Page 21 of Give You Up

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes, why?” I swipe at the hair that gets in my eye as I whiplash around to look at him.

“You cut out of the conversation with a blank look followed by annoyance, and then you cringed.”

“I cringed?” Can I walk myself out of his truck now, please?

“Visibly. Am I boring you?”

“Lost in thought. Don’t take it personally. Would you mind repeating what you said? If you do, Iwon’t take it personally.”

“Syn, we’ve known one another since we were twelve. Blank stares from you are par for the course.”

“But you just asked if I was bored.”

“’Cause I haven’t been around you for four years. You’ve changed, and I—” He runs his hand over the dash. We’re stopped at a red light. “I’m adjusting, Pixie Dust.”

“A good adjustment or a bad one?”

“Jury’s still out.”

“For me too. About you,” I admit.

“My parents. I was saying they’re separated.”

“I’m so sorry, Taron.”

“I’m not.”

So much anger in those words, and I understand where it comes from. The world as he knows it was pulled from under him. Then the questions loop in your head until you want to scream.

How long were they unhappy? Did one or both of them cheat? Is there a chance they will get back together? With Mom and her news, that I’m not Gary’s daughter but a high-profile football player’s, I didn’t ask her my questions. She was dying from cancer for goodness sakes.

Why not get them from Gary? But what if he goes after Beau? Gary raised me. Beau is my biological father. It’s best for everyone that I keep the line a solid black and never mix former pimp with football superstar. I have a feeling the mix will leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.

“My mom asked about you. Says to tell you hi if I run into you on campus. I let her know we have a sexuality class together when she texted earlier.”

My face heats. “What did she say to that?”

“It’s about time.”

There’s a sadness in his voice, and I am baffled as to why it’s there. Did something happen to a girl or girls he hooked up with at Stanford? Oh, God, did Taron get a girl pregnant?

“My mom knew you moved to Washington but didn’t know where exactly. The guy who told her had no clue other than you wanted a do-over.”

Which guy? No one except Beau knows I’m here. He’s the one who suggested I apply to DU. An ex-girlfriend graduated from here, and he remembered her gushing about how quaint and beautiful the town is.

I stayed quiet for too long. Taron fills in the stifling silence.

“She ran into a friend of your mom’s. Guy’s name is Gary Thornton.”

Gary knows I’m in Dumas? My vision goes in and out. My breathing is shallow. Everything in the window is too bright. My skin itches. Oh, God, first Taron and now Gary. Soon, he’ll be pounding on my door, wanting answers for why I left without a word.

Trying to slow my breathing, I rummage in my backpack for my antihistamines.

“Syn, are you okay?” Taron parks the truck and cuts the engine.

I shake my head, find the bottle of antihistamines, and pop a pill in my mouth, followed by water. Thirty minutes. That is all I need to feel normal. Closing my eyes, I rest back against the leather seat. Featherlight caresses on my bare arm.

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