Page 109 of The Wild Card
I sink down on my unmade bed. “Oh.”
A burst of giggling laughter comes from down the hall, where Winnie, Val, and Jo are getting ready in the other bathroom. I find myself smiling, but it falls quickly.
Lindy tosses something on the bed next to me. “Here,” she says. “Use my phone. Call Collin.”
I don’t make a move to pick up the phone. “I’ll see him soon.”
“If you won’t call, then text him.”
“That’s okay. I’ll wait.”
I’m not sure why I’m balking. Iwantto talk to Collin. I need the reassurance of his voice and to hear his explanation of what happened with Liza, which I’m sure was just manipulation and misrepresentation.
But still—being the one to reach out to him feels like too much. Call me silly and insecure, but I need him to be the one to initiate and explain. I am not going to call and ask.
Lindy flops down next to me on the bed, picks up her phone, and opens her text messages, scrolling for a moment before handing me her phone. “Fine. Then just read these.”
It’s a series of texts from Collin, starting last night.
Collin:I know Winnie said she’s fine, but I’m just checking on Molly. Is she still with you?
Lindy:[eyeroll emoji] You’ve got it BAD, Collin Graham.
Collin:IS MOLLY WITH YOU?
Lindy:Yes. And she only had one shot of tequila with Winnie, so she’s doing fine.
Collin:Does she have water?
Lindy:OH MY GOSH YOU’RE LIKE A MOTHER HEN. Stop it. We’re taking care of your girlfriend.
Lindy:Or is that FAKE girlfriend?
Lindy:I think REAL girlfriend sounds better. And seems more accurate.
Collin:Will you tell her hi?
Lindy:No. Because I’m supposed to be paying attention to this very important meeting. Right now, everyone’s trashing Billy Waters.
Collin:Sounds fun. Tell Molly hi and I’ll see her later.
“See?” Lindy says, pointing at the screen. “And look—more from this morning.”
Collin:Hey, I still can’t reach Molly. I ended up staying in Austin last night because we talked too late, but I couldn’t tell her. Any chance you can try her?
Lindy:My calls aren’t going through. Not sure about texts, but I sent one and she didn’t answer.
Collin: Can you stop by and check on her? Just let her know that I’m okay and sorry I didn’t get back last night? I don’t want her to worry.
Lindy:You’re doing enough worrying for the both of you. It’s my best friend’s wedding day, so I’ll do my best, but I’m a little busy at the moment.
Seeing the messages goes a long way toward reassuring the ugly, insecure part of me that’s been anxious about where I stand. Collin has never given me reason to worry, but Liza’s video created a tiny fissure of doubt. It’s really hard to see something like that and have thousands of internet commenters weighing in andnotworry.
All the more reason I can’t wait to take my life offline.
“Text him back,” Lindy says. “The man is miserable.”
“Fine.”
