Chapter 28
Sadie
F lorida in the summer meant hot temperatures and warm water. Even with her fair skin, Sadie still loved nothing more than floating in the pool of their old house while she read a book. It relaxed her in ways nothing else could. She loved the feel of her toes in the water while she floated along her merry way, lost in her own world.
Which was why she was pissed to currently be under the covered back porch while rain poured out of the sky in buckets.
Another byproduct of a Florida summer.
In fact, it had been raining since they’d arrived back in the Keys a few days ago. A tropical storm had decided to set up camp, which meant Sadie hadn’t seen the sun since the Cape. That also happened to match her mood. She’d been in a funk since leaving Ellie, and everyone had noticed it.
Or, well, her mom and Charlie had noticed it. Sadie hadn’t seen anyone else. Penny and her family were on vacation, which meant yet another school break would go by without seeing her. Normally, that would have bothered Sadie. Especially since Sadie had decided to forge her own path and not go to the college she and Penny had talked about attending together for years.
But Sadie knew she had to do what was best for herself in the end. Even if Penny had called her selfish and stopped speaking to her about it. Nevertheless, Sadie was happy for Penny who had her own scholarship for the school of her dreams. Friends grew apart; it was just life. Sadie knew that all too well.
After her parents’ divorce, she’d lost several friends who sided with her dad. It was so dumb; Sadie didn’t understand why adults had to be so petty sometimes. Sadie had also lost most of her friends when she moved to Maine. It was hard to keep in touch with everyone from so far away, especially as they stopped having things in common as they grew up.
But Sadie knew she could not let that happen to her and Ellie.
Even if Sadie’s brain was filled with anxiety over what would happen when she left for college.
Would she and Ellie still be girlfriends?
Would they break up?
Was it dumb to do long distance when they were only eighteen?
Each question seemed to double Sadie’s anxiety and add another knot in her stomach.
Back in the Cape, she hadn’t considered those questions. She’d been too caught up in her limited time with Ellie that nothing else seemed to matter. But now, with the rain pouring down a few feet away and her book doing very little to keep her attention, Sadie couldn’t help but overthink everything.
Ugh. This is dumb. Stop it. You have time to figure it out.
I mean.
Not a lot of time.
But time nonetheless.
Sadie leaned her head against the back of the lounge chair she was in and sighed. A few feet away, her mother did the same. She and Charlie were also sitting on lounge chairs, each reading a book as well. It had been quiet for the last hour, or so Sadie had thought.
“Sadie Alexandra, either say what’s on your mind or stop dramatically sighing.” Delaney laughed as she sat her book down in her lap and turned to Sadie. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sadie sighed without even realizing it, causing her mom to arch an eyebrow at her and Charlie to snicker.
“You know, I thought the newborn stage was going to be my most trying. But I’m starting to think it’s teenage years.”
The wink let Sadie know her mom was only joking.
“Well, then good thing I’ll only be a teen for two more years.”
“Ugh, somehow that’s worse,” Delaney groaned. “How am I old enough to have a kid your age?”
“Because you were born in the 1980s,” Charlie added without looking up from her book. Delaney snapped her head toward her while Sadie stifled a laugh. Charlie shrugged. “What? We’re the same age. Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore.”
Delaney dramatically swung her legs off her lounge chair and stood. She was wearing a bathing suit top—why, Sadie didn’t know—with a cover-up skirt that flowed to her ankles. Her dark red hair was free-flowing in curls around her face and down her shoulder. Motioning for Sadie to scoot over, Delaney sat on the edge of Sadie’s lounge chair.
“I’m focusing my attention on you.”
“Ten seconds ago you were annoyed with me.”
“Part of being a mother is my ability to feel a thousand different ways about my offspring every second.”
“Oh, really now?” Sadie teased as she crossed her legs, sitting up in the chair.
“Yup.”
Delaney smiled, putting a hand on Sadie’s bare leg. Her shorts were shorter than she thought she could get away with, but so far Delaney hadn’t commented on anything. Which was good considering they weren’t her shorts. They were Ellie’s. Their clothes must have gotten mixed up when Sadie did laundry her last night at the Cape.
“So, talk to me. What’s bothering you? Is it Ellie?”
“No,” Sadie answered way too quickly before rethinking it. “I mean, kinda. But not in a bad way.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that my brain is going crazy about what in the world is going to happen when I go off to college.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Delaney gently squeezed her leg. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I dunno,” Sadie shrugged.
“That’s Delaney for yes,” Charlie chimed in as she walked over toward them. She pulled a chair from the table closer as she sat. “You’re too much like your mom; you know that, right?”
“So I’ve been told.”
Sadie didn’t feel pressured to talk to her mom or Charlie. In fact, she was beyond thankful she had both of them in her life and that they cared so much about her. Taking a deep breath, she told her about her fears and anxieties and asked them what she should do. Delaney spoke first.
“Well, you might not like what I’m going to say, but,” Sadie prepared herself for what her mother was about to say, “you’re eighteen. I know this is a huge deal now and I am in no way trying to diminish your feelings. But just enjoy the ride. Enjoy your time with Ellie as girlfriends or friends or whatever happens between you two.”
“Yeah, Ellie’s a good one,” Charlie added. “Amazing girlfriend material, but she’s also just a great friend to have.”
“Exactly.”
“So, you’re saying that I should just go with the flow?”
“Yes,” Charlie and Delaney answered in unison.
“You both know that’s not how my brain works. I need to know when the flow is starting and what it entails.”
Although she was being serious, Sadie still laughed as her mom and Charlie did the same.
“She’s so your kid.”
“Look at her.” Delaney gestured toward Sadie as she looked at Charlie. “I copied and pasted her in every way possible.”
“It’s true.”
Delaney’s voice and eyes were softer when she spoke to Sadie again. “But that means that I can better understand your thoughts. I’m not in any way saying you and Ellie need to break up before college and live your lives separately. I’m just saying, do what makes you happy. If that’s dating Ellie, date Ellie. If that’s dating someone else down the road, do that. You’re too young to know exactly what you want yet. And that’s coming from someone who took two decades to learn what I wanted.”
“I’m so not waiting that long.”
“And I don’t want you to. But just know there’s no timeline on these things, okay? You and Ellie can find your own pace and go from there.”
“And who knows,” Charlie’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, “maybe Ellie is the one for you.”
Sadie felt her heart and stomach flutter at the thought. It had crossed her mind before; Sadie had never felt the way she felt about Ellie before. But her mom was right. They were young. And they had time to figure things out.
Ugh. Maybe I should FaceTime her.
After spending a few more minutes chatting with her parents, they decided to head inside to make dinner. Sadie was thankful their conversations remained light and fun until Sadie retreated to her bedroom to call Ellie. She would never admit to fixing her hair before she casually laid down on the bed, propping herself up on her elbow as she pressed the button to call Ellie. Carefully, Sadie used a plush animal to prop her phone up so she could have her hands free.
Ellie answered in the second ring and immediately smiled the prettiest smile. She held up a finger, signaling to Sadie to be quiet as she stood from her chair and walked inside. In the background, Sadie could hear everyone chatting as she watched Ellie make her way into the house. Once she plopped down on the couch, Ellie finally said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Sadie giggled. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
“What’s going on outside?”
“Volleyball,” Ellie rolled her eyes and laughed. “They’ve been playing for hours. Me and Mason have been sitting out.”
“Didn’t want to join in the competition.”
“Nah, I just wanted to hang out with Mason.” Ellie’s eyes darted offscreen as she brought the phone slightly closer. “The procedure didn’t work, and she took it pretty hard.”
Sadie’s heart ached for Mason. “Aw, Ellie, I’m so sorry. I know that has to be hard.”
“It is. It sucks. Mama told her it might take a few tries but still. Mason got her hopes up, ya know?”
“I know. Man, I hate that for her.”
“Me, too.” Sighing, Ellie sank back into the couch. “How are things there? Still raining?”
“Hasn’t stopped for a week.”
“Gross.”
“You’re telling me.”
“You should have just stayed here. Blue skies and sunshine all week.”
“Jealous.”
There was a slight lull as Ellie twirled her hair around her finger. “When do you get back home?”
“Monday. You?”
“Wednesday. We decided to stay a few extra days since we’re not coming back out for the Fourth of July because of play rehearsals.”
“Am I going to see you Wednesday then?” Sadie had no idea where the forwardness came from, but she decided to embrace it.
Ellie giggled. “You better.”
“Text me when you’re close to being home and I’ll meet you there.”
“Yeah?” Ellie’s smile and arched eyebrow would be the death of Sadie. She was pretty damn confident about that. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.”
Ellie bit her lower lip before continuing. “Hey, so, I know it’s still a few weeks away. But Bray and I are having a birthday party. I want you to come. If you want.”
“I’m there,” Sadie responded with no hesitation. “The twenty-sixth, right?”
“You know my birthday?” Ellie giggled.
“Of course I do. I’m a good girlfriend.”
“You’re definitely my favorite.”
Sadie dramatically rolled her eyes as Ellie laughed. Ellie’s eyes moved away from the screen for a moment as Sadie saw her talking to someone else. She could tell by the voice it was Everleigh.
“Hey, sorry to cut this short, but Evie’s monitor fell off and I need to help her get a new one on.”
“No worries, babe. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, talk to you then.”
Hanging up, Sadie stared down at her lock screen, which showed a picture of her and Ellie on the beach. Both were in their bathing suits, and a wave had just crashed into them. They grabbed on tightly to each other so as not to fall as the wave went over them. Sadie smiled at the memory and wished she was back at the Cape with Ellie.
A few more days.
I can make it a few more days.