a small part of me is probably always gonna worry about that, but I’m working on reminding myself that it’s not the truth. We just decided we’d figure it out after I talked to y’all, plus we all have just a little bit going on this week with the championship coming up in two days,” I tell them, and they nod at my answer.

“Yeah, that makes sense. But wait, can the two of you date since you both work at the school? I thought I’ve heard you talk about that before,” Margaret interjects.

“That’s been my argument,” I admit before adding, “but apparently Will isn’t really worried about it.”

“You know, I’ve always heard people talk about that, but I’ve never actually seen any proof that a rule exists,” Caroline says, and I shrug.

“You may be right. I just figured that we’d figure it out after Friday.”

“That makes sense,” Margaret agrees as Caroline reaches over and grabs my hand.

“I know this has been a lot, and I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with all this on your own for so long. But I hope you know we’re always here for you, Han. We love you, and you’re never getting rid of us.”

I feel my eyes well with unshed tears at the sincerity in her voice. “I know, Caroline, I’m sorry. And I love you both too.”

Margaret and Caroline both lean in to hug me, and I soak in the feeling of being surrounded by my best friends. After a minute, Leroy looks over from his perch on the couch and scoots closer, not wanting to feel left out.

“You know when I moved to Springside, I didn’t really see myself cuddling on a couch with my girlfriends and her pet pig, but here we are,” Margaret says, and we all burst into a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, it wasn’t exactly on my bingo card, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” Caroline teases, causing me to smile.

“Me either,” I admit, as Caroline looks up expectantly.

“So, now that the cat’s outta the bag, I gotta know… You said the two of you tried doing the whole just sex thing, but you didn’t mention how the sex was?”

“Yeah, no offense to Caroline, but I’d love to hear a story that didn’t involve my brother,” Margaret adds, causing us to chuckle again.

“Oh my God, y’all would not believe,” I tease, taking another sip of wine and patting Leroy who’s pushed Margaret out of the way to cuddle in closer to me. And as my friends settle in to gossip, I finally feel like everything might work out.

CHAPTER 50

WILL

“You ready for this?” Theo asks as we get ready to run out on the field for the state finals on Friday night.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” I tell him, grabbing my headset and putting it around my neck for later.

“You’re right about that. Well, I gotta say, this whole coaching thing definitely wasn’t something I expected when I moved to Springside, but I’m really proud to be a part of all this,” he admits, and I fight the urge to laugh.

“Damn, man. What happened to the grumpy asshole who moved to town? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve actually liked spending the season with us,” I tease.

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