“Yeah. I broke his nose.” She laughs. “Blood was flowing.”
“You are my hero. Brian is a loser. It’s not like you loved him,” she says.
“I know. My pride was hurt, but that’s not the worst part. My father asked him to date me.”
“No shit.”
“No shit.”
“I don’t know what to say. Who does that?”
“Apparently, he’s moved to drastic measures.”
“I think you should seriously think about moving here. He’ll have to travel to fuck with you. But at least here, I’ll have your back.”
“And give up my glamorous life?” This isn’t the first time she’s asked, and honestly, I don’t know what's holding me back. I have friends, but we aren’t close.
“Come on,” she pleads. “It’s beautiful here. There are plenty of jobs. You can live with me until you get on your feet. Even when you do, I have a spare room. You can stay as long as you want.”
“Maybe,” I mumble.
“Seriously?” she squeals.
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“I have tons of hours to contemplate my life.”
“There is something I should tell you,” she says, and pauses.
“It sounds serious.” I thought we had been honest with each other, or as honest as our trauma would allow. Everyone has secrets.
“I can tell you when you get here.”
“How about now? You can’t say that and shut it down. I’ll spend the drive wondering.”
“Do you trust me?” she asks.
“Yes. I wouldn’t be driving two days to see you if I didn’t.”
“Maybe you should pull over,” she says.
“This information is going to cause me to crash?” I laugh. “Rylee, spit it out.”
“It’s not a big deal. You wouldn’t end our friendship. Right?” she whispers.
“You should know me better than that,” I say, frowning. “I would never cut you out of my life.” I finally found a friend who accepts me and doesn’t judge me like my family.
“I’ve almost said the words for years. Now that you're considering moving here, I have to. I’m still the same person I’ve always been. Nothing has changed. I love you. You're my best friend. I don’t want you to wreck and blame me. I’m not a freak or losing my mind. I’m just different.” She stops abruptly.
“Rylee, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“Never mind, I’ll wait.”
“No, say it.” She’s worrying me more by saying nothing that makes sense.
“Haven, it can wait.”
