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“God, you're such an asshole.”
“Then go the fuck back home, Thea. No one wants you here anyway.”
She tosses her hands in the air, turning away from me with a disappointed shake of her head. The scent of her hits me like a heart attack, nostalgia biting so hard at my heart that it threatens to make me keel over. Immediately, she whips back around and paces toward me, not stopping until her toes are touching mine.
“You think I would've chosen to come back here and deal with this bullshit if my daddy hadn't died? You think I'd be standing here taking this shit from you if I could help it? It was your mama who invited me here tonight, so sue me for showing my face just to be polite.”
It's the second time tonight she's mentioned that my mother invited her, and at first I thought she was lying, but there's such conviction in her voice now that I second-guess myself.
“When did she invite you?”
“I went to see her the other day to thank her for the flowers.” At the confused look on my face, she adds, “The ones she made you buy.”
“Right.”
“So, take your issue up with her and leave me the hell alone.”
“Oh, don't worry, princess, my mother and I will be having a talk about this, for sure. But no matter what she says, stay out of my fucking way. Life was so much better when I didn't have to see your face every fucking where I go.”
“I'll go wherever the hell I wanna go, Cole.” She scoffs, walking away. “And stop smoking and swearing so much. It's disgusting.”
“I'll do whatever the hell I wanna do, Thea,” I mirror her words, mimicking her voice in a less-than-mature show of insolence. “And start wearing a coat, for fuck's sake. You're not in LA anymore.”
“I don't have a damn coat, okay?” she yells, all high-pitched and shrill.
“Why?” I ask, and I don't understand it because I'm no less pissed at her, but my voice comes out soft and lacking the venom it was laced with before.
Her shoulders shrug. “You can forgive me for forgetting to pack a coat after just finding out that my father's dead.”
Well, now I feel like a tool.
“You didn't bring a coat, but you managed to remember that dress?” I raise my eyebrows.
She tuts. “It was hanging in the closet of my old bedroom. It was the only thing I could find that was half suitable for the party tonight.”
“Jeans and a t-shirt would've been more appropriate.”
“Whatever.” She sighs, walking away for good this time. “I'll just go say hi to your mama and then I'll get out of your way.”
“Thea, you don't—“
“Don't worry, Cole. I'll be sure you don't see me again while I'm here. I heard you loud and clear.”
And for some reason, I find myself swallowing the urge to call after her despite what I said, because I don't really want her to go.
The barn has been renovatedsince the last time I was here. Rusted and broken slats have been replaced, the wood-chip flooring has been leveled out and varnished, and multiple strings of twinkling lights have been suspended from the rafters above. But despite all the changes, it hasn't lost any of its old rustic charm that made me fall in love with it originally.
The haybales that Cole and I used to hide behind to make out are still here, though now they've been draped in thick blankets and scattered around the room to use as seating. The timber beams leading up to the gabled roof haven't been touched at all, the wood still as aged and twisted as it's always been.
It's the same old barn just dressed in fancier clothes.
What isn't the same, however, is the feeling of being inside it.
Where I used to be high off the giddiness of teenage love, now I'm filled with a sort of sinking despondency. Because what's becoming clearer and clearer the longer I stand here—backed into the darkest corner to hide from staring eyes—is that this place, this town, isn't my home anymore.
Not when the look in everyone's angry glare is one of accusation. Calling me a traitor. Telling me I'm not welcome here. It's almost enough to make me leave, but something keeps me routed to the ground.
Maybe it's the promise Mama Belle made me that my presence here will help earn Cole's forgiveness somehow, though the logic behind that isn't totally clear. Or maybe it's the way my heart feels more settled being here than it has at any point over the last six years, despite how uncomfortable it all might be.
