“Okay, update one; I've got through the final chapters of the sequel to Stolen Kingdom. And no, Wren, before you ask, I’m not okay. That ending was brutal,” I say, and she grins, knowing that her book is full of emotional turmoil. “Oh, and second; Evan has got this nerdy band recital thingy at school, and he wants us to come. Xavier, Michelle, and Miles are going too.”
“Huh,” Wren says.
“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“Nothing,” she chirps, shoving her milkshake straw into her mouth. I raise an eyebrow. “It’s just the first time you’ve mentioned him since the event.”
“Yeah, well, we’re back on good terms now,” I say, shrugging noncommittally.
“By good terms, you mean you confessed your undying love for each other, right?” Kennedy says.
“I don't love him for God’s sake. Why does everyone keep saying that?” I mutter angrily. I deflect. “Ken, what are your updates?”
She narrows her eyes at my very obvious change in subject. “Uh, I don’t have anything this week. Sorry.”
“What do you mean? Something is always going on with you.”
“Okay, jeez, you don’t have to make it sound like a bad thing. I’m not a complete disaster, you know,” she says, trying to laugh, but it comes out strange. She’s clearly upset about something, and I want to figure it out before Wren says something back.
“What’s going on, Ken,” I press gently. She sighs, playing with her plastic coffee cup.
“I’m just struggling a bit with classes. Inspiration isn’t an easy thing to find these days,” she admits, her shoulders slumping. “I’m trying to be positive about it, but the truth is, it sucks.”
“I get that, Kenny,” Wren says, placing her hand over Kennedy’s so she stops fidgeting. “I wasn't trying to sound rude earlier. I just mean you usually have something fun to talk about. I was just surprised, that's all.”
“I know. It's okay. It's just me. I don't know… I just can’t be happy all the time and it’s exhausting,” she replies. “And Iwantto be happy for you guys. You guys need me to be the happy one. It’s how we work, isn’t it?”
“You don’t have to be ‘the happy one,’Ken and that’s okay. I mean look at us," I say, gesturing between Wren and me. “We're grumps most of the time. It’s okay not to be happy, you know?”
“I know. I just really, really like being happy and positive for you guys,” she replies quietly.
“Then let us be happy and positive for you. We’ll be your cheerleaders, Ken,” I say, smiling up at her.
“Yeah?” she asks hopefully, those brown eyes lighting up.
“Of course,” Wren says, waving imaginary pom-poms.
And we do. We tell her our full-proof tactics to give your brain a rest and allow it time to breathe and settle. We eat, talk, laugh, and cry over the table, even facetiming Gigi while we’re at it. When Ken returns back to behind the counter, finishing the shift I'm unsure how she gets paid for, it’s just me and Wren at the table.
She talks to me about how she and Miles are thinking of doing skating classes at the local rink this summer. There's something so magical about the way Wren talks about him. As much as she rolls her eyes and calls him an idiot, there’s also that unwavering sense of appreciation and love in her eyes. Honestly, it makes me a little bit queasy.
As we walk back to our apartment, my phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out.
MOM: Come over to the hospital as soon as you can. Some updates on dad. The plane is ready.
My mom is a sucker for a cryptic message. I stop walking towards the apartment as I laugh a little at her weird trait and type out a reply.
Me: I’m on my way.
“Hey, I'm going to go to the hospital to see my dad,” I tell Wren when we get to the doors of our building. Wren turns around, her brown-green eyes instantly fill with worry.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, probably. My mom’s just being her usual cryptic self,” I explain with a shrug.
“Okay. Let me know when you land,” she replies before slipping into the building.
I'm strapped safely into the cream leather seats of my family’s plane when my phone lights up with a call. Since the event, Evan and I haven’t been able to talk or meet up much, but apparently he thinks now is the appropriate time to call me.
