Page 125 of Make Me Laugh

“Where are you?” she asks suspiciously.

I roll my eyes. “In the bathroom. Do you need to know what I’m wearing too?”

“Well, I know it’s not a Columbus Cobras jersey,” she answers dryly.

“Over my dead fucking body.”

Frankie laughs. “Okay, so, I’m going to assume Jo hasn’t mentioned her birthday is next week?”

“Of course not.” I do know it’s next week though, not because she’s directly told me, but because I’ve pieced it together by small clues Joey’s mentioned here and there. Leave it to the mind behind HexedHeroine to be born on a Friday the 13th. I wouldn’t expect it any other way. “She’s not as slick as she thinks though. She’s dropped clues. You just gotta pretend like you’re solving a fucking riddle sometimes, but…” I trail off.

There’s a pause, and I immediately regret telling Frankie I’m so obsessed with her best friend that I’ve been paying attention to everything Joey says about herself, hoping to learn more without letting her realize she’s opening up.

I mean, that’s not what I said, but that’s how Frankie interprets it. Because she knows Joey better than anyone on this planet, but I think I’m starting to know her in a way Frankie never will.

I see a side of her no one else gets.

Joey wants someone to pay attention without asking. I think if she let herself, she might like having someone around to take care of her. She can still be a badass independent woman and let someone give her a hug and surprise her with her favorite things when she’s having a bad day. She’s just too stubborn, set in her ways, and some fucking dickwad named Dylan hurt her, to see it right now.

I said I was willing to wait. So I will.

“She doesn’t like big to-do’s,” Frankie finally says.

I nod and say, “I know.”

“I called to tell you not to let her feel forgotten, even if she’s the one who insists she doesn’t care about her birthday.” Frankie must be inside somewhere now, because the sound of the city behind her has quieted. “But I think you’ve got this handled.”

Frankie is such a good friend, and I know I’ve only known her and Joey for a few months, but I’m so glad to know they have each other. Even if this all blows up in our faces, Joey will always have someone who loves her in the quiet.

“It’s a Friday the 13th birthday, and the club in Cleveland already had an event booked.” This is the one and only Friday we’ve had or will have off while on tour, and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone but Joey anyway. It makes it that much better we get to have an excuse to do all her favorite things.

“It’s the first birthday we’ve spent without each other since first grade.” I hear the sadness in her voice, but she moves on too quickly for me to comment. “I love Jo. She’s not just my best friend, she’s the sister the universe knew I needed.” Frankie swallows, and I wish I could give her a hug. I don’t think anyone’s realized how worried Frankie’s been about Joey. “She loves her people so hard. Harder than anyone I know.” She sniffles, laughing at herself. “But she doesn’t let people in because she’s afraid of being left again. It’s not my business to tell you about her ex, but he’s not the first person to make her feel unlovable… He was just the last.”

I almost ask his last name, ready to show up at the motherfucker’s house and catch an assault charge, but Frankie says something that steals the words from my mouth. “Give her some time, but only if you’re willing to stick around for however long it takes. Joey deserves someone who’s going to love her in spite of her unhealed wounds.”

There’s a knock on the bathroom door, but I ignore it. “Frankie, I’ll wait as long as Joey needs. I’m not going anywhere.”

She lets out a sigh. “I knew you were one of the good ones.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “Don’t make me feed you to my brother’s pigs.”

We hang up, and I don’t make the person outside the door wait any longer. Frankie might not have said it, but she knows I’m going to take care of her best friend, and her stamp of approval is all I could have ever asked for.

It makes the tension and quiet coming from Joey this week a little more bearable. She’s going to push me away—I knew that even before Frankie warned me, but she wouldn’t have told me if she didn’t think I was capable of showing Joey what it’s like to be loved by someone without conditions.

The walk back from the suite’s private bathrooms is filled with the sound of an amped-up arena full of hockey fans. While I walk back to our secluded room, I shoot Frankie a follow-up text about Joey’s birthday.

I know Joey said this has to end when tour does, but the way she looks at me when I walk back into the room says otherwise.

She’s standing with Kell, talking to a woman who must be with the team. Her eyes lock onto mine, and she seems to relax, her posture softening like she’d been waiting for her emotional support dog to come back.

Who would have thought West Parker, the playboy comedian, would be using dog comparisons when talking about himself? Willingly.

My stomach flutters when she returns the small smile I have on my face while looking at her. I bridge the gap between us, coming up beside Kell, because the spot next to Joey is taken by the blonde lady in a suit.

“Oh, perfect!” She grabs a burnt orange and black jersey off the chair behind her.

Oh, not perfect.

She turns it around, and I know I’m not hiding the disgust on my face well when Joey bites her lip, suppressing a laugh, while Kell fails to hide his.