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"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He keeps saying it, but I'm not sure what he's sorry for. His parents, or his inability to make up his mind.
"You should go," I say, trying to hold in tears.
Cash kisses my cheek before wiping the tears off his face. "I love you, Ingrid."
I want to say it back, but I can't bring myself to.
"Have a good trip."
Cash shakes his head. "I'll try."
I watch him go, my heart a battered, beaten, bloody mess.
He gives me a small wave from his truck before driving off.
And because I refuse to cry in front of Mom and Isla, I walk down the stone pathway to the curb. As I sit down, an imposing figure appears like a bad dream that won't stop haunting me.
"I'm not in the mood, Wilder."
He sits on the curb beside me. "At least he said goodbye to you."
I turn to look at him. He's wearing his blacked-out sunglasses, but they don't hide the pain he's in. Pain I'm in, too.
"He came by to break up with me," I flash my eyebrows at him.
Wilder pulls a silver flask out of his back pocket. He takes a long swig before passing it over to me. "At least you know where you stand with him."
I bring the flask up to my lips and take a sip. It's strong. Too strong. I cough as I hand Wilder back the alcohol.
"You were right," I admit. "I'm not going to Baltimore. He's going to find someone who fits into his world better than I do."
"I'm sure he'll find a new best friend, too."
"I don't know."
"Turns out we're in the same boat, Blondie. Both rejected by Cash Allred."
"Want to hear something sad and pathetic?" I smile sadly as Wilder removes his sunglasses.
"Uh, yes," he nods. "Maybe it'll cheer me up."
"You are my only friend now," I admit out loud. "And I hate you."
"So, does that make us frenemies?" Wilder proposes.
"I don't know," I shrug.
"Wait," Wilder grins. "Are you asking me to be your bestie with testes?"
I pretend to gag myself. "Hand me the flask."
Wilder places it in my open palm. "You wanna jump out of the tree at the creek?"
As I swallow another mouthful of whatever Wilder's drowning his sorrows in, I smack the back of his head and say, "Hell no."
Chapter 5
The Bucket List
