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“Yes,” he agreed. “And then I heard your story and saw how you two cared about each other. What you two had was different. It’s what your parents had.”
That made me pause because I felt that, too. A stupid part of me felt as if Mom knew I needed love, so she sent Starlet my way. But I couldn’t jeopardize her life because I craved having her around. Plus, she felt like a safety blanket of sorts for me—something to work as a distraction to my depression. If I really wanted to heal, if I wanted to get better, be better, I needed to learn to stand on my own. I had to sit with my demons and allow them to tell me their side of the story as I told them mine.
Weston smiled a sad grin my way as the bell rang.
I placed my hands on the chair arms and pushed myself to stand. “I guess that’s my cue to get to class.”
“Yeah. I guess so.” He stood, too, and slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Hey, Mi?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you doing okay?”
My mouth parted, and my first thought was to lie, but instead, the truth slipped out. “No. I’m not.” I was in a sea of bullshit, struggling to remember how to breathe most nights.
“Should I be worried about you?”
“No. I have to be not okay for a while. I’ll check in if it gets too much, but otherwise, I’m looking forward to that letter in two months.”
His smile seemed less worried as he nodded. “I can’t wait to give it to you.”
“And, Weston?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I stay at your house for a while? I don’t want to be alone. Plus, I might need help getting to some of my appointments for my eye issues and whatnot.”
“Are you kidding me? Of course. We’ll have a room ready for you in no time. Let me know when and where you need to be for your appointments. Your aunt and I have you covered. Milo…you’re family. You’re not alone.”
“You broke up with her?” Bobby asked as we sat in the ice cream parlor on a Sunday afternoon. The weather outside showcased spring peeking through. Everyone was now out of their winter coats and wearing hoodies and light jackets.
“We didn’t break up, per se. We’re just on a break.”
“Like Ross and Rachel from Friends?” he questioned. “Do you both know you’re on a break? Because that didn’t work out too well for them.”
“Why the hell are you watching Friends?” Henry yipped toward his grandson. “Shouldn’t you be watching Blue’s Clues or something more your age?”
Bobby leaned toward me and whispered. “Don’t mind him. He doesn’t know really know how to be cool. All he watches is old episodes of Matlock.”
“It’s a great show,” Henry chimed in. “Back to what matters, a break, huh?”
“Yeah. We figured it was the best option,” I said, picking up a scoop of my chocolate ice cream.
“Is she hot?” Bobby blurted out.
I arched my eyebrow. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m just asking. Is she? I bet she’s hot.”
I snickered a little. “She’s very hot.”
“Wow. I can’t believe a guy like you gave up a very hot girl,” he commented.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I griped.
He shrugged. “Don’t take this the wrong way—”
“He’s about to offend you,” Henry said.
Bobby continued. “But you’re kind of ugly.”
“What?” I laughed. “You can’t even see me!”
“Yeah, but you have an ugly voice. I can tell that your looks match,” he joked.
Leave it to Bobby to humble a person fast.
“Does your mom know she’s raising a little shit?” Henry asked his grandson.
“Does your son know a big shit raised him?” Bobby countered.
“Language,” Henry scolded.
“Sorry, grandfather,” Bobby mockingly replied.
“Step-grandfather,” Henry yipped.
I smiled at the two. I was grateful they crossed my path when I needed some guidance in my life. We spent a few more hours chatting before I headed off to Savannah’s house to meet my other group of friends.
Even though I missed Starlet, I was keeping my promise to her. I wasn’t alone.
Not by a long shot.
CHAPTER 39
Starlet
I missed him.
I missed Milo and worried about him so much that I could hardly focus on anything other than him. Sometimes I’d find myself reading old text messages between the two of us. It amazed me how a chain of messages could showcase the point when two people began to fall in love with one another.
My focus went back to my schooling and keeping my grades up for the remainder of the semester. Principal Gallo clarified that he wouldn’t report me due to the extremely rare situation between Milo and me, but I still wasn’t sure if I was moving in the right direction with my life.
Every choice I’d made with my career was built around my mother’s. I wanted to walk in her footsteps and see things through her eyes, I thought. Maybe a part did still want to be a teacher, but I also wanted to explore other things to make sure I was making choices for myself instead of living solely in my mother’s shoes.
