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I sighed. “Why are you fighting this so hard? I don’t want to leave you behind. What’s so bad about leaving a town that’s going downhill anyway?”
“Because I want to see it get better. I want to see it through.”
“See what through? There’s no hope here.”
“Strawberry Springs is special.”
Goddammit. “You’re wrong.”
“No, you’re wrong. Your head is so far up your ass that you’re ignoring the good here.”
The good here. Yeah, I’d heard about that. There was community. There were people who were kind. All of that had been told to me by everyone a hundred times.
I blew out a breath. “Then you’re just like the rest of the people here. You’re blinded by nostalgia.”
“And you’re like everyone else in the world. You only care about yourself.”
I felt like I’d been slapped. We’d fought, but never this viciously.
“Don’t talk like that to me. I’m not like the assholes you insulted in high school.”
“Maybe you are, with how you handled the scare.”
I scoffed. “I handled it fine, considering I don’t ever want kids.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Do you really think I’d make a good dad?”
“No.” She said it immediately and crossed her arms. “But I thought . . . maybe one day you could be.”
“You want them?” I huffed. “You, of all people?”
“Me, of all people? What does that mean?”
We were eighteen. We were way too young for it. I’d not given it a thought.
“I-I mean . . .” I gestured to her.
“You know what? I got your meaning.” She stood. “Got it loud and clear.”
“Jade, come on. You really thought about kids? Seriously?”
“I did, and thought . . .” She trailed off. “Never mind. I obviously thought wrong.”
She stormed out of the diner. I went to follow her, but Tammy peeked around the corner. “Don’t you dare leave without paying!”
“S-sorry!” I fished for cash and threw it on the table.
“You can bet I’m checking that!” she called after me as I ran off. If there was one thing I could depend on, it was Tammy never giving me a break.
Jade was already halfway across the square when I caught up to her. “Where are you going?” I yelled.
“Home.” Her voice was tight.
“We need to talk!”
“What is there to talk about?” she yelled.
