Page 51 of Chasing The Goal
And maybe he would.
Maybe he’d show up to the appointments, to the classes. Maybe he’d hold my hand when the baby kicked for the first time. Maybe he’d finally become the man I once thought he was.
But as I watched him speak—watched his lips form all the right words—I couldn’t stop the ache in my chest. The one that whispered,Do you want the right thing… or the thing that feels right?
Because Jaymie hadn’t just said the right thing. He’dbeenit. He’d shown up when there was nothing in it for him. He’d stayed. Quietly. Steadily. Always with cookies or stupid jokes or just a hand on my back when I needed to breathe through the nerves.
Jackson felt like a promise I wanted to believe in.
Jaymie felt like the truth I already did.
And for the first time since I saw those two pink lines, I didn’t know what I wanted more: the safety of what was 'right'… or the terrifying, beautiful risk of what felt real.
Mallory
The second the doorclicked shut behind Jackson, I locked it. Not for safety, at least not the kind that involved physical danger. But for emotional preservation as if the lock could keep any more emotional conversations at bay for atleast 12 hours.
The weight of the evening settled over me like a too-heavy blanket. The pasta sat cold and mostly uneaten on the table, in our bowls. My apartment, which had felt too full with Jackson in it, suddenly felt too empty with him gone. Making quick working of cleaning up – I shuffled into my bedroom, peeled off my bra with the efficiency of a tired woman with no one to impress, and crawled into bed still in my leggings and oversized tee. My hair was a mess, my heart worse, and my thoughts louder than I wanted them to be.
There was no way I could process this alone. Not tonight.
I reached for my phone, tapped out a new message, and stared at it.
There were two people I wanted to text. Two people who had shown up for me when I didn’t even know how to ask. And the idea of retelling tonight’s disaster twice made me want to throw my phone out the window.
So I did the only logical thing.
I started a group chat.
Mallory
You two are my only friends right now and I cannot mentally handle textijng you individually
Dakota, meet Ava. Ava, meet Dakota.
I hereby unite you in the name of drama and moral support.
Two dots appeared. Then three. Then chaos.
Dakota
Omg it’s happening.
THE MERGER
Ava
Ahhhh yes, the group chat of legends. Love this for us already.
Dakota
Should we pick a team name? The Hormonal Hotties? The Support Squad?
ava changed the name of the chat to 'The Girls Room'
Mallory
Stop. Focus. Emergency.
