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“Okay, sure.”
We sit down at my computer and Willow checks out the game. My heart pounds. I don’t know why it’s so important for her to like my game. Maybe because it’s in Bri’s honor.
“Well?” I ask as she starts playing.
“It’s fun. Definitely feels like an adventure game.” She frowns. “But what’s with the graphics? Why does it look like a little kid drew it?”
I hang my head. “Darn it. That’s what I was afraid of. So the whole game is crap?”
“Not crap at all. But you need to do something about the art design.”
I sigh.
She takes my hand. “Most game developers hire designers to help with the graphics. You can ask Evie. I’m sure she’d love to do it for you. And it’ll look good on her college portfolio.”
I lower my eyes to the floor as I think it over. King Colt would have refused. He’d want to hide the fact that he was making a game because everyone would think it wasn’t cool. That it’d get him thrown out of the popular crowd. That his friends would mock him. Real Colt doesn’t care. He’s starting to be comfortable with who he is. He doesn’t need approval from other kids.
“Okay,” I tell my awesome girlfriend with a smile. “I’ll ask Evie for help.”
She bends forward and kisses me. “The game is so good, Colt. And with the right graphics, it can be a big hit. We’ll also need to look into voice acting, but we can worry about that later. And we already have our first tester lined up—Mia.”
I lift a brow. “We?”
She smiles. “If you’ll let me work on this with you.”
I lean close and press my lips to hers. “Of course.” I reach for Bri’s picture. “She’d love to have you on the team.”
Willow takes the picture and grins at my sister. “That’s a sweet, awesome, perfect brother you’ve got there, Bri,” she tells her. “And I’m crazy about him.”
I circle my arms around Willow, tugging her close to my chest and resting my cheek on hers. I never want to let this girl go. She’s my world. “I know what I want to do with my life, Willow,” I say. “I thought about it a lot over the weekend and it just hit me. I want to help kids in school who are having a hard time. Maybe as a guidance counselor.”
She reaches up to kiss me. “That’s amazing, Colt.”
I kiss her back, and soon we’re rolling over each other on the bed like we can’t get enough of each other.
The doorbell rings.
I sit up. “Wonder who that is.”
Willow follows me as I make my way down the stairs and open the door. My jaw nearly drops to the floor when I realize who’s standing there.
Mom.
My eyes are so wide, I can fit three planets inside. What’s she doing here?
She gives me an unsure smile. “Hi, honey.”
She looks just as I remember her. The same blue eyes and light hair. Though her eyes carry a lot of pain.
I look at Willow and she looks at me. She knows how I feel about my mother. How much it hurts when I think about her abandoning me when I needed her most.
“Can I come in?” Mom asks.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Whenever she texted me, I wasthisclose to responding and inviting her into my life. But I held back. Because if she left so easily when life got hard, how do I know she won’t abandon me again? I wouldn’t be able to handle her walking out of my life again. It would destroy me.
Mom glances around. “Is your father home?”
I clear my throat. “No, he’s at work. What are you doing here?” My voice is hoarse.
