Page 108 of The Forbidden
Still, knowing that doesn’t change how I feel about Evan.
“You ready for classes to start?” Lana asks, settling on a stool in the kitchen as I chop up fruit for my breakfast smoothie.
“I think so.” I force a smile.
Lana sighs. Of course she sees straight through me. “Come on, Nais. It’s time to start living your life again. You’ve been a zombie the past couple of weeks. I hate seeing you like this.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
She climbs off the stool, comes around the counter and wraps me in a hug. “You’re not,” she whispers. “But you will be.”
I squeeze my eyes closed, fighting back the tears threating to spill. “How do you get over someone like Evan Maxwell?”I choke out. “I love him. I’ve always loved him. And he just…doesn’t care.”
Lana pulls back to look at my face. Smiling softly, she wipes away the tears on my cheeks. I huff a laugh, exhausted from crying over someone who clearly doesn’t give a shit about me. I wish I could cut that invisible string pulling me back to him. Lana might’ve cut it using her metaphorical scissors, but the pull toward him feels stronger than ever. I hate it.
“Nais, he does care. If you believe anything, believe that.”
“Then why hasn’t he come for me?” I sniffle.
“I don’t know. But I do know that no one can be around someone like you and not feel something.” She smiles. “You’re the sun, Anais. It’s impossible not to get caught up in your orbit.”
Despite the heaviness weighing down on my chest, I smile. “Everyone needs a best friend like you, Nana. A hype girl. Even if what you’re saying is a lie.”
She laughs then sobers. “It’s true. If only you would just start believing it. Know your worth, Nais.”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I mull over Lana’s words. I might not believe her statement about the sun, but I do know one thing. I can’t keep pining after a man who has clearly made his choice. I need to move on. School starts today. A new month. A fresh start. Will I ever really move on from Evan? No. But I can take back control of my life, bring back some semblance of normalcy. I can stop being a shell of a person.
My family is worried about me. My best friend, too. It’s time to take back the power. And there is no time like the present. Determination surges inside me. For the first time since I walked out of Harrison’s apartment, I feel hopeful.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Her brows furrow. “For what?”
I sigh, hugging her tightly. “For being the best friend a girl could ask for.”
I’m leaving my last class of the day when my phone rings. Fishing it out of my bag, I see my mother’s name flashing on the screen. This time, instead of ignoring her, I swipe the screen to answer.
“Hey, Mom,”
“Don’t ‘hey, Mom’ me, young lady, you’ve been ignoring my calls,” she states, getting straight to the point.
Groaning, I glance around the quad looking for an empty bench. “I’ve been busy, Mom.”
She sighs heavily down the line. “Look, I spoke to Elena.” I swallow at the mention of my godmother and Evan’s mom. “She told me what happened.”
I sink down on a bench, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. Our families are too intertwined to keep secrets for long. You can’t get away with hiding anything. Truthfully, I don’t know how Evan and I managed to hide our…situationshipfor as long as we did.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I murmur, gaze scanning the area.
“Honey,” she starts softly. “I don’t want you to ever think you can’t talk to me. To find out from my friend what’s been going on with my own daughter…” she trails off, hurt clear in her voice
Guilt swims in my gut. “I am sorry, Mom. Really.”
“So… Evan, huh?” she attempts to lighten the mood.
“I don’t know why you’re surprised. You know how I feel about him.” I point out.
She chuckles. “Yeah, I do.”
