Page 30 of Bring You Back

This isn’t my problem. It’s his.

“I don’t want problems,” I say, hoping that puts an end to every thought she has behind her question.

She gives me a half smile with a half teasing, “You want any problem that will distract you from the big problem.”

“I don’t need adistraction, Reyna,” I say without pause. “And I don’t want problems,” I reiterate, trying to make that clear to her through stress and inflection. Problems have been finding me, but I’m not looking for them. I have making up to do, but being here shouldn’t bring problems.

She nods, her smile softening in shame. Reyna has the air of a confident girl while wearing her insecurities on her sleeve.

Now I state what should be the obvious answer. “I just want my friends back.”

She beams at those words. “I want you back, too.”I, notwe. She doesn’t want to speak for the dark-haired elephant.

I don’t let that in. I smile back.

“It really sucked not having you to talk to,” she says with a light, almost relieved laugh.

That’s the gist of our friendship during the later years. She talked, I listened. Sometimes grudgingly. I felt more like her shrink than her friend. I love and care about her, but I also get tired of hearing her complain about the same thing all the time. I told her this once during a fight. I was stressed with school and she was complaining about her mom. As usual. She clapped back that she was tired ofdealingwith the same thing all the time.

I make the assumption that she still is. She doesn’t have to. The only person making her is herself.

But that’s Reyna’s biggest problem: herself.

Her face falters. I’ve waited too long to say something back, and when I open my mouth, a girl steps out from the back.

Shelby.

Look at that. Shelby works with Reyna. The same Shelby who is dating Tommy. The same Tommy who’s in love with Reyna.

I’ll have to bring this up to him when I get back to the house.

“What’s so funny?” Shelby asks me with judgment on her face. She’s now standing beside Reyna, her hand pulling on the dark braid she just flopped across her shoulder.

I eye her a moment, then point to my mouth. “This is a smile, not a laugh.”

“What’s soamusingthen?” she says like the rephrase was such a chore.

Your face.No, really. Her wide eyes at seeing me here, as she waits for my answer, is in fact amusing. Her tone is also defensive. Which I think has something to do with the blonde at her side. Reyna has obviously said some unfavorable things about me to Shelby when I went silent. Hurt feelings spell out harsh truths.

Reyna gives me herbe nicelook, and I humor her, keeping my mouth closed. She smirks, knowing that it’s a struggle.

“Are you back or something?” More braid fiddling.

“Bingo,” I say, then soften my stare on Reyna. “I’m back.”

Her smile slips, the corners wavering as she tries to keep them up. She isn’t sure how to feel. She wants me here, and then she doesn’t want me here.

“In that case,” Reyna says, brightening up. “If you need a job, you can work with us.” Shelby smacks her arm, not even trying to be discreet. Reyna ignores her. Our new and old issues aside, it’smewho still holds the best friend title. “I can put in a word.”

“I’ll think about it,” I say before making my exit, hoping the possibility of my working here makes Shelly Belly sweat.

At the house, I see Julian is still AWOL and I hear a commotion from the back mingling with the theme song fromThe Addams Familyplaying from the stereo in the front.

I close the door slowly as I look over to see my cat barreling toward me from the hall with Tommy at her heels. They both come to an abrupt stop at the island in a stare-down before Tommy runs back through the hall with Grumbles now at his heels.

I laugh as they chase each other a few more rounds. Grumbles stops to lick her paw.

Tommy watches her a moment, taking a breath, then decides, “Okay, she’s done,” as he approaches me.

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