Page 37 of Disharmony

Don’t want things to change?

Don’t want him to feel like an idiot?

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you left,” Brick says, saving me from having to find the right words. “I realized I’ve been waiting around for something to happen that might never have worked out. A part of me always hoped you’d never leave town. But now that you have, it’s made me see everything more clearly. We want different things.”

“You’re a great guy, Brick,” I say. “Any girl would be lucky to date you.”

“Come on, Ash. This is me you’re talking to.” He laughs, sounding more like himself again. “I don’t need you feeling sorry for me and telling me how amazing I am. Do you remember how many girls were begging me to take them to prom?”

I snort at the thought of the stack of notes that were slipped through his locker. “You had to fight them off.”

“Exactly!” He chuckles, then turns serious again. “I will get over it, okay? I just had to say it to see if it’d change things because I’d kick myself if I didn’t. Now I know it’s never going to happen with you, I can move on. Maybe I’ll find a chick in Meadow Springs who doesn’t want to be a superstar… I am irresistible after all.”

“Hey,” I cut in. “There’s no need for you to be that asshole jock. You don’t need to play up to the stereotype.”

“I’ll need someone else to remind me of that now you’re gone,” he teases.

Hearing his jokey tone puts me at ease. It’s hard to know whether he means what he’s saying over the phone. If we were together in person, I could read him like a book. But I have to trust he’s being honest, and I can’t question it because… I miss him.

“Don’t forget that no one else knows you took Mr. Snuggles to school until we were in fourth grade,” I remind him of the childhood blanket he used to sneak into his backpack.

“Really?” Brick laughs. “You’re going there?”

“You’ve given me no choice,” I tease. “I know I may not be around this summer and school’s ended, but I don’t want things to change. I don’t want to lose this. You’re my partner in crime… and I know it might be a bit weird for a while, but I can’t lose you too.” My voice chokes a little, but I keep going and hope the bad signal masks it. “You’re my best friend.”

“You’re never going to lose me, Ash,” Brick says. “I’ll always be here. If you need me, I’m only a drive away.”

“Your truck would never make the journey,” I say. “But I might need to take you up on that if things keep going like they are.”

“What’s up?” he asks sharply. I imagine him sitting behind the cash register at his dad’s store, propping his legs up on the counter. “Camp Harmony isn’t as great as those brochures you spent hours showing me?”

“Camp’s great,” I say, relaxing into a conversation that feels like safer territory. “But some of the people aren’t exactly welcoming of outsiders.”

“I’ll kick their ass if you want,” he volunteers.

“Thanks, but I don’t think you could take on Tiffany Lockhart…”

“Wait!” Something loud crashes in the background like he’s dropped something. “You mean, the Tiffany Lockhart?”

“That’s the one,” I roll my eyes. “And don’t let her Instagram fool you. The girl is a she-devil.”

“A pretty cute one,” he says. “How bad can she be?”

“How about breaking into our cabin, covering me in red paint, and paintingWANNABEon the patio like a fucking plague symbol?” I tell him. “Or the way she accused me of messing with her shampoo and turning her hair green.”

Brick snickers. “C’mon, Ash. That’s nothing you can’t handle.”

“There’s more to it than that,” I huff.

I consider telling him about the rumors I’ve heard about something bad happening to Riley last year but decide against it.

“Apart from the mean girls, what’s it like to actually be there?” he questions. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

I’m still finding it hard to take in that I’m actually here. It’s like stepping into a photograph you’ve been staring at for ages. Everything is real, but you don’t feel like you belong.

“The place is amazing. Jacqueline Tate is as terrifying in person as she is on TV,” I say, “and the food! Oh my gosh, I had the best freaking falafels of my life. How’s everything back home?”

“You know… the usual.” I picture him shrugging. “Nothing ever changes here. Your dad hasn’t burned the house down, and my mom invited him over for dinner tonight.”

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