Page 48 of Endeavor

I shrug.

“Come on, let’s go for a walk. You need to clear your head,” he says standing up and giving me a hand to help me.

I take his hand and pull him into a bear hug. “I love you, bro.”

He thumps my back. “I love you, too, you dumb shit.”

I grin. Max always makes me feel better.

We walk down to the water, where the sand is hardened from the waves crashing on the shore. I look out and see a dolphin pod. Pointing, Max turns at the same time I do, and we sit and watch them playing in the waves.

“I think dolphins are my spirit animal,” Max states.

I laugh. “I thought sloths were.”

He shrugs. “There aren’t any rules, you know. You can have more than one spirit animal.”

“Can you?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“In my world, you can.”

I shake my head at my goofy friend. I just love him. He has the purest heart of anyone I know.

“Why’d you do it, man?”

“Do what?” I frown.

“I get we have a stalker. Bands get them all the time. It’s like some sort of warped badge of honor telling us that we made it. But, why ditch the one girl who’s brought a real smile to your face in who knows how long?”

I groan because I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I can’t. I just have to move forward. Before I can speak again, Max starts talking.

“Remember when we decided to skip playing at that music festival because we were worried the big acts would take away from the smaller stages? And then, your mom, I remember this very clearly because she made the kind of ravioli that I love, and she was serving us in her kitchen. God, I love your mom. Anyhow, she said that we shouldn’t pass up the opportunity, that we shouldn’t pass up any opportunity because then we’d live a life full of ‘what-ifs’ and regrets, which is no way to live. She said jump into the deep end even if it’s scary because if you don’t, you’ll never learn how to swim, you’ll never know if you could. So, just call her. Maybe it doesn’t work out anyhow, but at least you’ll know.”

Max pauses and looks over at me.

“I don’t know,” I huff. “There’s just a lot going on right now. Maybe it’s the universe telling me that now isn’t the right time.”

“Or maybe it’s the universe issuing you a challenge. And if you rise to it, you’ll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”

“OK, Zoltar. Thanks for the fortune.”

“Man, don’t be a douche. Seriously, if you disappoint me, so help me dolphin gods, I will never let you forget it.”

I chuckle. “Dolphin gods? Really? You talk like that and you want me to take you seriously?”

He flicks me off and stands up, brushing off the sand. “Let’s go grab some food. I’m starving.”

“Max, you gotta lay off the weed, dude. You have the munchies twenty-four seven.”

“Hey, don’t be an asswipe. I’m just high on life, and right now, that high could be improved with street tacos.” He motions to the food trucks nearby. I sigh and get up, resigning myself to eating street tacos with one of my best friends. There are far worse ways to spend a day.

Chapter Nineteen

Emma

I look over my notes and hit send. I’ve redone my concept for my documentary based on my continued conversations with Andy and Blythe, AKA the world’s most amazing advisors ever. I pinch myself because I still can’t believe that Hollywood royalty are helping me with this project.

I’m about to shut down my computer when I see a reply come back from Blythe.

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