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I shake my head. My head feels foggy and confused whenever I think about him. Just like my heart does. “I don’t know, Mads. It was weird. And unexpected. I was in shock.”
“You had no idea he was coming?”
“Nope. We haven’t spoken since I left. I know Drew is nearby, which means Levi is, but I didn’t expect Tyler to be out here. His plans were to stay in New Jersey.”
“I still can’t believe my roommate is the little sister of Drew Stott. Like girl, you do know how famous they are, right?” Madison laughs.
I roll my eyes, but with a smile on my face. “Yes, do you think I live under a rock? I know they are super successful, but to me, it’s just my older brother and his best friend. It’s hard to explain.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight. You’ve known him since you were little because of Drew and Levi. You broke things off with him before you moved here. And you haven’t spoken since.”
“Yes.”
“The shock’s worn off by now, right? So how do you feel about it?”
I can’t help but laugh at this girl. She’s so blunt and doesn’t even know it half the time. “I’m mad. He should’ve told me he was in California, and he definitely shouldn’t have just shown up. It totally threw me off. But he was mad I wasn’t answering his calls or texts.”
Mads raises her eyebrows. “You weren’t?”
I sigh as I fall back against the huge stack of pillows lining my bed. What can I say? I love pillows. I grab one and cover my face with it. “No.”
“What? I can’t hear you from behind your humongous wall of pillows.”
I toss the one in my hands at her head, and she squeals.
“It hurts more to keep in touch. It’s easier to forget. To keep myself busy. I don’t do it intentionally. Days just slip past, and I try not to think about him. I came here looking for a fresh start. New school, new place, new friends. And do I want Tyler to be a part of it? Yes. I’d love it if he was here. But he’s not. And he can’t be because his father needs him at home. So for now, it’s better this way. Besides, we never were official. I don’t know why. To the outside world, it looked like we were. But we never put labels on it, knowing we had a timestamp.”
“Damn, that all sounds so complicated. But I suppose love is.”
“I kinda just wanna vibe on my own for a bit, you know? While being here and exploring this new part of the country I’ve never seen before. I’m used to beaches, but the mountains. Just wow.”
“Mason and I need to show you some places. You haven’t seen anything yet.” Madison sits up. “Ooh! We should go this Sunday. We can do a scenic hike or something!”
“That sounds fun. Hopefully, the weather is nice.”
“I’ll check and ask Mason what he’s up to on Sunday.”
“How about you, Mads? Any love in your life?” I bring the subject back to her. She really hasn’t told me much as far as her love life goes. Just that she ran track in high school like she does here, and she’s always loved to run. She made a lot of friends through track and would go on hikes with Mason and her parents. Plus, their three dogs. She says her family is chaotic but loving and fun.
I was hit with a pang of jealousy the first time she told me all about her family. How close they were, how they all loved the same things like hiking and fostering dogs from shelters before they’re adopted.
Madison’s cheeks flush as she busies herself with her phone, her thumbs flying across the screen. Probably already texting Mason about Sunday. Miss Social Butterfly loves having plans. “Uh, no,” she says, but she hesitates for a second. I definitely catch it.
“Hmm, really? You’re open about everything else, but you’ve never mentioned a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, for that matter.”
Madison wiggles her eyebrows. “Hmm, I’d never considered a girlfriend, but you never know.”
“Whatever works for you, but I see that grin on your face, which tells me there was or is a special someone.”
“A special someone?” Madison rolls her eyes and pretends to gag. “That’s a negative.”
“Alright. Maybe Mason will spill.”
“Mason doesn’t know shit about me.”
“Ha! Good one. He’s just your twin brother and all.” I toss another pillow at her.
She throws her head back with laughter. “Soon, you won’t have any pillows left.”
