“Oh. Um, yes. That’s the title for the second movie,” I reply.
“So are you coming?” he asks.
“Coming?”
“To movie night this weekend.”
“Oh. Um,”––I lick my lips.––“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. I’m sorry.”
“Why not?” Grady and Turner ask, their tiny voices showcasing their outrage.
Man, they really are two peas in a pod.
I squeeze my eyes shut to stave off a headache, but it doesn’t do me any good.
“Miss Swenson?” Grady prods.
“Um, it just…isn’t a good time for me. I’m sorry, buddy.”
With a frown, Grady rests his elbows on his desk and stares up at me intently while Turner rushes off to grab something from his backpack.
“We can do Saturday instead,” Grady offers. “I think my dad said that’s okay.”
On the verge of tears, I squat down closer to his eye level and choke out, “That’s really sweet of you, but I don’t think I can come to Star Wars night anymore.”
“Why not?”
“It’s…complicated. I’m sorry, though.”
“Oh.” His tiny mouth pulls into a thin white line as the little boy I’ve fallen in love with turns into a shell of himself and stares blankly at the wall in front of him.
What the hell just happened?
“Grady, what’s wrong?” I ask.
“A-are you mad at me?” he whispers, still refusing to look at me.
“What? No, of course not––”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all, Grady.” My heart splinters before I point to my chest and tap my finger against my sternum. “I did something wrong.”
Confused, he peeks over at me. “What did you do?”
My smile is tight as I tilt my head to one side and give him the truth. “I did something stupid. And then I yelled at someone because of it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Emotions are hard,” he tells me, a sense of camaraderie blossoming between us. “That’s what Dad says.”
With a weak laugh, I wipe away a bit of the moisture that’d collected in the corner of my eye. “He’s right. Emotions are very hard sometimes.”
“Did you say you’re sorry?”
Another weak laugh escapes me. “Not yet. I’m too mad to say I’m sorry.”