Twelve Steps to Normal(55)
I smile at her confidence. “Obviously.”
“The thing is, I want to go to a good school and I want to get a scholarship, but… I also want to be around to help my mom with the baby. I’m finally going to have a sibling, but after next year I’ll be gone.” She meets my eyes. “So, yeah. I guess I’m worried they’ll both need me.”
A girl with bright-pink hair hands us our waters. I quickly thank her, then turn back to Raegan. “She’ll be fine. They both will.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. They have your dad. And it’s not like you’ll never visit. Plus, this baby is going to have, like, the best big sister role model on the planet.” She laughs. “But you have to live your life, too.”
As soon as I say it, I remember the conversation I had with Alex. How I was worried about leaving my own dad when I go off to college. Why is it easy to give someone else this advice when I’m worried about the exact same thing?
“Look who I found!” Lin announces as she walks over to us, Colton right behind her.
“I’m so stoked you made it.” His smile is bright enough to light an entire city.
Raegan playfully nudges his elbow with hers. “You were great, seriously.”
“Remember us when you’re famous,” I add.
Colton blushes, but before he can get another word in, two girls rush up beside him. One has dirty blond hair and is wearing a leather jacket with a delicate silver quill necklace, and the other has straight black hair that matches her black skater dress and Converse high-tops.
“Way to kill it tonight,” the blond girl says.
Colton modestly shrugs, then turns to us. “This is Elsie and Devon. They go to East Meadow High. And this is Kira, Raegan, and Lin.”
“My brother’s the singer,” the black-haired girl—Devon—explains. “You know, the one with awful taste in band names.”
“Very descriptive,” I say.
“A little too descriptive,” Elsie replies. “We were talking about going to Waffle House. Y’all feel like joining?”
“We actually have to get going. Curfew.” I glance at Colton. “Maybe next time?”
He grins. “Yeah, that’d be rad.”
We say good-bye, then find our way to Raegan’s car. She drops Lin off first, then swings by my house. I want to tell her she doesn’t have to worry so much, that things will be fine. But how can I promise her these things if I don’t know for sure?
“You know, this was fun,” Raegan says. “We should do it more often.”
My mood lifts. “Definitely.”
As I’m getting out of her car, I hear, “Kira?”
I turn.
“Remember to wear your spirit color on Monday.”
I give her a thumbs-up. As I walk inside, my cell chimes with a text.
JAY: how was the show
Jay. Jay is texting me. It’s a little surprising, considering he’s with Whitney. I debate on texting back right away, but ultimately I end up crafting a reply.
ME: should’ve come to see for yourself! but they were great.
JAY: yeah, really should’ve. the movie blew.
JAY: where you at? meet at Sonic?
I pause, uncertain if I want to hang out with Whitney and Jay right now. It’d be one thing if Whitney was the one reaching out since things are still off between us, but on the other hand, the two of them are 3 and 6 on my twelve-steps list. At this point, I can’t afford to say no if I really want to make progress.
ME: not too far. see you in a few.
Since it’s 11:30, I send another quick text to my dad, assuring him I’ll be home within the hour. But when I drive up to Sonic, I spot only Jay sitting on a red plastic picnic table. Hesitant, I pull my car into an empty space, then get out to meet him.
“Where’s Whit?” I ask as I walk up.
“Hello to you, too,” he jokes, slurping on his drink. “Took her home after the movies. Said she had a headache.”
“Oh,” I reply, suddenly feeling weird. I don’t want Whitney to think I’m hanging out with Jay behind her back and get mad. I mean, I did assume she’d be here. It’s not like I can be at fault for that, can I?
His finger hovers over the order button on the menu board. “Want anything?”
On the other hand, Jay asked me to come here specifically because he knew we’d have one-on-one time. Since I’m trying to reconnect with him, I should at least see where it goes.
Right?
I sit down next to him. “Fries?”
As Jay places the order, a few freshmen at another picnic table catch my attention. They’re wearing Cedarville colors, and one of the guys hooks an arm casually around a girl wearing a festive red ribbon in her hair. He whispers something to her, and she bursts out laughing.
It reminds me of my freshman year with Jay. The unexpected wave of nostalgia hits me hard and fast.
“So,” he says. “Colton’s on the road to fame and glory?”
“Seems promising.” I spare a quick glance at him. He’s wearing a simple white shirt and basketball shorts, and his hair looks slightly neater than the day before. “Is that a blue raspberry slush?”
He shakes his cup. “Nope, got tired of those. It’s a chocolate shake.”