Chapter 26
Kady
“Since when does my sister dragmeto a party?” I question cynically. “Did we somehow switch bodies without me knowing it?”
I sit in the passenger seat of our shared car, which will soon be mine because Kylah’s agreed to sell me her half of it. She’s figured that since she lives on the bus line near campus, she won’t need one in the fall. And I’ll need it for my move to L.A.
I stare at my sister’s profile, which technically mirrors mine, but somehow her features are softer, more graceful. Kylah’s let her hair grow out from the cropped do she wore in the past and it’s now brushing the top of her shoulders. She’s a soft blonde, highlighted from time in the sun this summer. Even in the dark, I can see the corners of her lips curve up into her sweet smile at my comment.
Kylah had called me earlier tonight, while I was wallowing in my self-pity, eating bite after bite of chocolate chip cookie dough. I was popping the premade round slices into my mouth, thanking good ol’ Nestle Toll House for their invention. They were yummy, but not nearly as good as my mom’s homemade cookies. But as a vice and form of self-comfort, they did the trick.
Kylah smiles sheepishly. “Since your sister has recently developed a social life because of her boyfriend.”
We both laugh at the irony. My sister was always the shy, wallflower in our sibling trio, where Cade and I competed to steal the spotlight. Until she began dating Van, Kylah would’ve preferred sitting at home watching an episode ofGame of Thronesor her nose stuck in a book versus going out to a party. But now look at her. I shake my head at the comparison.
“Speaking of Van, where is lover-boy tonight?” I scooch around in the car seat and turn to face her as best I can, avoiding the tug of the seatbelt hitting me snugly across my boobline.
She waves a hand. “He’s meeting us there later. He had to finish a project he has due.”
After his recent graduation, Van immediately put his new degree to the test by getting a job as a junior analyst in an accounting firm in Phoenix. I really like Van, but his job sounds like the most boring career on the planet. Looking at spreadsheets and numbers all day long, sitting at a cubicle desk in an uncomfortable suit sounds more like torture than a job.
Then again, Kylah isn’t planning on doing anything more exciting when she graduates.
She wants to do lab research in the biomed field. It’s a pretty safe bet that she already has her thesis research started and knows exactly what she wants to do in life.
I sigh sympathetically. “Poor guy. God, I hope he doesn’t show up in a suit and tie. I’d feel really sorry for him.”
I frown as Kylah turns to look at me. Her eyes lift and crinkle and she sticks her tongue out.
“He loves what he does. Although, I think he misses playing basketball with the guys a lot,” she hesitates a second before continuing. “Speaking of basketball players, have you heard anything from Gavin?”
Obviously as the closest living person to me, I’ve shared with her everything there is to share about Gavin. She wasn’t surprised by any of it. What she was shocked to learn, however, was that I’d fallen for him and have been waiting like a sappy puppy dog waits on its owner for Gavin to call me back.
Which he hasn’t. It’s been two days.
My head drops in disappointment. “No, he hasn’t even bothered to call me back. I guess that tells me exactly what I need to know. He doesn’t want anything more to do with me.”
Kylah swings an arm over the front seat and grabs hold of my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
“That doesn’t mean a thing. He’s probably just busy right now trying to figure out his options and getting settled back at home. I’m sure he’s just going through a hard time, is all.”
The moment she says it, my head snaps to hers, my eyes glaring daggers. Ky yanks her hand back to the steering wheel, immediately realizing her mistake. I can see it written all over her face.
“Wait a minute. He’s home? Like, back in Phoenix? When? And how the hell do you know this?” My voice has risen two octaves and squeaks like a bird.
I’m flooded with emotions. Joy. Excitement. Hope.
And then I crash with rejection, anger and hurt.
If Gavin’s home but hasn’t bothered to contact me, then that can only mean one thing.
“Asshole,” I mutter, resolved more than ever to get him out of my head for good.
Things have suddenly become so clear to me. The feelings that I developed over Gavin are not reciprocated. He’s a fucking liar and a waste of my precious time. There’s no longer any reason for me to carry a torch for him. I need to move on and forget about Gavin Lancaster.
Lucky for me, tonight should be the perfect opportunity to do that.
I am not some fool-hearted, boy-smitten girl who’s going to sit around and wallow in my tears. No sirree.
