Page 72 of Don't Let Me Go
Jackson nods eagerly, like that was the answer he was hoping for. “My aunt just cooked up this huge breakfast. For real, we’ve probably got enough waffles to feed the Miami Dolphins. Do you want to come over and have some? Then afterward, if you’re not doing anything, maybe we could hang out?”
I am so confused. This is why he dragged me out of bed and nearly broke my doorbell? For waffles?
But maybe this is a good thing. After all, if he was going to end our friendship, I doubt he’d insist on feeding me first. But are we really not going to discuss what happened?
“Are you?.?.?.?are you sure?” I ask.
Jackson nods so vigorously, I’m afraid his head might snap off. “Absolutely,” he says, flashing me a smile so bright, it’s like the sun burning through the early-morning haze. And all at once I understand. He didn’t come over this morning to offer me breakfast. He came over to offer me a second chance.
The relief that I feel is so immediate and so intense, it almost knocks me off my feet. I thought I had ruined any possibility of having Jackson in my life. But here he is, grinning down at me and asking for my friendship. And this time I won’t screw it up.
If he needs to discuss what happened last Sunday, I’ll have that conversation and own my mistake. If he wants to pretend the whole thing never happened, I can do that too. Because whatever my feelings are for Jackson, the most important thing is our friendship. And I won’t do anything to jeopardize that again.
“Okay,” I say as my heart fills with hope for the first time in days. “Waffles sound great.”
I shower and dress in record time, then Jackson drives us back to his aunt’s house in his Jeep. Along the way, I decide to text Duy, Audrey, and Tala to see if they want to meet up with us later this afternoon.I’ve barely responded to any of their texts this week, and I want to make it up to them for being such a moody, melodramatic dick. Also, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have other people around—just in case there’s any lingering awkwardness between Jackson and me, and we need a buffer.
Sorry I’ve beenMIA,I text my friends.Anyone got any plans this afternoon?
To my surprise, Audrey texts back almost immediately.What do you mean, “got any plans”? We’re seeing the Glorious Peccadilloes. REMEMBER?
I have no idea what Audrey is talking about, though her angry capitalization seems to suggest I should. Sure enough, scrolling back through our group text, I see that a few days ago she sent out a reminder that one of her favorite bands is playing a free concert at the Lake Eola amphitheater.
I don’t have any memory of agreeing to go, but I keep scrolling and see a later text from Audrey in which she laid out the exact details of when and where we’d be meeting up this afternoon and to which I apparently responded with the thumbs-up emoji.
“Everything okay?” Jackson asks when he notices me engrossed in my phone.
“Yeah. Slight change of plans, though,” I say as we turn onto his aunt’s street. “After breakfast, how would you feel about going to a concert with my friends?”
“Oh. Uh, sure,” he says. “Who’s playing?”
“The Glorious Peccadilloes.”
“Who are the—”
Without warning, Jackson brakes sharply and brings his Jeep to an abrupt stop in front of his aunt’s house. I’m not sure why until I see that the driveway is occupied by a sporty silver BMW.
Beyond the BMW, two people are lounging in lawn chairs andsipping iced tea in the shade of the garage. One is Jackson’s aunt. The other is a very pretty Black girl with flawless skin and long box-braided hair. She looks about my age, and her outfit is like something out of the closet of Elle Woods inLegally Blonde:pink blouse, pink skirt, pink blazer. She’s deep in conversation with Jackson’s aunt, but when she spots Jackson’s Jeep, her face breaks into the most radiant smile I’ve ever seen outside of a toothpaste commercial.
“Jackson!” she shouts, leaping out of her chair.
I turn to Jackson, who’s staring like he can’t believe his eyes.
“Micaela?”
Chapter 29
Jackson
“Surprise!”
I’ve barely started walking up the driveway before Micaela bounces over to me and pulls me into a hug. Out of instinct I hug her back, but I’m so shocked I barely understand what’s happening.
“What are you doing here?” I finally manage to ask her.
Micaela steps back and flashes a triumphant grin. “Well, you told me you didn’t have any plans this weekend, so I thought I’d drive down and surprise you. And before you say anything, yes, I know the big day isn’t until tomorrow. But who wants to celebrate their birthday on a Sunday?”
My birthday? I totally forgot. I’ve been so distracted with Riley and that dream that it completely slipped my mind.
