Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(56)

I toyed with the chip between my fingers. I could tell her. I could tell her, and maybe it’d make me feel a little better, or maybe she’d have some advice for me. Or I could not tell her and just hope it all straightened itself out and then I’d never have to.

I set my phone down. “I’ll make you late.”

“I don’t care.” She settled onto the bed some more. “Spill.”

After sighing so hard it emptied my lungs, I did. As I let it out, I realized just how bad it sounded, just how epically I’d messed up, and just how much force the gravity of the situation held. I would’ve been embarrassed to admit what I’d done with Byron, but the way she reacted rid me of any I’d felt while explaining.

Her first point of worry was Byron, and I watched as she stalked around my room, ruining her hair as she cussed up a storm. “I’ll string him up by his filthy balls for opening his—”

“Mom,” I said, a little shocked.

She blew out a breath, then straightened her green sweater. “You need to break up with him. He broke your trust.”

“I know,” I said. “I have, kind of.” At least, I thought I had.

“Don’t you dare give him another inch of attention,” she warned.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Give those tickets back, too.”

“I’ve already slipped them inside his locker.” I’d done it yesterday, faking a trip to the bathroom during class.

“Okay. Good.” She quit her pacing, then started fixing her hair. “We’ll head to the salon first thing tomorrow and get our nails done.”

I nodded, then picked up my phone when I thought she was leaving.

Dash had blocked me, but that didn’t stop me from seeing useful comments coming in on someone’s post. One of the commenters was Raven, telling someone they’d better show at Rosetta’s eighteenth birthday.

Mom slapped her hands to her sides, alerting me that she was still there. “And as for Dash. That boy has crushed on you for years. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was in love with you and you were just too blinded by your friendship to see it.”

My throat constricted. “I know.” I corrected myself. “I mean, I know that now.”

“He’ll forgive you, I promise.” She bent over, kissing my head then combing her fingers through my hair. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. You’ll make many more mistakes in this life.” That bit of wisdom had me wanting to lock myself inside for the rest of my days. “We’ll talk more tomorrow but keep trying with Dash. He’s an oddball, but he’s oddly good for you.” Her brows met as she stepped back, and her lips pulled tight. “In a way that shouldn’t work, but it just does.”

“Actually,” I said, swinging my legs over the bed. “Do you mind if I head to a party?” When she tilted her head and raised a brow, I hurried to add, “I’ll drive. Just to see if he’s there and if he’ll talk to me. Please.”

Maybe it was the desperation in my voice, eyes, or stance, but after staring at me for a drawn-out moment, she nodded. “Don’t stay if he’s not there. After homecoming, I think you need to lay low for a while.”

I agreed and told her I’d be home before she was, then tossed the chips into the trash to get ready.

Throwing my closet door open, I plucked a black frilly skirt out and a pair of black stockings, pulling them both on. I was already wearing a plain white T-shirt, so I left it on and added a spritz of perfume before dragging a brush through my tangled curls.

My eyes still bore the remains of the day’s mascara, but remembering Dash’s comment, you don’t need that shit, I shrugged and grabbed my phone and keys.

The moon hung low in the sky, surrounded by dazzling, dancing stars. Hope became untamable the closer I got to Rosetta’s place on the other side of the creek. She lived a five minutes’ drive away from Dash’s, so it’d make sense for he and his friends to wind up there.

I just hoped he was there, but even if he wasn’t, I was done soaking in self-pity and fear. I’d try the party down at the bay, and then I’d go to his house and demand that someone let me in. I had to tell him I was sorry, and most importantly, I had to tell him I’d realized I loved him too.

Because I did. I’d always loved him but not like this.

Love, I’d discovered, was something that multiplied. With every kiss and every touch, it continued to change shape as we continued to fall.

Dash was a bastard. A selfish, immature, and, at times, scheming prick.

But that wasn’t all he was. He was thoughtful, smart, generous, and loyal to a fault. Which he’d proved in more ways than one with how he’d fought with every breath to remain the main focus in my life.

Now, it was my turn to fight. I’d been a fool to think, even if it wouldn’t ruin our friendship, that he’d be the worst kind of boyfriend.

He wouldn’t. He was everything I’d been searching and hoping to find in someone else, never daring to look too close to home. I never thought it possible, not once, and the few times I had, fear would strike me hard and true. We couldn’t risk it, and it wouldn’t work. But we did risk it, and we did work. I’d just ignored it out of na?ve self-preservation. After all, you couldn’t ruin something that never was.