Chapter 2
Day of The Choosing
Parker
I stand around, my mind reeling, probably looking like an idiot, as I process what this all means. Not only will I lose Imani to someone else this year, but now I’m going to have to watch. And not just that! I’m going to have to find someone else—someone to create a family with. Someone that’s not her…
My stomach clenches, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.
My parents head toward me, and I feel bile rise in my throat. The idea of leaving them too? It’s too much to bear.
“Parker, want to help me track down the governor’s assistant and get all our details sorted?” Sean asks tentatively.
I let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, absolutely. I think I saw him just a minute ago.”
He throws an arm around me and steers me in the opposite direction of my approaching family, who then descend on Imani and Dominique, chatting animatedly.
My pulse feels rapid, and my breathing is getting shallower by the minute. Auras appear in my vision, and I stop walking, feeling faint.
Sean stops, looking at me worriedly. “You okay, man?”
“Not really, no. I feel like I fucked up—big time.” My hands shake, and I feel him grip the back of my neck tightly with one hand, holding me steady.
“Well, at least now you’re getting away from the big scary fuck up, right?” he prods. Steering me away from the crowd as he guides me to sit down and put my head between my knees.
“Right. Yeah. Never coming back,” I say, my voice muffled by my position, all the while trying not to lose my breakfast all over the cobblestones.
As I pack my things to leave, I resolve to pull myself together. I cannot be a shaky, sweaty, nervous mess this year. I cannot. I am determined to make the best of this. Bury this star-crossed, lovesick, kicked puppy shit down deep until I’m over it and can move on with my life. And let Imani move on with hers.
This was obviously never meant to be.