Page 19 of Faith Notes
I watch her out of the corner of my eye, afraid she will choke when I’m not watching.
“You’re biased,” I say, ignoring the eye roll she gives me. “Mia, tell us what happened, and maybe we can offer some advice.”
She huffs, sitting back further in her chair and crossing her arms. “Okay, but no dogging on Chase. I’ve heard enough from Tayte already—and he had a good reason.”
The way she throws in that last part, like she’s not quite sure she believes it, has worry settling in my stomach. Chase is Mia’s long-term boyfriend, but frankly, he’s a jerk. Mia deserves a lot better. We are all just waiting for her to see it. But I’m here to be her friend, not her mom, so I lift my hand, holding up two fingers, and say, “Scout’s honor.”
She doesn’t need to know I was never a Scout.
Beside me, Emryn lifts her fork but doesn’t say anything—whether that’s because her mouth is full or because she knows she won’t be able to keep the promise, I’m not sure.
Mia sighs, and the look of pure dejection breaks my heart. “Chase and I were supposed to go on a date. He’d texted me earlier and asked me to meet him outside, so I was waiting on my porch. But ten minutes passed, and then fifteen, and he didn’t show up. I texted and called him a hundred times, and just when I was about to get hysterical, Tayte pulled into his driveway. I guess he noticed me pacing and assumed something was wrong.” She stops there, looking around the restaurant like she doesn’t want to admit this next part. Emryn and I stay quiet, letting her process. And when she’s ready, she continues. “Chase showed up when Tayte came over to check on me.”
I suck in a gasp, knowing that putting Chase and Tayte in the same vicinity spells trouble, but Emryn keeps eating, popping watermelon into her mouth like it’s popcorn.
“Was it bad?”
Mia nods, and for a girl who is constantly cheery, right now, she just looks sad.
“Worse,” she whispers, her voice coming out hoarse. “I was worried about Chase, so when he showed up right as rain, I lost my temper a little bit. He got out of his car and sauntered onto my porch like I hadn’t been calling him over and over again. Tayte was a witness to it all. I finally cooled down enough to let Chase explain, though, and I felt so bad afterward. Apparently, Chase left his phone at home. His boss had called him in before he left. He was rushing to leave his house and fix whatever his boss needed so he didn’t miss our date. He had a good reason, but Tayte, being Tayte, can’t mind his business. When I went to leave with Chase, he stepped into my path and—this is a direct quote—said, ‘When are you going to realize everything that guy says is a lie? He’s a jerk, Mia. Leave him.’ Can you believe his audacity?”
Emryn and I stay quiet, giving each other a look before we turn back to Mia.
“What?” she asks, looking between us.
“Honey,” Emryn says, finally laying down her fork, “maybe Tayte doesn’t always come off the right way, but have you ever stopped to think it’s because he cares about you?”
Mia scoffs. “No, no way. Tayte cares about torturing me, but he doesn’t care aboutme. Tell her she’s wrong, Georgia.”
My hand fiddles with the napkin in my lap. I know denial better than anyone, and I also know that until you are ready to look past that denial, nothing anyone says will make you see it. But I also don’t like to see my friend hurting. And whether she realizes it or not, Chase is hurting her.
“I don’t think she is, Mia,” I say carefully. “Look, I’m going to ask you a hard question, and feel free not to answer it, but promise you will at least think about it, okay?”
Mia’s eyes narrow just a little as she looks at me warily. “Okay.”
“Why do you love Chase?”
“Because we’ve always been together.” There is no hesitation in her answer, but it also sounds rehearsed.
“It’s not my relationship, Mia, but are you sure that’s enough to stay? Shouldn’t you love him for more than the time you’ve invested?”
She sputters, and her face starts to turn red. Guilt eats at my chest because I promised I would let her come to this realization on her own, but I would want my friends to say something to me instead of letting me waste my life with the wrong person.
“Look,” I say, holding up a hand to stop her, “I’m not saying I’m right—or that I know anything about the personal part of your relationship with Chase. I know all too well that a man in public isn’t always the same man in private. Look at Grayson. People think he’s the grumpiest man alive, but with me, he’s not. So, I get it. Sometimes, you see things that maybe Emryn and I don’t, but just think about it. That’s all we ask.”
Mia’s teeth bite into her bottom lip, and her brow wrinkles. Tears gather in the corner of her eyes, but she’s quick to blink them away. I watch her closely, ready to catch her if she crumbles, but she doesn’t. She plasters on the bright smile she always carries and says, “Fine. I’ll think about it. Now, who wants to hear about how I got back at Tayte for being nosy?”
I chuckle and raise my hand, but it feels a little forced. I worry about her, but if she’s not ready, I’ll accept that.
“Me,” Emryn says, looking around the restaurant, “right after I get more watermelon. Where did that waiter go?”
Blanching, I look down at Emryn’s plate. Five seconds ago, it had been full, but sure enough, now it sits empty.
When she sees Mia staring, too, she lifts her shoulder and shrugs with a bright smile on her lips. “What? This baby is hungry.”
The way she says it so casually like it’s the simplest explanation in the world, has me doubling over with laughter. When the other girls join in, I realize that God knew what he was doing when he sent them my way because in the time we’ve been sitting here together, not once has the anxiety over this pregnancy weighed me down.
There’s something to be said about the friends you find later in life.
