Payback

2

Cami

Jett and I have one thing in common: loss. It’s the worst thing to have in common, really, and I’m not surprised when he decides to enlist. Jett’s always been brave, and I understand his need for revenge for his brother. He has to try to get back some of what he lost. I feel that way about Tommy all the time. But it’s been six months and I don’t know that Jett’s ever coming back.

Ty, with his crew cut hair and dark eyes sits down across from me in the diner. “Long line at the bathroom. What’s the deal with this place, anyway? We always come here.”

He’s right, we do. It’s because it’s Jett’s favorite diner, and he’d always complain about how long the line for the men’s room was. It’s pretty much a trucker stop, kind of light on the women. It always made me laugh when he would have to wait to use the restroom, since that’s usually a girl thing. So once a week, I make Ty bring me here for pie or ice cream, and we sit and talk and act like Jett’s gone.

Ty and Jett never met. Jett and I were in high school together, and Ty and I didn’t meet until after Jett had left. That was probably for the best. At first, Jett wrote me all the time, but when he left, we agreed to see other people. It broke my heart to do it, but I know it was the right call. Otherwise I’d be even more miserable.

I’m no good at waiting.

But Ty isn’t really “other people.” Mostly, I see him as a friend, but lately, I can tell that he’s ready to move on to something more. He wants something deeper. I just don’t know that I can give it to him.

“Because I like the cherry pie. I tell you that every time we come here.” I’m not telling him about Jett. I can’t.

“Is that what you ordered?”

I nod. “With ice cream. So anyway, what

’s your big news?”

He folds his hands on the table. “I’m leaving.”

“Because of the cherry pie?”

“No. I’m leaving this good for nothing small town life and moving to Memphis. And I want you to come with me.”

“Memphis. Why?”

“There’s a job for me there. We’ve been out of high school for over six months, Cami. We’ve got to move on. And what are you doing here? Waiting for your parents to lose their minds officially? Or get a divorce? There’s nothing for either of us here.”

But in the back of my mind, Jett is still here. All of our memories and our past are still in this tiny little town. Even if he’s not. But Ty is right, my parents are just getting worse. I don’t know how much more I can take. Maybe this is the chance I’m looking for.

“Fine.” I sigh. “When do we leave?”

He claps his hands together and a smile beams across his face. “This weekend! I’ve got us a nice little apartment, and it shouldn’t be hard to find you a job in a big city like that.” He reaches across and takes my hands in his. “This could be a new start for us, Cami, a good one.”

“A good one,” I echo back at him, trying to hide the pain hidden below the surface.

3

Jett

Basic training is over, and finally, I’m home on leave. I set my bag down outside of my childhood home just like they do in the movies. Mostly for nostalgic purposes, not because it’s actually something you want to do, though putting that bag down feels like I drop hundred pounds. I have a lot of weight on my shoulders.

My whole division, plus Jackson.

I watch as the screen door opens and my mother pops her head out, waving at me wildly. “George, come quick! Jett’s home!”

She tears down the sidewalk faster than I think I can ever remember her running, and she’s in my arms. She smells like home. She steps back. “Let me get a look at you! Gosh, you’re so much stronger, just the way…”

I finish the sentence for her. “Jackson was? It’s okay, Mom, you can talk about him. I’m not going to freak out.”

She nods, tears welling up in her eyes. I see my father standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. “Well, come in! Your mother’s been cooking for two days, there’s no way I can eat all this food.”

I carry my bag into the house and drop it by the door. Jackson’s army uniform is still hanging on a hook. I put my camouflage next to it. It’s probably the closest we’ll ever be again.