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"You wish," I cross one leg over the other, ignoring the blazing ache situated there. For Cash. Not for Wilder. Wilder's like a creepy stalker who stands outside your bedroom window at night and watches you through the slit in the blinds.
He throws his head back and laughs, obviously amused with himself.
"So," Cash interrupts our tense exchange as he tosses napkins at us. "We need to talk about this summer."
Wilder removes his arm from behind me but keeps his disgusting leg resting against mine. I kick his ankle with the heel of my sandal, inflicting pain. His jaw tenses as he moves his grotesque limb off mine. Glad he got the message.
"What about it?" I say to Cash.
"My dad offered to pay for a backpacking trip," he begins. "Through Europe."
Wilder and I both lean forward.
"Really?" I smile wide. "He's going to pay for all of us to backpack through Europe?"
"Um," Cash swallows hard. "No. Just me."
My mouth drops open as I stare at my boyfriend, stunned. It's our last summer together and he's ditching me for Europe. He's not going to be here. He's going to leave me behind while he gallivants across the globe.
"When do you leave?" Wilder asks him, his tone both solemn and hurt.
"Next weekend."
Wilder and I sit perfectly still as the waiter sets our food in front of us.
Chapter 3
The Goodbye Party
My older sister, Isla, and I have never been close. She graduated two years before me, and we ran in different social circles in high school. Isla was a mathlete who spent all her free time doing extra credit work and volunteering around the community. She didn't really want to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving every year, but she knew it would look good on her college apps. So, she donned a red apron and put a smile on her face as she spooned mashed potatoes onto plates. Isla, while smart and resourceful, has always been rather selfish.
Even now, as she drives me to Cash's parent's house for his I'm-going-to-Europe-for-two-months-without-my-girlfriend party.
"I don't understand why you're so butt hurt," Isla pushes her scarlet hair off her shoulder. "This is a great opportunity for Cash."
Yeah, for Cash. Not for our relationship. Not for me.
Also, a fun fact: Isla and I share a car when she's home from college. Which is why she's currently driving me to the party.
"Would you let Frank go on a European vacation without you for eight weeks?" I ask her.
Frank Bertinelli. He was Isla's TA for one of her classes at Brown last semester. They had a secret relationship for months before classes let out for the summer. Frank then followed Isla home. He is currently bagging groceries at the local grocery store to make ends meet and to stay close by. And by close by, I mean getting sex regularly. Unlike me.
"Frank and I aren't like you and Cash," Isla boasts.
"What does that mean?" I cross my arms over my chest. Typical Isla. She's always thought Cash was out of my league. And, because she's Isla, she hasn't kept those thoughts to herself. I'm paraphrasing here, but she once told me the only thing I had going for me was being pretty. I didn't get straight A's like she did, but I did graduate with a 3.6 GPA. Not bad for someone who only has her looks going for her.
"Frank is my best friend," Isla begins as I roll my eyes in disgust. "You and Cash aren't really friends. You're more like Mom and Dad. You love each other, but you don't want to spend all your free time together. Frank and I, well, we're inseparable."
Is this her way of telling me her relationship is better than mine?
And I'm not sure what she's talking about. Mom and Dad spend the majority of their free time watching reality TV together.
"But what if it was a great opportunity for Frank? Would you let him go?" I push.
"I'd go with him," Isla proclaims.
"What if you couldn't?"
