“You did,” I say, watching as he prepares two plates. “You made the bacon just the way I love it.”
Our eyes meet for a moment, and when emotion threatens to overwhelm us, we take the plates to the living room. We sit on the floor and eat by the coffee table. It’s always been like this for us, no frills.
“Remember when you tried to sneak out of the house?” I say, after swallowing a forkful of eggs.
“Which one?” Rhett chuckles.
Yeah, he used to sneak out a lot, so I clarify, “The night Dad pranked you.”
He starts to nod as a huge smile spreads over his face. “Oh yeah. Shit, he got me good.” I watch as one of his favorite childhood memories plays over his face. “He almost gave me a heart attack when he popped up from behind the drivers’ seat. Did I tell you what happened afterwards?”
I shake my head. I only knew Dad hid in the car, waiting until Rhett got to the lake, before jumping out and scaring the living daylights out of him.
“Well, there I was, literally shaking in my boots while waiting for Dad to lay into me. Instead of telling me that I was grounded for life, you know what he did?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer, going on with the story. “He threw his arm around my shoulders and walked to the bonfire with me. If I wasn’t that scared, I would’ve laughed my ass of. The guys scrambled to hide the beer and cigarettes. Marcus actually swallowed his.” Rhett starts to laugh, as if he was there again. “He sat there in this huge cloud of smoke. Dad handed him a beer, telling him to put out the fire.”
Rhett’s laughter dies down, as a nostalgic look settles on his face.
“He sat there with us, as if he was one of the guys. He told us stories of all the times he got in trouble as a kid. You know, we didn’t even think of the beer. Not because Dad was there, but because we were having fun just chilling with him. On the way home, I asked him why he wasn’t angry that I snuck out. He told me he wasn’t happy that I tried to hide it from him, but that he understood that it was a part of growing up. He also said, he wasn’t happy that we’d somehow organized beer and cigarettes, and that he’d rather have us do it in front of him than behind his back. He wanted to show me that I could come to him with anything, that I could trust him.”
Rhett looks down at his half-eaten plate of food.
“He taught us the value of trust. It’s because of Dad that we turned out to be such a close group of friends.”
I blink as my eyes start to sting, and quickly take a sip of water.
“We had the best parents,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” Rhett says, reaching over the table for my hand. He squeezes it tightly. “And I have the best sister.”
I help Rhett clean up, then decide to go for a double pole dancing class. I’ve skipped the past few days, so I need the exercise. When I get to the studio, Beth’s not there, but Nancy assures me it’s okay if I use one of the rooms. There aren’t a lot of women here this early in day, and I find that I actually it much more than the hectic vibe at night.
For the first thirty minutes, I practice everything I’ve been taught, before I try out some new moves of my own. My mind drifts to Logan as my body keeps moving.
Am I going to give up on my dream of being with him?
“No, never,” whispers my heart.
“Hell no, not after you tortured me for years fantasizing over him,” grumbles my head.
Logan’s not the type to suffer in silence for long, and I’m not one to hold grudges. It’s just who we are. I’ll give him a few more day, before talking to him. I’m sure we can move past the epic glitch that’s Josie.
Speaking of the devil, as I take a break to drink some water, my phone beeps. It’s an incoming message. When I see that it’s from Mr. Peterson, I quickly open it.
Dear Mia,
Please accept my sincere apology for my daughter’s behavior. She’s always been a little unstable, but have never harmed anyone. What she did to you opened our eyes to how serious her problem truly is. She’s been committed to Tranquil Paths. I’ve attached a copy of her admission to the clinic.
If there is anything I can do to make up for the pain my daughter has caused you, please do not hes
itate to tell me.
Jeff Peterson.
I open the attachment and the first thing I notice is that she was admitted the day after I phoned her father. I feel better knowing he took my call seriously, and that she’ll get help. Most importantly, I feel a sense of relief knowing that she’s on the other side of the country and far away from me.
I’m unable to mourn the loss of my friendship, but maybe it’s because there never were a friendship to begin with. It was all lies, and I can’t be sad because the lies are gone.
Spending the last few days with Rhett has given me a new perspective in life.