Staying on Course (Finding our Way 2)

“We have to get this down!” I try to remove all tags, but comments keep popping in.

We’re stopped at a red light when Bryce reaches over to take it out of my hand. His lips start to curl then he scrolls down, and his face goes hard.

“Quinn, tell me you didn’t put a fucking picture of Devon in her bikini for hundreds of people to see.”

“Technically, it’s thousands,” she practically sings, knowing he’s about to blow up.

“Get that shit down!”

“Too late. It’s been shared. I mean, we could pull it, but it’s getting the desired effect. Look at all the comments. Besides, thought you’d like the hashtag. That was all for you.”

“I do like it, but what I don’t like is her half-naked body floating over the Internet.”

“I don’t care about that! I care about the fact that she mentioned ‘7 years in the making’. Could I be more embarrassed? People are going to think I’m a loser.” I scowl at my ex-best friend.

“You’re both fucking duds. First of all, Devon, it’s not a secret. Anyone who had eyes could see the way you looked at Bryce. Second of all, Bryce, calm your shit. It’s not like no one’s ever seen her in a bathing suit. Jesus, you two are a fucking mess. You should be thanking me for my brilliant quick thinking.” Her face doesn’t flinch, waiting for me to argue.

I narrow my eyes at her but don’t say anything else. Bryce’s phone starts to ding along with mine as our feeds overload with comments. A text comes through from Nate.

Nate: Did you throw up online? I’m getting fucking bombarded.

Me: Quinn’s handiwork. She tagged you.

Nate: She’s a pain in the ass.

Me: I know.

“Well, regardless of her methods, it worked. Seems both local and college friends now know about us.” I grab Bryce’s hand.

He glares into the rearview mirror at Quinn, but his lips twitch, fighting a grin. She ignores him and plays on her phone. I turn to her, and she gives me a quick glance, winking. Now, I know—she loaded that picture on purpose to get a rise out of him.

God help me.

Chapter 6

I hiccup softly, trying to hold in the sobs clawing up my throat. Immediately, my phone rings, and I look out the small airplane window to see Bryce watching me.

“Hey,” my voice is barely a whisper.

“Babe, don’t let my last memory for three months be of tears streaming down your face.”

“You can’t even see me.”

“Yes, I can, but even more so, I feel you.”

“How is that possible?”

“Not really sure, maybe something to do with the fact that I’m fucking crazy about you?”

I touch my lips where he kissed me goodbye not ten minutes ago. He and Dean brought us to the airport and got passes to walk us to the gate. Unlike last week, this was not going to end with Bryce coming with me. This was the goodbye for months, the one I dreaded and tried to avoid, but when we woke up this morning in his room, ignorance was no longer an option. The time was here. He held me close and made love to me quietly. His parents were out of the house, so we had privacy. All morning, he stayed as close as possible. At lunch with my parents, he sat so I was practically in his lap.

Even though my emotions were all over the place, a small part of me started to simmer with excitement. In three days, we’d be given our assignments for the next six weeks. My mind was already shooting on all cylinders with ideas for articles.

“There’s the light that shines.” Bryce smiles at me. “Even from here, I can see your face starting to brighten. This trip is going to be once in a lifetime, Dev. I may have been a prime ass about the first location, but it was never about your future. It was always about your safety.”

“I know, and I’m really glad we didn’t have to fight about it.”

“There was no fight. You weren’t going. Period. End of story.”