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Six months stretched into twelve. Before I knew it, fourteen months had passed, and I realized it was finally time to stop hiding from the world. I enrolled in Worthington, where both of my parents had gone to college—as well as my two best friends—and waited with bated breath to see whether or not I was accepted. As soon as the acceptance email arrived, I giddily hopped on the next plane and returned home.
Now, here I was. Ready to give the world a real shot.
“I’m not going back there,” I said, lifting my chin. “I’m ready to be here with you guys. Just like we planned when we were kids.”
Michaela gnawed at the inside of her cheek. “It’s just… oh, never mind. It’s super rude of me to ask,” she said.
“No, what is it?”
“I ran into your dad a few months ago. He basically implied that Harmony Haven was actually…” She hesitated again and affected a more delicate tone. “Well, he called it a nuthouse.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, I know about that. Every time I called him from there, he asked ‘How’s the asylum?’ He thought it was hilarious.”
Tate’s nose wrinkled. “I know he paid for it all, which is cool, but honestly, he’s kind of a dick sometimes.”
“I know.” I let out a sigh. “But like you said, at least he was generous enough to pay for it. That’s more than what most people get, right?”
“So it was really just a wellness retreat like you said in all your letters?” Michaela cut in, eyes flashing with concern. “You didn’t have a full-on breakdown or something? Because I was really worried when he said that stuff. I swear I’m not trying to be rude, by the way.”
“No, I didn’t have a full-on breakdown. But if I didn’t go there, I think I would’ve had one,” I said, casting my eyes to the floor. “I really needed to get away from the world for a while.”
The wellness center actually had a section for inpatient treatment for people suffering from addictions, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions, but that was on the other side of the property. I was in the low-risk patient area, where people could simply go to clear their heads if they were having a rough time.
I looked up at Michaela again. “And don’t worry,” I added. “I don’t think you’re rude. It was hard for us to stay in touch properly when all I could do was write you letters. So you didn’t really have any way of knowing everything that was going on.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. “We really missed you,” she murmured, resting her chin on top of my head. “And we’re so glad you’re back.”
“For sure,” Tate said, stepping over to join the group hug.
“This is going to be so cool,” Michaela said, worming out of the hug a moment later. “The three of us finally hanging out together, just like old times.”
“Well, uhh…” It was Tate’s turn to look nervous, though I couldn’t imagine why. “Speaking of hanging out… I’ve got a season pass to the Worthington Blades, and I bought two extra tickets for tonight’s exhibition game. I was hoping we could all go together. But I totally understand if you don’t want to, Sienna. You know, considering…”
He trailed off, and I furrowed my brows. “Who are the Blades?”
“It’s the hockey team here. They’re one of the latest additions to the NCAA,” he explained hurriedly. “Basically a feeder team to the NHL. They’ve only played one season so far, but they’re awesome.”
My chest tightened as a mix of dread, fear, and disappointment welled up inside it, pouring over my ribs like ice water. God, it was just a sport. Just a game. Why the hell did the mere mention of it still elicit such a raw physical reaction from me? It was so stupid. So childish. So weak.
I thought I was doing better than this. Apparently not.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat and tried my best to keep a neutral expression on my face. “Right.”
“Like I said, I totally understand if you don’t feel up to it.” Tate lifted his palms. “No stress. I really don’t mind skipping tonight’s game if you’d rather do something else.”
Michaela snickered. “Since when do you not mind skipping a hockey game?”
“I told you, it’s just an exhibition game tonight. As in a pre-season thing,” Tate replied, frowning at her. “Honestly, I don’t mind. We’ll just go and do something el—”
“No.” I took a deep breath and cut him off. “I’ll come to the game with you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my chin and forced a smile. “I mean, hockey is literally your favorite thing in the whole world, right?”
Michaela snorted with amusement. “No shit,” she said. She looked at Tate. “By the way, aren’t tickets free for Worthington students?”
“Yeah, in the shitty upper section where you’re far away from all the action,” Tate said, rolling his eyes. “That’s why I prefer to pay.”
