Page 25 of Four Simple Rules
“Not one of my proudest moments,” I whisper around the lump in my throat. “I never meant...”
“Never meant?” she laughs incredulously. “Of course, you meant to! You did it on purpose,” she grunts, shoving me out of the way. I groan when my back hits the forest floor, and I’m left staring at her angry face hovering above mine when she emerges from the tree. “You set those stupid rules. I swear I never should have listened. I should have stopped our friendship right then and there. How unfair of you…” She shakes her head.
“I was unfair.” Her eyes snap to mine again, and she frowns. Did she think I’d argue with her about this? “I was a stupid teenager. Nothing will ever excuse how much I hurt you, Tulip. You were my best friend, and I took advantage of that. I loved you, Blake. Like, really loved you, and I used that as an excuse to hide you away from my friends. You saw how they acted. They were cruel, and I…”
Blake falls back onto her ass and leans her head against the bark of the tree. “You what? Decided the best course of action was to pretend I didn’t exist.”
“I was dumb as fuck, Blake,” I mutter, hanging my head. Shame fills every molecule in my body until my palms sweat.
“Yeah, you are,” she quips, kicking leaves in my direction.
A small smile pulls at the edge of my lips. I know we’re not out of the woods yet. Literally, but I’ll win her back day by day.
And follow her to the ends of the world.
Since we left the woods, Jesse has been staring at me with those big, hazel puppy dog eyes, begging for scraps of my attention.
Now it’s my turn to ignore him like he did to me all those years ago. Jesse’s a ghost—a figment of my imagination.
“So, Blake! Tell us what you’ve been up to. How’s the greenhouse?” Grace asks with interest, biting into her tiny piece of pepperoni pizza. “Jesse has kept us current on some of your activities.”
My muscles stiffen from her confession. He’s been spying on me. How? Is he some sort of creepy stalker? I side-eye the jerk bag next to me, narrowing my eyes.
A sliver of redness takes over his cheeks, and he chokes on his piping hot bite of pizza. Coughing into his hand, he shakes his head.
“Mom,” he chokes out, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Those hazel eyes dart to mine when he pulls at the tight collar of his red t-shirt and blows out a breath.
“Did he now?” I snark, narrowing my eyes at the little turd as he shoves pizza into his mouth, so he doesn’t have to say anything else.
“He did,” Grace coos, raising a brow when Jesse mumbles under his breath.
Talk about awkward. I’m still fascinated by how this all came to be. When I left, my father was a grief-stricken ghost. Now, he’s a love-sick fool. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic he’s finally come back to life, and Grace is the reason he’s drawing breath. But the question that still begs to be answered is—how.
They barely said hi to each other when Jesse and I were friends. They were just neighbors with kids the same age. There were never barbecues or shared fences. Just friendly waves, and that’s it.
Something changed when I left.
“Yeah, Pumpkin. Tell us all about this greenhouse you work at,” my father encourages, sending me a friendly smile.
“Um, well.” I shift in my seat as heat encases my cheeks. For as long as I can remember, plants have been my passion. I’ve loved studying the different types and watching them grow under different conditions. “It’s one of the biggest greenhouses in the United States, funded by the University. We research all the plants which come from all over the world. It’s pretty cool,” I say, lacking the confidence I want.
For so long, people have put down my interests. All except Gavin. He patiently listened to me babble on and on about plants, animals, and anything to do with nature. But plants don’t get the recognition they deserve. They filter our oxygen, rejuvenate our soil, and feed us. Much like animals, they’re living beings; my job is to nurture and love them.
“You’ve always loved nature,” Dad says, beaming at me with pride.
Something in my chest cracks. It’s so strange to sit here with people I’ve resented for years, having a casual conversation about my work and what I do. Finally, their eyes are open, and they see me for who I am.
“I have,” I whisper with a nod, trying to tamp down the weird emotions bubbling inside me.
Today has been a whirlwind of everything. Reuniting with people I never intended to see again. But now I’m here, having dinner and possibly fixing it.
“Oh, good. It’s so good to hear!” Grace says with an easygoing smile. “How about you, Jess? How’s the team doing?”
Jesse smiles, cheeks turning red again. “It’s good. Seasons over. The boys are home, and I’m stuck doing some administrative duties. But it was a good year. We’ve got some talented players for next year,” he says with pride beaming in his eyes.
“Players?” I blurt, wrinkling my nose.
“Oh yes! Jesse is the head baseball coach at Prembrook University!” she says with a grin. “He’s been there for six years since he graduated from there. One of the youngest coaches in the league.”
