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“Good thinking, P.”
“You better do a good job, or you’re sleeping in your car tonight,” Max grumbled.
Everyone started toward the stairs.
“Isn’t anyone going to help me?” I called.
“You do the crime, you pay the fine,” Rush mused, and everyone nodded.
I guess fair was fair. I started toward Jess. “I’ll take you downstairs before I deal with this.”
“I got her,” Prism offered, picking her up without any trouble.
“Fine,” I muttered.
“So he can haul her around, but I can’t?” Max quipped.
“He’s my brother,” Jess said, smiling up at P. Then, “Besides, I’m so not his type.”
“Still waiting for him to tell us what his type is,” Lars muttered.
“I’ll take you downstairs,” Prism said, taking my girl and leaving. She leaned up and whispered something in his ear, and he made a choked sound.
She giggled.
I started after them, but Max pressed a hand in the center of my chest, stopping me. “You have a mess to clean up.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, turning to the TP castle. “Hey, Max,” I called as he was heading down the stairs.
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
“You deserved this,” I said, thumbing toward the two-ply streamers decorating his room. “But, ah, I really do appreciate you texting me. I appreciate you being her friend. She needs them, especially good ones like you.”
He stared at me.
I cleared my throat. “And yeah, thanks for telling her to give me a chance. I appreciate you being my friend too.”
He huffed. “You’re welcome.”
I started to smile.
“You’re still cleaning all of it up.”
“Fine.” I relented and got to work.
34
Jess
Having an empty head was better. Because then I didn’t have to think. To be haunted by the past. My head was no longer empty, so here I sat—haunted.
In a bathing suit.
Which was ridiculous because I had a broken ankle. Do you know what does not go with a red lifeguard suit? A cast.
How easy it is to fall prey to the past, to insecurities I thought were gone. They weren’t, though. They were masked by a full heart. Love.
Sadly, it didn’t take much for them to rear their unwelcome and ugly head. Once again, I was transported back to the girl who wasn’t good enough.
