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They claim they love Henley.Toomuch apparently. But Henley’s right; she’s a trophy. One they both are dead set on holding at the end.
A shadow of sadness curtains Henley’s eyes, hiding away the rich chocolate spark of life. I hate this look. The despair that wraps itself around her day in and day out is getting worse. Every time I see her, it takes more and more work to make her smile.
“I can’t wait to escape,” she whispers, afraid they’ll hear her through their shrieks. “To run away and run through the world barefoot and free.”
“Where will you go?” I encourage her to keep talking. To distract her from the ugly of upstairs.
“Anywhere,” she dreams. “Everywhere.”
“Always so full of wanderlust.”
She smiles then. A great big grin that pushes a dimple into each of her cheeks. One that showcases all her teeth and the power in her dreams.
“You’re no different.” She pushes my shoulder, and I pretend to fall backward on her bed.
“True. Will you be happy, though?” I ask her seriously. “You come from an endless supply of money. Do you think living dollar-to-dollar while tending bar will be enough for you?”
Pulling a pillow to her chest, she squeezes it to her body. “Money is a façade, Brooks. It’s a security blanket that suffocates happiness. I’d go without every day to have parents who loved me the way they were supposed to and who loved one another.”
I watch her candidly. I hate that I don’t know how she truly feels. I'd need to know to have any chance at healing it. But I’m grateful in the same breath because my life is the complete opposite of Henley’s.
“I’d give everything up to live in a house like yours, Brooks. I won’t ever settle for anything else. This toxicity kills everything inside you.” She gestures above, where her parents are now threatening to run away with Henley like she’s an overpriced suitcase and not a real fucking person.
“Come here,” I say.
She comes to me easily, and I wrap her in a tight hug.
“We’ll travel the world together,” I tell her. “I’ll take photos, and you can pour beers until your hands ache. Then we'll get up and leave, moving onto the next place that calls our name.”
“You promise?” she mumbles into my chest.
“I’ll never make you a promise, Henley. You might be silly enough to believe it, and if I fail to deliver, I’ll only shatter your heart. You’ve had enough heartache already.”
Pulling back from our embrace, she stares up at me.
“We don’t promise. We make a pact.” I hold my hand upright, and she doesn't hesitate to place hers against it. Curling my fingers through hers, she does the same until we’re holding hands. “An agreement signed in friendship that we’re both too scared to break.”
She blinks. “That’s the same thing.”
I shake my head. “A promise is one-sided. An agreement is not. We’re now each held accountable.”
The right side of her lips tick up in a small smirk aimed directly at me.
“Come on,” I sigh, breaking the moment. “They’re gonna be at it for hours. Let’s go skip stones at our rock.”
“It's my rock,” she argues.
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, Squirrel, and I do not see said rock in yours.”
She narrows her eyes. “How are we friends?”
“I wore you down with my wit and charm.”
I’m not lying. She was one tough nut to crack. But she needed a friend at the same time I did. It was a match made in perfect timing.
“I’ve decided I don’t like you.”
“Don’t let your nose grow, Pinocchio. You love me.”
