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“Anytime.” She holds up her pinkie and I lock mine with it. “No matter how much I’d love to go to California with you, Ridgeview is my home. But I’m always down for a visit if that’s where you go.”
A heavy sigh leaves me. I play with the braided leather bracelet, touching the stones. “Yeah. You’re right.”
It’s not just that I have this untamed need deep inside to leave at the drop of a hat, or even that I actually want to run from my problems. It’s that the choice isn’t mine, and that’s what I crave when I fantasize about pulling onto the interstate and following it as far as it’ll take me.
“That reminds me! I found a neat thing for you on Pinterest last night. I meant to text it.” Thea grabs her phone and shows me a pin she saved on must-see cross-country road trip spots and tips for routes to take to make the most of the trip. “See? With this you can hit more places.”
“Thanks, girl. This is good.”
I haven’t gotten that far, but Thea is more of a planner. All I know is I want to go. It’s this hungry need that tugs at the inside of my chest whenever the wind moves my hair and I see a bird taking flight.
“Have you brought it up again to your parents?”
Shaking my head, I stare into my paint tray. “Not yet. Not since last time.”
If I can’t convince them to give me permission, I’m going after graduation. They can’t stop me. No one can.
“It’ll work out.” She claps her hands. “Think good thoughts!”
My mouth quirks into a soft smile. “You’re the best.”
We get lost in painting again, singing along to the rest of the Fleetwood Mac playlist.
“Are you okay?” Thea asks after a comfortable silence.
“I—yeah,” I push out, hoping she can’t hear the strain in my voice. We both know each other too well to easily hide our emotions. Last year it was her hiding from me, but now the tables have turned. I think I’m starting to get why she kept quiet about her drama for so long. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She turns her big blue eyes on me and my heart leaps into my throat. Crap. She totally sees through me.
Reaching out, Thea takes my hand. “Are you sure? I don’t want to push you, but it seems like there’s a lot weighing you down. I’ve never seen you like this. I know your parents can be a lot to deal with, but you’ve been so quiet lately. Like your light’s gone out.”
My throat tightens. “It’s nothing.”
I force out a laugh and wince at how brittle it sounds, grating on my ears. It seems stupid to moan about rumors and someone spray painting my locker, so I haven’t brought it up. Then there’s all the stuff with Fox. When did my life get so complicated?
“You don’t have to worry about me. There’s a lot on your plate.”
She frowns, squeezing my hand. “Full plate or not, you’re my best friend. You can talk to me about anything. My therapist encourages me to picture pouring water out of a jug when I’m having trouble talking about my problems. We start with little things, and then it gets easier. I always feel a lot better after I’ve let it out instead of holding it all in like I used to, when…”
Thea trails off, but she doesn’t have to finish. I know how hard last year was for her. It’s behind us now and no one can hurt her anymore. She’s shining brighter without the darkness that crept into her life.
Releasing a sigh, I shake my head. “It’s not a big deal. Not yet, anyway.” Just way too complicated to untangle. “I promise, or I’d already be spilling my guts about it. I’m just looking forward to graduating so I can get on with my life, you know?”
She nods. “Okay. Does this call for cupcakes?”
“My favorite kind?” I add hopefully. “And face masks when we’re done with painting.”
“Of course. I’ll bake it all better after we finish this.”
As Thea picks up her paintbrush again, I make a silent vow to tell her once I figure this out for myself. I fill in the sun and moon that make up the logo while she works on the Eclipsed Tarts lettering.
The song changes to The Chain and Connor dances his way into the room on the chorus, shoulders dropping to the drum beats as he lip syncs the lyrics into a hammer. His antics make us laugh.
“Your new office is officially sexy,” he announces with a charming lopsided grin, winking at Thea. He shoots me a nod. “‘Sup, little Landry.”
I flip him off. “What did I say about calling me that? Dude, I will kick your ass, no hesitation.”
Connor is as cocky as ever, the star ex-soccer captain of Silver Lake High with floppy hair and intelligent gray eyes. At first I thought he was an asshole with a bad reputation, too full of his own swagger who was going to break my girl’s heart, but he turned out to be the perfect guy for my best friend.
