Page 74 of Strong Side
“I’ll grab one in a few. Thanks though.” I tip my chin to him.
“Okay, no problem. Get out on the dance floor when this sappy song is over. Might wake you up a bit.” He laughs over his shoulder.
The song ends, and I see my sister coming toward me from the dance floor. Beck flew into Dallas from Chicago for the wedding yesterday, and he and my sister have been attached at the hip since. But she’s alone now, as Beck has veered off toward the bar.
“Hey, brother. What are you doing over here, all by yourself?” She takes the seat next to me.
“Just taking a break, really. You having fun?” I look at her and offer a smile.
“I am. Nice to have Beck here. I’ve missed him so much. The second class is over, I’m hightailing it to Chicago. I’m not a fan of being apart.” She laughs.
“I miss him, too, so I can only imagine how you feel. Well, actually, I do know; I hear your sappy conversations,” I tease her.
“Shut up.” She laughs. “I can’t help that he’s madly in love with me.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I nod.
“Come with me for a sec.” She stands and holds her hand out to me.
I look at her outstretched hand. “I’m not dancing with you.”
“I don’t want to dance with you. I want you to come with me.” She shakes her hand.
“Okay, I’m coming.” I stand and take her hand.
We walk outside the tent, into the warm spring night.
“Isn’t it so pretty here? Everything feels so big, you know? The sky feels bigger, the land endless. And the horses? Just stop it. I’m obsessed.” She looks up at me and smiles.
When she looks at me like this, all excited, it reminds me of when we were kids.
I nod and smile in return. “It really is great. You gonna make Beck buy you a ranch someday?”
“I mean, you never know! I could definitely get used to this.” She opens her arms wide and spins.
“So, you brought me out here to talk about the view?” I smirk.
She stops spinning and comes to stand in front of me. “No, Case. I brought you out here because I’m worried about you. My heart is literally hurting. I feel like I can feel your pain and sadness, you know. I think it’s the whole twin thing.” She shrugs. “Have you talked to her at all lately?”
I shake my head and look down. “No, not really. Still the same. She’ll text, I’ll answer, then nothing. I texted her earlier to tell her I missed her, and she read it, but didn’t respond. It sucks, not having her here with me.”
“Well, I will say you’ve done a good job of being happy for them today. I don’t think Archie or Emma have noticed your moping, like I have.”
“I don’t mean to be like this. I really am so happy for them. And I’m happy for you that you have Beck for the weekend. I miss my best friend too, by the way. It’s good seeing him.” I mean it too. I miss having him around. “I sort of feel like I’ve lost both of my best friends. Beck gone, Noelle not talking to me. It kinda blows.”
“I’m sorry, Case. I really hate this for you, and I know you’ll probably be annoyed with me when I say this, but this too shall pass. It might not seem like it right now, but you will get through it. And you’ll be stronger because of it. Remember what Beck and I went through last year?” She takes my hand.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, that was probably harder for me to make him stay away than it was when we broke up in high school. The pain on his face, knowing he was right around the corner, it killed me not to go to him every night. In the end though, it was the best thing we could have done for our relationship.” She tugs at my hand, trying to get me to look at her. “Case, it will be okay. She’ll come back to you.”
I take a deep breath in. “I hope so. I mean, I can’t imagine an alternative. The thing that pisses me off about the whole thing—and I’m not mad at her or upset with her. I’m mad that Trey did this to her. I’m mad that he messed her up. And I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t protect her from it.”
“Yeah, but, Casey, Trey will get what’s coming to him. I hate to say that, but you know it’s true. I hope it’s not at the expense of that little boy of his though.”
“I still can’t believe he has a kid. Blows my fucking mind. How do you do that to a kid? To the mother of your child?” I shake my head. The whole thought of it makes me sick.
“It’s absolutely awful. But, Case, he has to look at himself in the mirror every day, knowing he did that. And I’m sure he justifies it in his mind because he’s a selfish prick. That boy though will figure out what kind of man his father is. And as sad as it is to say, Noelle will be one of many he does this to. Because it’s not really about wanting her. It’s about control and really … his own low self-esteem. People who put others down, treat people the way he treated Noelle, are struggling with their own issues. I’m not making excuses for him. I’m just saying, the boy has issues.”
