Page 8 of Before We're More Than Friends
Way too interesting for someone who is so lame that he just sits on the floor all day thinking about how interesting I am
Gosh, I wished that joke hadn’t been true. Because I’d found myself on the floor, at my desk, and on my bed thinking about how freaking interesting she was. I truly was lame.
Alex
I didn’t message you to insult me
I’m just going to pack these up now and forget they exist
Chloe
I’m deeply sorry I hurt your feelings. I hope you’ll forgive me for my sins against you.
Alex
Gonna give you the silent treatment until I heal from this wound you’ve inflicted on me
Houston sat beside me and rolled over as if telling me I needed a break before my mind exploded.
I sighed and gave in, rubbing his soft stomach. “Thanks, boy.” I carefully put pages of the letter in a folder from my backpack. Usually, I kept some letters on my dresser, but there was no point in doing that when my dresser wouldn’t even be there in a few days.
Guilt washed over me for wishing my mom hadn’t gotten a great job offer to be a veterinarian at a successful no-kill animal shelter. InNevada. It wasn’t on the other side of the country, or outside the country, but it was far away enough for me to make my stomach twist. I wanted her to help more animals, but the sacrifices we had to make hurt like hell.
I should’ve known a big change was coming. Mom and Dad had been acting strange ever since November. A lot of whispering, soft arguments, and phone calls. Mom’s flinching when we talked about our daily routines and the glances at the pictures on the wall. It was clear as day, but I’d been too stuck in my bubble to notice.
When Mom had made us mac and cheese—which we usually only had on the weekends—on the first Wednesday evening of the new year, dread sank itself into me. The only possibility that came to my mind was divorce, but even that seemed like a stretch.
“I’ve waited to tell you two this, but . . .” Mom’s eyes metDad’s for a split second, and worry rose in my chest. “I’m taking a job as a veterinarian at a new shelter.”
Kami and I exchanged a look, knowing there was something else to the statement.
“That’s good,” Kami said after a few moments of silence, playing with her fork instead of looking at Mom.
Mom drew in a sharp breath, closing her eyes for a moment before she spoke again. “In Nevada.”
Even Houston choked on his food as the words crashed over us. I searched the room as if I was expecting a camera crew to jump out of the kitchen and tell us we’d just been pranked. Given the gravity that had taken over this room, I wished that would happen.
“Does that mean we have to move?” I nearly screeched, my fork shaking in my hands. Stupid question because it wasn’t like Mom would say, “No, we’re going to have to drive this many hours to the shelter every day. It’ll be a long commute.”
Mom sighed. “On the twenty-ninth.”
“January twenty-ninth?” Kami spat, flecks of cheese spewing out of her mouth. I cringed, shifting to the right. “Isn’t that in three weeks?”
Mom stared at her plate. “It should be enough time to get ready.”
“It isn’t,” Dad muttered, still having it in him to eat a bite of mac and cheese. My appetite was out the window, farther away than Nevada. “You should’ve told them before the new year started.”
“I didn’t want to ruin the holidays for everyone,” Mom said, her voice rising a little. “I wanted them to enjoy their last Christmas and New Year’s here without having something to dread.”
“I much rather would’ve known that it would be our last Christmas and New Year’s here than live in blissful ignorance!”Kami threw her hands up, more cheese spewing from her mouth. I fought the urge to gag. “We could’ve had months to prepare instead of freaking weeks.”
“Don’t use that tone with me, Kameron,” Mom warned, her brows furrowing.
Dad picked his plate. “No, she has a right to be upset.”
“Why didn’tyoutell us, then?” Kami asked, her face growing red.
He sighed. “Trust me, I wanted to tell you as soon as your mom accepted the job offer. But she was very stubborn about not wanting you guys to know until the right time.”
