Page 33 of Reckless Roses
“Umm…”
He chuckles. “Okay, give me thirty-five minutes then. You put onVanderpump Rulesand get Rice Sock ready. I’ve got Oreos and sweet pickles here I’ll bring.” My favorite snacks to eat when I’m writing. He’s the only person who knows that about me. “I’ll grab some burgers and some meds and be there soon, okay?”
“But you have to work tomorrow,” I sniffle. My tears are free-falling again; it’s moments like this when I miss my best friend, and I hate how rarely I get to see him nowadays.
“I don’t work until ten. I’ll crash in Leo’s room tonight and drive back down early.”
“Thank you,” I breathe. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Elena.” I can hear his smile before the line goes dead.
11
AUGUST
“THE 1” - TAYLOR SWIFT
AGE TWENTY - OCTOBER
“Feeling better?”I ask as she lays her head against my chest.
We’ve watched almost an entire season ofVanderpump Rulesin one sitting, and I think at least half my brain cells are dead. Elena was clearly upset and in pain when I arrived a few hours ago. She said she wasn’t feeling well, and she has always had rough periods, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to it.
“Yeah.” She nods against me sleepily. “Do you want to sit outside for a few before we go to bed?” She throws the blanket off our legs, padding over to the television stand and opening one of the drawers beneath it. She pulls out her bong, lighter, and a small bag of weed.
Everett broke the last bong Elena had, so for her birthday a few months ago, I bought her a plain glass one and hand-painted it with stars and constellations.
I’m not as big a smoker as the rest of them, but I imagine it does wonders for her cramps, so I get up and follow her out onto the balcony.
She silently loads her bowl, lights up, and takes a rip before handing it to me. As she exhales, puffs of smoke clouding the air around us, she says, “The fog cleared up, and you can actually see the stars tonight.”
As I take a hit, I look out beyond her balcony. Boats softly rock in the water below us, and the eastern mountains cast a faint outline in the distance, the sky above them dotted with stars.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, knowing that, regardless of what view is in front of me, when Elena is beside me, she’s all I’m going to see anyway.
“Do you think I should use a pen name when I publish?” she asks abruptly. I pass the bong back to her, turning to face her as I do. Her eyes are bright in the darkness.
“Yeah.” I watch her face fall before I continue, “You’ve done something special, Elena. You’re going to reach people with your words. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to protect yourself from the spotlight I have no doubt is about to be shining down on you.”
Her crestfallen expression turns blindingly bright as a smile takes over her face. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I smile back. “Your words are magic, but I also know you like your space and your privacy. You should give yourself the option to protect that. Doesn’t mean you’re hiding yourself or that what you’ve written is anything you need to hide from.”
She nods. “You don’t think writing is going to ruin my chances of finding a real job?”
“What is a real job?” I laugh. “No. I don’t think it’s going to hurt your ability to do anything, Elena. And honestly, I read a lot of damn books. You were born to be a writer. You’re going to go far with this.”
She sighs, taking another hit. On her exhale, she says, “I feel like nobody understands me except you.”
“I feel like that too,” I respond. “Did my brother say something?”
I know she decided recently to go through with self-publishing the book she has been working on the last few months. She recently sent her manuscript to a freelance editor she found online and is doing the preparation of getting it ready to release. She was mentally preparing herself to tell her parents, brothers, and Zach. Now, I’m wondering if that’s exactly what she tried to do tonight.
“He told me I was insane.”
My jaw tightens at that. “Well, he hasn’t fucking read it, so his opinion really should be inconsequential.”
She nods. “I know. It’s just…he seemed almost embarrassed? Like he encouraged me to use a pen name, and I think it was because he’s afraid to be associated with someone who writes what I do.”
