Chapter 27
AVERY MOORE
I stare at the text thread Reid sent me over the course of the last couple of days, rereading over and over again.
Him
Please reconsider. I’m begging you.
I can’t breathe without you, baby girl.
Let me have one last kiss, Avery. Please.
God, I miss you.
Today is the first day since I broke up with him that I’ve left my room for more than just the bathroom.
My heart is broken, and I’ve spent the days crying against my pillow.
This feels worse than Neil. This is a hole in my chest. An ache in my heart.
Raw cheeks from crying too much. Bags under my eyes from rarely sleeping for fear of dreaming of him.
I don’t know where to turn. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore other than simply existing. I don’t know who I am or how I got here.
Scratch that. I do know how I got here. I partook in a forbidden romance, and it came back to bite me in the ass.
I should have seen this coming.
I should have saved myself the heartache and walked away from Reid when he caught me.
Fresh tears fall. No. I had a great love. I had something special, and for a while, I got to enjoy it. I’ll always carry those memories, always carry him in my heart, even if it nearly kills me to hold him there, remembering what we shared for the rest of my life.
The front door opens, and I look up from my phone in the spot on the couch where I’m curled up.
Ivy walks in with a box of takeout food with the diner’s logo on it. “Oh honey,” she says, coming to me and kneeling before me. “You’re crying again.”
I sob. “I can’t help it.”
She grabs my phone that’s still lit up and reads the texts. When she’s finished, she looks at me with sad eyes. “This will blow over.”
“No, it won’t.”
She tucks her hair behind my ear. “You’ll find someone else.”
“I don’t want anyone else. I’m done. I’m never dating again.”
She shushes me, snags the box of tissues off the coffee table, and dabs my cheeks with a Kleenex. “Don’t say that.”
I sit up, and she comes to sit beside me. “All I want is him.”
Her lips twist to the side. “Dustin’s still pretty angry. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back to Reid. He’s barely talking to anyone right now.”
“Is he still mad at you?”
She blows out a breath. “He lets me cuddle now, so it’s not too bad.”
When Ivy went back into the party to try to talk some sense into Dustin, she admitted to knowing. He was so angry with her that she was worried their relationship was ending. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
“Is he going to kick Reid out?” That’s the last thing I want. I broke up with him so that all of our relationships, aside from mine and Reid’s, don’t come to an end.
She shakes her head. “He won’t admit it, but the fact that you guys aren’t seeing each other has eased his rage on the matter.”
“That kind of makes him a prick.”
Sighing, she runs her hand through her hair. “Yeah. He’s just really mad, and mad people do irrational things. He feels like he was betrayed.”
I sniffle and look at my hands in my lap. “I’m glad he didn’t end things with you.”
She grabs my hand and folds her fingers through mine. “Me too. I was really worried there for a minute.”
“You know I’m grateful that you kept our secret, right?”
She straightens her shoulders and declares, “Hos before bros, girlie. I got your back.” Leaning, she pushes the takeout box closer to me. “Now, eat something.”
“I can’t.”
“Girl, you’re losing weight. This can’t go on forever. It’s unhealthy. You need to fuel yourself.”
I stare at the box, knowing she’s right. I’m not meaning to starve myself. I’m just not hungry, but I can’t keep denying my body what it needs. “Is it pancakes?”
She smiles a little at me. “I told you, I got your back.”
“I know you do,” I say as I pluck up the box and bring it to my lap. I open it up and smile a little. There’s whipped cream on top. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”
“Clearly it’s working. You’re at least smiling.”
I grip the plastic fork, cut off a piece, and stuff it into my mouth. It tastes like ash, but I won’t tell her that. She was thoughtful enough to bring it to me and take care of me when I need it most.
“Are you caught up on homework?” she asks, eyeing my backpack by the table.
I shake my head. “I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
“What about your internship applications for the summer? Did you start those?”
“No,” I admit.
She slaps my knee, stands up, and goes to get my backpack. “Then that’s what we’re doing tonight. We’re not going to wallow. We’re going to hold our heads up high. Okay?”
Swallowing, I nod. “I can try.”
“Good.” She sets my backpack in front of me.