Chapter 16
sixteen
Jeremy
We’re throwing a party?” I wheel into the kitchen where Zeke is filling up a cooler with various alcoholic beverages.
“Yes.” It’s all he says as he dumps a giant bag of ice into the cooler.
“Why?”
“We need a reason to throw a party?” Zeke’s eyebrow pops up. “That’s news to me.”
“Tate is coming back into town.” Fletcher jumps onto the kitchen counter, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket. “They have a week off, and then they’re performing at the Huntington Bank pavilion next Thursday night.”
“And you’re getting stronger.” Declan joins us in the kitchen. “Which is reason enough to celebrate.”
“I can move my toes. I wouldn’t say I’ve made the most miraculous recovery.”
“Not yet. But you will.” Declan smiles. “We know you will. And there’s that festival this week, so we’re really throwing a household party to pregame.”
“Household?”
“Well, plus Becca, Ember, Avalon, Maia, Tate, and Cam.” Zeke leans up against the fridge as I adjust in my chair.
“Cam and Maia?”
“Maia’s coming here before work. Cam’s meeting us at the festival.” Declan clarifies.
“Got it. Speaking of the festival, I don’t think it’s really in my best interest, you know, going.”
“Why?”
“It’s a lot of people, and I take up a lot of space, and I don’t want you guys to—”
“First, you don’t take up a lot of space.” Fletcher jumps off the table. “You have every right to be in that space as any one of us. And second, we want you there. We go every year. It’s basically tradition at this point.”
I don’t get a chance to say anything before there’s a knock at the door. No one walks to get it, though, and within a matter of seconds, I hear the front door open.
“Did someone call for a best friend?!” Tate’s the first one in the kitchen, and out of everyone, I’m the first to receive a hug. “Hi, handsome. How’re the legs?”
“Functioning a bit more than the last time you saw me.” I smile at her.
“That’s what I like to hear.”
“How’s the tour?”
“Eh, it’s okay. You know, singing my songs in front of thousands of strangers every night. Hearing them scream my name, some of them even know the songs now. It’s just boring, you know?”
“So, you absolutely love it.”
“I can’t believe it’s real life.”
“And we’ll get to see for ourselves firsthand.” Fletcher wraps an arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah, I was just talking about it with the girls. I could get you guys seats; we get some, especially in our hometown, but you guys could also just get backstage passes and watch the show from the wings. It’s up to you. I’m just excited you guys get to come.”
“I told her backstage passes for sure.” Brinley drops a couple of bags onto the counter. “I mean, she’s my best friend, I’m obviously hanging out with her backstage while the rest of the show happens.”
“And I told her you guys should enjoy the full show. It’s amazing, from start to finish.”
“I’m surprised you don’t want to be front and center, Brin.” Ember wraps her arms around Declan’s waist, looking toward Brinley. “Colson Young might fall in love with you if he sees you in the audience.”
I can’t read her expression fully, but something about Brin shifts. Her gaze wanders, and then I realize she’s probably looking for Jaxon. The same Jaxon who conveniently went to see his mom early this morning.
She shakes this weirdness off before anyone else seems to notice.
“He can fall in love with me if I’m backstage, too. Honestly, I’ll probably have a better chance.”
Tate gives Brinley a friendly shove, causing her to stumble slightly.
“Hey!”
“Sorry, didn’t realize how clumsy you were.” Tate laughs as Brinley flips her the middle finger.
“Alright, enough of this small talk.” Zeke claps his hands together. “Tatum, super happy to have you home, even if it’s just for the week, but I have a hot tub to go warm up.”
“And I’m on grill duty.” Declan searches through the bag for hot dogs, hamburger patties, buns, and whatever else he can quickly get his hands on without needing to spend too much time to prep them.
“I’ll take this.” Brinley grabs the hamburger patties out of his hands. “Last time I left seasoning burgers up to you, we all almost overdosed on sodium.”
“Oh, the salt fiasco of freshman year.” Fletcher grimaces. “I couldn’t eat a hamburger for like six months after that. Every time I tried, all I could taste was salt.”
“It was not that bad.” Declan rolls his eyes.
“Hate to tell you, man, but it was pretty bad.”
“Zeke went vegetarian for two weeks after that.”
“Two weeks?” Ember laughs.
“He was really serious about it,” Brinley continues. “But then Marcus said the football team was going to a steakhouse and asked him to go too. He was out that door and, in his car, before I could remind him about his newfound lifestyle.”
“Alright, that’s enough bullying, thank you. I’m going to go get the grill ready while you prepare the burgers.”
Declan kisses Ember’s forehead before making his way outside.
“Maia and Avalon should be here soon. They’re bringing some desserts from Greystone.” Ember checks her phone.
“Becca has training, so she can’t come, but she might meet us at the festival after she’s done.” Fletcher grabs a water from the fridge.
“If you guys don’t need any help, do you mind if I run and take a nap until our little party? Surprisingly, jet lag hasn’t bothered me at all on the road, but suddenly—”
“I have some clothes laid out on my bed that you can change into. Then the bed is yours as long as you need it.” Fletcher gives her a soft smile.
“Thanks, Fletch. Actually, I have some tour videos to show you if you’ve got the time.”
“I thought you were tired?” Ember grins.
“Not too tired to show my best friend a couple of videos. I already showed you guys, it’s not fair.”
“If they don’t need my help then—”
“We’re all good down here.” Ember and Brinley say collectively.
“Alright then.” Fletcher scratches the back of his neck. “After you.”
All of our eyes seem to follow them as they walk to Fletcher’s room, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re all thinking the same thing.
“What’s going on there?” I turn back to look at them.
“Don’t look at us. According to Tate, nothing changed between them. They’re just friends.” Brinley grabs a knife from the knife block.
“It’s hard to ignore your feelings for someone, though, especially when you didn’t end things because you didn’t love them anymore,” Ember whispers.
“It’s probably hard being back and having her be back.
They broke up, and she basically left for tour a few weeks after; they didn’t need to deal with the aftermath. ”
“Do you think they will before school starts back up?” I ask. “I feel like things could get really awkward if they’re—”
“Not on the same page?” Brin adds.
“Exactly.”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
I don’t know why I’m still in the kitchen. Everyone’s doing something. They all have a task, and here I am just sitting.
“What about you?” Brinley examines one of the onions she just bought before placing it on the cutting board.
“What about me?”
“Well, for starters, if you’re going to hang in this kitchen, you’re going to help in the kitchen.” Brinley hands me the bag of produce and then sets the knife down with a wink.
If there’s one thing I love about Brinley, it’s the fact that she always knows how to read us.
“You got it.” I wheel up to the counter, and thankfully, I sit at a comfortable enough position to chop the veggies.
“Now, are there any girls in your life? Now that you have all this free time because of hockey.”
“Not a lot of girls are throwing themselves at me.” I shrug. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“Do you want someone too?”
“What are you getting at?”
“I think you and Becca—”
“Brin.” I cut her off. “That’s not going to happen. Trust me, neither of us wants that. We like our friendship, and that’s all it is.”
“Are you sure about that? She was at the hospital more than some of the guys.”
“Because we’re friends. And she usually came with Fletcher, so—”
“So, you’re covering for them, and they actually decided to give it a shot.”
“No.” I laugh. “She knows that Fletcher is too far gone in love with Tate to even look at another girl right now. She’s too smart to put herself through that.”
“And you don’t want her because?”
“I told you, we’re friends.”
“You totally like someone else!” Brin squeals, rushing over to me. “Who is she? Do I know her? Please tell me it’s not Maia because things could get really complicated if—”
“Maia is great, but no. There are a million reasons I’d never go there, the main one being that I’m not interested in her like that.”
“Then who is it?” Ember joins in, jumping onto the stool at the counter across from me.
I don’t give them an answer because I don’t even know. I’ve seen her a couple of times, and now I think we’re going to fall in love. I’m not that crazy, am I?
I’ve been watching too many rom-coms with the girls.
“Jeremy Atticus Moore, you have five seconds to tell me who she is.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Brinley’s shoulders fall.
“I ran into her outside of PT, literally, and Lacey couldn’t tell me anything because—”
“Doctor-Patient confidentiality.” Ember frowns.
“And then it turns out her brother is in the class at the rec center, but I don’t know, I feel like I can’t just approach her, but I don’t know. There’s something about her that’s intriguing.”
“I never thought I’d see the day.” Brinley’s face lights up. “Our boy Jeremy’s in love.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
I shake my head and get back to the veggies.
“I’ve seen all of you boys in love, Jere. And just now, you had the same light in your eyes talking about this mysterious girl, as you did when you’d talk about hockey.”
She leans down, cupping my face with her hands, giving my face a gentle squeeze.
“Now we just need to figure out her name.”