Page 91 of The Drop

I grab a water from the fridge. “So, who have you been glued to your phone, texting, since you got home?" my mom asks. I choke on my water as I jump up on the island.

"Please tell me it's Grace," my sister Bree asks as she strolls into the kitchen wearing her PJs, even though it's four in the afternoon. "She will not stop bugging me, saying you haven't spoken to her since you went back to college in August."

"It's not Grace." Blowing out a breath. I had been avoiding her calls and texts all week, and with one day left to go, I thought I had managed it. "I just didn't feel like hanging out."

It wasn't just Brooke that was putting me off the idea; having thought about my relationship with Grace, I realised maybe that's why I'm avoiding relationships altogether. She put so much pressure on me to pay her attention 24/7, and I almost sacrificed hockey and my mental health to do it.

"Yeah, well, text her and tell her that," she huffs, tossing her sandy blonde hair over her shoulder, flouncing out of the kitchen with way too much sass.

"I knew you weren't texting, Grace." My mom sings-songs looking over at me while loading a tray with cookies.

"Huh?" I blink at her, confused.

"You always catch up with Grace when you are back. Now I don't like it because then you go back to college and barely text her." She pauses and holds her hand up as I go to interject. "I always thought you might stop if you met someone."

I can't help but chuckle at my mom. She knows her kids well.

"I've been texting Brooke; you know Cami's friend in the apartment next door. We are just friends." I smile at her, notready to give up that I'm going to make things official with Brooke once I'm back. I’ve only been able to see her since she burst into my life, and I'm tired of hiding how I feel. I'm ready to let the image of me being a player go.

"Uh-huh," she laughs, putting the tray in the oven. "That's how it starts."

I shake my head at her as my phone goes off with a text from Brooke.

Brooke-Movie time

A photo of her accompanies it, snuggled up on a sofa next to Bear and Cami, with matching sweaters, and I can't help but smile.

"Just friends," my mom sings at me again as she nudges me into the living room with a plate of already-baked cookies.

I shove one in my mouth and shoot a text back once I'm settled on the sofa.

Grant-What are we watching?

Brooke-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

"Hey, can we put National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?" I ask my dad, and he grabs the remote and starts searching for it.

"Ooh, yes, one last Christmas movie before you leave me," my mum cries, hugging me from behind the sofa.

“He won’t come back if you smother him,” my dad laughs as he turns on the movie. She sits down next to him on thesofa, nudging him playfully as he wraps his arms around her shoulders, making her comfortable.

I smile to myself, thinking about how much my parents are still in love with each other. They’ve never been the type of parents who have fancy dates or expensive gestures. They couldn’t afford that with my hockey and Bree’s gymnastics. I think their first trip away together was when Bree went off to college. Their relationship has always revolved around their kids, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s exactly what I want a love that is loud in itsown comfortable way.

I snap a pic of the TV and send it to Brooke.

Brooke-It's like we're watching it together, ha, ha.

Grant-Our first movie date

Brooke-Date?

Grant-Date.

Brooke-Ok, Romeo…

I smirk, putting my phone down and watching the movie, but keeping it on so I can text her throughout the whole thing.

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