Page 24 of Forever Home

“What?! I didn’t say anything,” I scoff, shaking my head. “He got a call from work and needed his laptop or something… I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Knox sighs, nodding his head once more. “Well, I guess that just means more for us.”

Knox’s eyes shift from me towards the floor as he clears his throat and glances back at me once more. It’s clear that Knox was hoping to spend more time with his friend, and though he is trying not to show that Jaxson leaving isn’t bothering him, he doesn’t hide it well. The two of them were close, and when you added Asher into the mix, they were inseparable.

Like the three musketeers, they did everything together.

“Exactly!” I exclaim as I fidget in place. “Also, I will say that Jaxson and I did find something… Something that I think you’re really going to like Kylie.”

Her eyes light up as she pushes past Knox, who stumbles with laughter before he follows us up the stairs. I’ve known Kylie my entire life and one thing she loves more than anything, are secret treasures.

The memory of her antique shopping with me and my mom when we were in high school quickly floods my mind the moment we step into the room. And just like then, her eyes go wide with excitement as her hands fly to her mouth.

“Oh, my God… Thisis so pretty!”

Thereupon the bed is the worn white hope chest with painted floral designs that Jaxson had pulled down from the top of the closet. Kylie doesn’t hesitate in rushing to it, her fingers brushing over the design as she admires every single detail of it.

“This is all hand-painted,” she murmurs. “I wonder if Mrs. Kendall painted this herself.”

“Maybe,” Knox replies. “She did like to paint at one point. Remember, she bought us all that painting stuff when we were kids.”

“That’s right…”

“Jaxson said he thought you would like it,” I mutter, Kylie’s shoulder bumping into mine as the smile spreads further across her face.

“He was right… I love it.”

The sound of the doorbell causes the three of us to turn, the soft touching moment over the hope chest dying out as Knox makes his way towards the front door. More than likely to greet the pizza guy who was due to deliver at any time.

“You okay?” Her voice pulls me from the deep trance of thoughts I’m in.

“Yeah,” I quickly reply before letting out a dramatic sigh. “Just so much to do around here.”

As much as part of me wants to jump right out and tell Kylie about what happened, I don’t.

There was something about the moment with Jaxson that made me want to keep it a secret. Was it hesitation because I’m unsure? Maybe. But then again, it could also be that I’d waited so long for something to happen with him that now I want to keep it to myself.

“You’ve got that right,” she laughs. “Come on, let’s go get some food before Knox eats it all.”

She turns, brushing her fingers over the chest once more before exiting the bedroom and making her way downstairs. My feet, unwilling to move initially, find the reluctance needed to follow behind her. Every step I take reminds me that my life is more complicated than it should be.

“Omg, do you remember when you first introduced me to Jaxson and Asher?” Kylie says to Knox as I enter the living room to find the two of them sprawled upon Mrs. Kendall’s sofa, diving into the pizza face first.

“Hell yeah,” he laughs. “It was the summer before second grade I believe… you were what… seven or something?”

“Yes! You and I were coloring with chalk outside and Asher and Jaxson came over to see if you wanted to play soccer with them.”

“That’s right,” he laughs again, taking another bite of his pizza. “It was the first time I realized how much you like art. Because you said that you’d rather color with chalk than play soccer.”

My mind drifts back to that day, back to when our lives were carefree and things made more sense.

“Coloring is for babies,” Jaxson says to Kylie as Samantha and I walk up to see what everyone’s doing. “Soccer is way more fun.”

The look of defeat and shock that fills Kylie’s eyes at Jaxson’s words makes me angry. My heart hurts that he would say something so mean to her. Just because he doesn’t like coloring doesn’t mean he has to be mean about it.

“Don’t listen to them,” I speak up while turning my frown to Jaxson for being so mean. “They’re just stupid boys… We’ll color with you.”

Everything about that day was perfect. It was the day that defined my, Kylie, and Samantha’s friendship. No matter what anyone said or did from that day forward, the three of us were inseparable. Asher, Knox, and Jaxson were the infamous trio. And us three girls helped to keep them in check.

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