Page 130 of Run Away With Me

‘Jessie, I’ve been asking to see you every day since I got back.’

‘You have?’ I said as my stomach did an impressive somersault. I pressed my hand to my belly, hoping to quiet my nerves.

‘Yeah,’ Brooke said with a tentative smile.

‘Me too.’

Brooke was wearing black jeans that were ripped at the knees and a baggy black tank and white sneakers. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and I could tell she was wearing a little mascara. She was perfect, like always.

Her eyes asked me a question, and I answered by stepping forward, then stumbling into her arms. She wrapped me up in safety and security and I put my head on her shoulder and let myselfbreathe.

‘I really fucking missed you,’ she murmured into my hair.

It had been three weeks, meaning we’d been apart longer than we had been on the road together, and something about that just didn’t add up in my brain. The road trip had been such a turning point in my life. It still didn’t feel real that it was over.

‘I missed you too,’ I said, taking another second to hold her before I pulled away. ‘You better come inside.’

‘This place is beautiful,’ Brooke said as she kicked off her sneakers and followed me into the living room.

‘This is Lena,’ I said. ‘She painted pretty much everything.’

‘Pretty much,’ Lena echoed. ‘Nice to meet you, Brooke.’

‘Thanks for letting me come over.’

We curled up in the love seat underneath the window, facing each other with our feet tucked up so we could get in close.

It took me a moment of just looking at her before I found my words.

‘What happened? Are you okay?’

The question was way too big and way too vague, but I didn’t know what else to ask.

‘I’m living with my uncle Tony,’ she said with a shy smile.

My eyes widened. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah. I spoke with my parents, and they agreed it was probably for the best. Over the summer, at least, while we figure it all out.’

‘They just agreed to it, no arguments?’

‘No,’ Brooke said. I reached for her hand and smoothed my thumb over the inside of her wrist. ‘There was a lot of shouting. As soon as Tony found out I was back, he came over to the house and then he yelled at my dad for a really long time. Then he came upstairs and told me to pack a bag.’

‘I think I like Uncle Tony,’ I murmured.

‘I do too,’ she said with a little laugh. ‘He’s a lot more easy-going than my parents. He’s going to get me working on cars again.’

That was probably going to help her heal just as much as any other type of therapy, and I felt another rush of gratefulness that Brooke had an uncle Tony to help her get through this.

‘That’s good,’ I said. ‘It’ll be good for you.’

‘I think so too.’

Brooke turned her hand over, and I started drawing little patterns across her palm with my fingertip.

‘What happened,’ she started hesitantly, ‘after they split us up? In Atlanta?’

I swallowed, taking a second before I answered her.

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