Page 21 of Only for Love

CHAPTER EIGHT

Three weeks later…

Emma

Cherry:You sure you’re good?

That’s the fifth text message from Cherry today. I’d spilled my guts when she came in for graduation. We spent a whole weekend bitching about boys, enough to scare Ryan away from all questions about where Grayson has been, but even my brother’s caught on, giving the occasionalit’s-okaygrin.

After Cherry went back to college, she started a daily text message campaign. Her goal was to ready me for today: D-day. Or rather B-week. Beach week.

In our town, every senior takes the week after graduation, teams up with their friends, and rents a house for a week of celebration. A few of us rented a beach house. My small group obviously includes Grayson, so for the fifth time today, I lie and text Cherry back.

Emma:Doing awesome. Seriously, no worries.

It takes her two seconds to call me out on it.

Cherry:Liar. Call me if you need me. xx

Yeah, I need her in a major way, but what am I going to do? Have my big sister come home and bunk with me? Besides, I don’t want her around Grayson. She’s got a heart like mine, and she’s a fixer, a planner, and after what I confided in her, she wants to show up at Grayson’s place and do something about his dad.

The problem, we decided, is that he’s eighteen. He could leave. But leave what? Go where? If he won’t talk to me, then I’m left to my own thoughts, which haven’t been great. I groan. I’m so confused.

“Hey, hon?” Mom knocks softly and walks in. She’s had an eye on me for the last few weeks, and I’m pretty sure that Cherry ratted me out after graduation. Not that she told Mom I offered up myself in bed, but I’m sure Mom knows there was a falling out between me and Gray.

It’s been weeks since the Sadie Hawkins disaster. Gray can do his thing, and I’ll do mine. He hasn’t been to lunch. He hasn’t returned a phone call or text, nothing online. Nothing. I almost caught him when I came out of the school darkroom, but he ditched down a hall right when the bell rang, and I was stuck staring after him and holding a handful of photography supplies.

Gray’s still hanging with everyonebutmeandstill going to the beach house. I’m not sure what to do, especially on the ride out there with Ryan and Gray. How should I act? What do I say? Maybe ignore it all? Whatever I do, it won’t matter. My heart’s still bleeding. I lost him, and it hasn’t made me love him any less.

Judging by the pictures from the rental site, there’s a chance it will be just like school. We’ll never bump into each other, given how big that house is. I could always follow him around like some PI ninja, but that’s pathetic, just like how I feel.

Ugh, I stifle a groan and turn to Mom. “Hey.”

“Have you talked to Ryan this morning?”

“No.” I shake my head. “What’s up?”

“He was up all night, sick.”

My eyebrows rise. “What?”

She leans against the door jam. “I think he has food poisoning, but either way, he’s going to miss the first day or two of beach week.”

Shit, shoot, shit. Nervous excitement at the thought of a car ride alone with Grayson rolls through me. It’s at my brother’s expense, which kinda makes me an awful person. “Yeah, okay.”

Maybe Ryan’s hungover from his spiral of post-grad partying. Mom leaves, and I grab my phone. After a few minutes of texting Ryan to no avail, I roll out of bed and knock on his door.

No answer, so I nudge open the door. He doesn’t seem hungover, just sleepy. But he sounds like shit, croaky and gross.

“Don’t come in here, Emma.” He pulls the pillow over his head.

“No prob.” Germs aren’t my thing. I would bathe in hand sanitizer if I could. Getting sick is a nightmare.

Okay. Alright. Shit. Okay. What do I do? We’re supposed to leave, like… right now.

“Have fun.” He coughs. “Catch up with you guys soon as I can.”

If Ryan, Grayson, and I are supposed to ride together, does that mean now it’s just Gray and me? I bite my lip. It seems benign enough except my pulse thumps. But would Gray ride with just me?

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