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I bob my head. “I know so, and I’m not just saying that because I like you and my brother gives me a hard time. I’ve watched all of your games over the past year and some of your practices. You and my brother will go pro together. I don’t doubt it.”
Ethan sighs. “I’ll miss you, Mia.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Why, because he’s going to college in the fall with my brother? Strickland University is only thirty minutes from my house. Upset by the thought of not seeing him every night, I choose to ignore his comment. Whatever time we have left is precious.
Ethan grabs my hand and holds it tight. “I’m leaving after graduation.”
My heart plummets into my chest when I do the math. We only have four more days together. I can’t breathe, the sickness rising from the back of my throat, choking me. He can’t do this to me.
No. Please. Don’t leave me.
I want to say all of this to Ethan, but the words never come out.
Ethan squeezes my hand once more and smiles. “Tell me about your day. I want to hear all about it. Give me the worst and best moments.”
I suck in a deep breath, holding it far too long before I let it out. The worst part of my day now has to do with Ethan, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. We have four days together. I can’t ruin them.
“Well, I already told you one of the best.”
He chuckles. “If hanging out with me is even in your top five, then I can’t imagine the worst one.”
I smile through the fear and pain of losing Ethan and hope that our last night together is one I’ll remember forever.
Chapter Three
Ethan
I’m an asshole. I should turn around and say goodbye to Mia. But I can’t. It’s better if she doesn’t know the reason I have to leave and why I have to run away from the new life I’ve built in Pennsylvania. She would hate me if she knew the truth. So, it’s better this way. Now, she can hate me for an entirely different reason.
Soon enough, Mia will have new friends and forget all about me. I cringe at the thought of her having a boyfriend. I can’t have her, but that doesn’t make me want her any less.
As I drive down I-95, I switch lanes to get around the tortoise hogging up the left lane. My mind wanders between Mia and my new destination. I told Will I have to take care of my sick grandmother who lives in Boston. At least part of that lie was true. I do have a grandmother who lives in Boston, though she’s probably in better shape than most women her age and sharp as a tack.
It was the best excuse I could come up with when I broke the news to Will. He said he understood why I had to bail on our hockey plans and that family comes first, which only made me feel like a piece of shit for craving his little sister for the past year.
All it takes is one life-altering mistake to ruin everything. I didn’t expect one night to change my life. But it did. Now, it’s time to face the consequences.
Chapter Four
Mia: Ten years later
After another shitty day at The Philadelphia Inquirer, I come home to my apartment that smells like a Chinese restaurant. My stomach growls from the scent of General Tso’s chicken rising from the ground floor. I reach into my bag, pull out three dollars, and sigh when I realize I can’t even afford dinner. At least payday is on Friday.
I lean against the wall by the front door and strip off my lace-up canvas boots. Starting at my knees, I tug at the fabric until each row finally gives, relieving me of the pressure. For the past eight hours, I stood outside of City Hall waiting to get a comment from the Mayor of Philadelphia about the new law requiring all businesses operating in the city to favor cash over credit cards. It was a long day, to say the least, where I spent hours drinking Coke and snacking as I counted down the seconds before I could drag my ass back home.
Exhausted, I stagger into the kitchen and open the freezer. Given my lack of choices, I remove the bottle of vodka and a TV dinner and set them on the counter. If I’m lucky, I’ll make it until the end of the week without having to bum some cash from my older brother. The thought makes me cringe. I can’t handle another brotherly conversation from Will about my current situation.
As I shut the freezer door, an unwelcome banging on the floor below causes me to jump. Living in the city, with all the car horns and noises, takes some getting used to. My parents moved to Arizona for retirement, leaving my brother and me behind. I rented this shithole in Center City, Philadelphia in the hopes it would be a temporary situation. That was three years ago.
Still startled and on edge, I yelp when my cell phone rings. I remove the phone from my pocket and check the Caller ID. It’s my older brother.
“What do you want?”
“Hey, baby sis,” Will yells into the phone, slurring his words. “Is that any way to talk to the person who helped you with your homework when you were a kid?”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t gloat for too long. Look how far that got me.” The sounds of rap music assault my eardrum, making it harder to hear Will over the people screaming around him. “Where are you?” I shout over the noise.
A beat passes between us where I listen to the song change over before Will speaks again. “I need to stay with you for a while. My apartment flooded, and now, I’m homeless until the condo association fixes the damage. I was able to grab a bag of clothes and get out before part of the ceiling collapsed.”
