Page 12 of The Forever After Bet

“It’s okay,” I say, but my voice shakes, and it takes everything inside me to keep my tears at bay. “I’m okay. I’m sure it was hard for Ford.”

“Still, that wasn’t fair. Thank you so much for coming. It means the world to me,” June says.

“We’re coming back Friday on closing night, and we’ll go out and celebrate afterward.” I say with a smile. June is hesitant and glances around, looking at Ty. “Only if you want to. I understand if you have other plans with the cast or Ty.”

“No, there’s a big party on Saturday afternoon. We’re going to strike the set and take everything down. Mr. Lyall reserved a room at Craigo’s Pizza for a pizza party.”

“Okay, but if something changes, I’ll understand.” I give her one more hug. “You were fantastic.”

Leah wraps her arm around me, and Aubrey takes my hand. We leave the auditorium. “I’m okay,” I mumble all the way to the car.

On the way home, Leah doesn’t push me to talk about why I was crying earlier, which I’m grateful for. Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow, and it will be easier to talk about. I wash my face and get ready for bed. I sit on my loveseat, trying to read the assigned poems for tomorrow’s English class, but the words keep blurring together.

There’s a knock at my door. “Come in,” I say without really thinking about who it could be.

Jack comes in and shuts the door. “We need to talk.”

I shut my English book and stand up. “I can’t—I don’t—” But I’ve reached my limit tonight, and I burst into tears, again. Jack wraps his arms around me and holds me, letting me cry on his shoulder. After a while, we sit down on my loveseat. I grab a couple of tissues, wipe my face, and blow my nose. “Sorry,” I mutter.

“Hannah, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. What happened was a bad deal. You dealt with it the best you could under the circumstances.”

“No. I—” I cover my hands over my face. “I’m sorry, Jack, it’s too hard to talk about.”

Jack takes my hand, squeezes it, then lets go. “I want you to know I’m here for you. You’re my sister. We’ve worked hard for our relationship, and I don’t want that to change.”

“Me either.” I blow out a breath. I’m exhausted, but I feel better. I glance at him but then turn away, rubbing my fingers along the cushion. “How is he?”

“About the same as you.”

“Oh.” I can see and feel Ford’s struggle, but I don’t know what to do. How do we move forward? Can we move forward?

“Will you tell me what’s going on with Bree and this whole Christmas fundraiser?” Jack asks.

“I emailed Mrs. Landry after she talked to you. I told her I heard she was looking for a chairperson and that I was interested in the job. I never heard anything back until I got called into her office on Friday. When I showed up, Bree was there. Bree went to Mrs. Landry, accusing me of bullying. I asked what exactly I was being accused of doing. Apparently, I call Bree names and make fun of her in the halls. Oh, and I’m trying to sabotage her chances with the boy she likes.”

Jack lets out a humorless laugh. “She’s a piece of work.”

“I told Mrs. Landry I didn’t do those things. I don’t have any classes with Bree and never even see her between classes or know where her locker is. I think Mrs. Landry believed me. If she didn’t, I could’ve been in some serious trouble. She told us we needed to learn to get along with each other, so she was making us co-chairs for the Christmas fundraiser. She mentioned the fundraiser to Bree first, but I think Mrs. Landry didn’t trust her to get the job done; but if she gave the job to me, it would look like favoritism. So, she’s making us both do it.”

“I’m sorry, that sucks.”

“Yeah, it does, but I want to help and make the fundraiser a success. Helping families in our community is what matters.”

“Way to have a positive attitude. I’m sorry we didn’t come to the meeting on Monday,” Jack says.

“It’s okay. Monday was a rough day.”

“How did the meeting go?”

I roll my eyes. “Bree wouldn’t start the meeting until Ford showed up. I told her he wasn’t coming, but she didn’t believe me. So, while she and her friends laughed at TikTok’s in the corner, the rest of us had a meeting and figured out what needed to be done. By the time Bree looked up, the meeting was over, and everyone had left.”

“I got the email with the signup sheet. I’ll be at the next meeting.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“I wanted you to know I got that job at the country club as a lifeguard,” Jack says. “I had an interview yesterday. They’ve been looking for help for almost a month, so they will work around my basketball schedule. I’m getting paid thirteen dollars an hour.”

“That’s awesome. I’m excited for you.”

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