Page 98 of Comeback
“I lost my hearing when I was ten years old,” I say, then smile slightly. “That isn’t the secret.”
“How did it happen?” she asks.
“It was this freak accident. I was riding my bike, going too fast down a hill and I crashed, hit a street sign just right, I guess. It wasn’t immediate, or at least I don’t think so. My head was ringing, and I was dazed. I walked back home. I had a concussion and a broken wrist. Went into the emergency room thinking I was going to have a badass cast and walked out to a completely different world.”
I swallow thickly. “The secret is that I’m the reason our dad left. Don’t get me wrong, he was in and out before then, but after my accident, he split for almost a year. And when he did come back, it was only because Mom was sick.”
“Archer,” she whispers my name.
I clear my throat and force my stare to remain on her face instead of looking away.
“Whatever the reason he left, that’s on him. It says everything about his character and nothing about yours.” Her brown eyes stare hard at me. “You get that, right?”
I nod.
“Okay, but do you really?”
“Yeah.” A small chuckle slips out. “I really do.”
She steps closer until our bodies are flush and presses her mouth to mine. When she pulls back, she signs,Thank you for telling me your secret.
“You’re welcome.”
“Want to hear one of mine?”
“Yeah.” Anything to lighten the mood. This is why I don’t like talking about my dad. It just brings up all the old shit. I don’twant to live in the past. I like my life now. But I worry about Flynn.
“I’m really glad I met you.”
“I’m really glad I met you too.”
28
SABRINA
“Try on the red one,” I say, pointing to the dress Olivia holds in her right hand. In her other, she has a basic black one that she wears on every first date. It’s nice but doesn’t do justice to her killer body. And so far—unlucky.
“Red feels like too much for a movie date.”
“You’re going to the movies?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.
“It’s a private screening. His friend produced the movie or directed.” She moves around her bedroom to stand in front of the floor-length mirror, holding the dress in front of her body.
She shakes her head and puts it back in her closet without trying it on. “I’m sticking with the black dress. If he doesn’t like me in this, he won’t like me in my ratty sweats.”
“You’ll look stunning no matter what.” I move to lie on her bed. I missed this. Hanging out in her room, talking, trying on clothes.
“Maybe I should just call it off now. Hanging with you and Greer sounds less stressful. Plus, I could put on my sweats.”
“No way. We’re going to eat chicken nuggets and french fries and too much ice cream while watching princess movies.”
“That sounds pretty perfect.” Olivia laughs as she sits down beside me. I can feel the weight of her stress about this date. I don’t know why she stresses. If the date doesn’t go great, it’s all the guy’s fault—not hers. She’s incredible. And I’m not just saying that because I’m her best friend.
“I don’t know how many more bad dates I can go on. Was it always this hard?” She puts her head in my lap. “I used to think about the days when Greer would be old enough that I could make some time for myself again and now it all feels like a huge waste of time. Maybe I missed my dating prime.”
“You did not.” I laugh softly but run my fingers through her hair in a reassuring manner. “You’re twenty-three, not one hundred.”
She groans again as if my words did nothing to soothe her. “I thought I was going to have my whole life figured out by this age.”
