He jolted, and then grabbed Finn’s hand with far too much force and shook it with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Flynn.”
Finn graciously laughed it off as I shot Blake a death glare.
But he refused to meet my gaze.
His eyes had fallen again to the spot where my necklace should’ve been. I reached up and touched it, which brought Blake’s eyes up.
“Enjoy your night, Addie Bo Baddie,” he said softly.
Emotion lodged in my throat, but I forced it down with a swallow, nodding at him and smiling as I whispered, “Thanks.”
With a final nod, Blake left us there and went into his room.
Before his departure brought up questions, I hugged Finn. “I just need to go grab my things from my room. I’ll be right back.”
He kissed the top of my head, and even though I searched for a sign that he might be upset or mad about the interaction with Blake and Adam, he conveyed nothing but understanding.
“I’ll wait right here for you, beautiful.”
When he let me go, I went to my room and grabbed my overnight bag.
Right before I left, I glanced at my dresser where my charm bracelet and my necklace still sat in the silver bowl. I touched my collarbone again, and before I talked myself out of it, I went over and grabbed both. I put them on before going back out to meet Finn.
It didn’t have to mean anything.
It didn’t have to bring back false hope.
It could just be a reminder that…no matter how I grew or changed, or where the future took me, my past mattered, too.
I preferred that over pretending it didn’t.
10
BLAKE
FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE, JANUARY 2018, AGE 18
If someone directed a movie about my life at Mosaic Falls High and D'Arthur University, it would be a classic trope: high school football prodigy, popular, and a player. I’d pushed academics to the side to focus on sports and pretty girls, earning myself the title of dumb jock.
But I’d embraced the label until my second act in college.
Still a football prodigy, still popular, and admittedly, still a bit of a player.
I liked to think I hooked up in a cooler, more mature way than I had as a hormone-addled teenager, which made me the guy viewers loved to hate.
Until the plot slowly revealed my backstory: abusive father, wine-drunk mother, and a hidden fear of letting down the people I loved because I wasn’t enough.
I became the guy they hated to admit they loved, and I fully embraced that role, too.
Thanks to Addie’s excellent guidance, I spoke with my professors, let her tutor me to fill the gaps in my coursework, and successfully kept my grades up.
I even met my advisor, who turned out to be a pretty cool dude. His father had also wanted him to pursue a fancy job in the family business over his true passion.
With his understanding and help, I’d secured my position as a freshman on D'Arthur University’s football team. While I was only the backup, I still got time on the field. And when I did, I owned it. People on campus had noticed.
Now, I walked around like I owned the place. Earning myself a reputation. Playing into the part the crowd wanted me to fill. And doing it all with a smile.
The only people who truly knew the real me were the Barrows. They also happened to be the only people willing to call me on my bullshit.
