Page 161 of Before We're More Than Friends
Hayden groaned. “Does everything have to have a catch? How?—”
“There isn’t a catch,” I said before Hayden could dig himself into a deeper hole. “Hayden genuinely doesn’t want to lose you guys. Even if he has a bit of a temper.”
“I mean, that’s never going to change.” Caleb laughed. “I never said we weren’t friends anymore. But I’m still hurt that your first reaction was to get upset about the future of the band when we haven’t even won Battle of the Bands yet. And I’m notsaying that because I don’t believe in us—it just isn’t guaranteed. Just like getting accepted into the school isn’t guaranteed. But I still want your support when I’ve been supporting you.”
“I know,” Hayden said. “I was in my head about the whole thing.”
Caleb looked down at his bag of chips. “I don’t know, Hayden. You apologize a lot but make the same mistakes again. What you did—and this goes for Oliver and Sienna, too—wasn’t cool. All I wanted was support.” He looked at Oliver.
“I never discouraged it,” Oliver said, fiddling with his lip ring. “But I’d still miss you. That isn’t selfish.”
“I was being selfish,” Hayden said. “And I’m sorry.”
Caleb sighed. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have blown it out of proportion.”
“It’s okay. I just want my best friend back.” Hayden sniffled, his eyes filling with tears. “Oh gosh, don’t tell me I’m going to cry. That’s going to throw away my man card.”
“Since when did you have a man card?” Oliver asked, a small smile crinkling at the corner of his mouth.
“Look who’s talking. You and Caleb play with dolls. And enjoy it.”
“That’s because our sisters make us!”
“They aren’t making you enjoy it.”
Caleb snorted. “I have no shame in enjoying it. Alice has a wild imagination when it comes to dolls.”
“I-I didn’t mean I enjoyed it.” Oliver’s cheeks flushed. “I totally don’t.”
“Sure.” Caleb rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I’m sorry for everything I said during the fight, too. I think we were all being jerks a bit.” He looked at me. “Except for Dallas. Dallas is never a jerk.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. “But what matters is that we all realize what we did wrong.”
“Yes.” Hayden looked at Oliver. “Do you forgive me?”
Oliver sighed. “I can’t stay mad at you for long. I already forgave Caleb, after all.”
Caleb winked at him. “Because you’re such a softy and I’m so awesome.”
“I amnota softy!”
“You are,” Hayden said. “And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re musicians. I mean, we were . . .” He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter right now.”
Caleb and Oliver locked eyes, unreadable expressions on their faces.
“So are we all good now?” I asked after a few moments of silence. “Or do I need to keep you guys from punching each other?”
“I can’t be punching people if I want to keep my hands good for the keyboard,” Caleb said, waving his real and prosthetic hands. “We’re good.”
“Group hug?” Oliver asked.
“I thought you weren’t a softy.”
“I thought it wasn’t a bad thing.”
I snorted. “Group hug.”
The four of us hugged each other. Hayden slipped and fell onto our laps, and we all laughed, knocking down our food. I’d thought I’d lost something I hadn’t expected to find, but I knew I was at home with these boys.
