Page 14 of The Forever After Bet

“I think that’s a good idea,” Ty says. “If she accuses Hannah of bullying again, or things escalate with the fundraiser, then we should talk to Mrs. Landry.

“I’m with Ty.” Jack nods. “And I think you’re right, Ford. We need to be at all the rest of the meetings in case we need to intervene.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say. Hannah may not want me to step in on her behalf, but I’m not going to let her get in trouble for something she didn’t do. Bree is the bully, and Hannah’s the victim.

“This year has taken a weird turn. I’m ready for the basketball season to start. I feel like when life is busy, there’s less time for drama.” Jack huffs.

“Me too. Basketball keeps me busy with two games a week, plus my homework load. I need that distraction. Our first game is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving against Ravenwood, and then we have an away game against Eagle High in Rathdrum.” I grab another cookie but get a bottle of water instead of another can of Mt. Dew. I won’t be able to run as far in the morning if I drink more than one. “How are things with you and Leah, Jack?”

“Uh, they’re good. Leah made it clear she was a hundred percent team Hannah and she came first, but I’m okay with that. My sister needs someone who’s got her back no matter what and that’s Leah. She’s a person who won’t let anything bad happen to any of her friends. She’s kind of gangster that way. I think it’s hot.” Jack scratches his neck, embarrassed, and laughs. “We check in with each other every day, and she lets me know how Hannah’s doing.”

“I’m glad things are good, and it makes me feel better knowing Leah is looking out for Hannah.” I smile. “She’s got a great group of friends with Aubrey, June, and Leah.”

7. All the Drama

We get an entire week off for Thanksgiving. I’m torn over it. I’m glad for the break, but I’m struggling with not seeing Ford. We’re not together anymore but seeing him every day at school brought me some solace. I’m glad I have a week to catch up on homework. Doing anything these days is hard. The last thing I can handle is falling behind on my schoolwork. I also need to finish the rest of my applications for college, too. I’ve decided to apply to Stanford and Gonzaga besides Sutherland. Stanford has always been my first choice. My dad and I toured the campus last year during Christmas break. It’s why I’ve worked so hard to get good grades and take all the AP classes I can; but Stanford has the lowest acceptance rate in the country. Gonzaga is my backup if I don’t get into Sutherland or Stanford. It’s where my mom went to college, and, as an added bonus, it’s close to home. I’m having a hard time even thinking about not seeing Hank and Scottie every day. Oh, and I applied to Idaho State. It’s my backup, backup, just in case something happens.

The ideal scenario is that Ford is waiting for me in the meadow after graduation, and we go to Sutherland together, start our lives together. I want that, more than I want to breathe, sometimes, but I need to be rational. Ford may not want a future with me anymore, and I need to plan for that, just in case. The thought makes my stomach hurt. I pull my necklace out from under my shirt and grasp the end, squeezing the rings and charms tightly.

There’s a knock at my door, and I look up to see June standing there. “Hey, I thought you were going out with Ty tonight.”

June bursts into tears.

“Oh, my gosh.” I rush over to her, pulling her into the bedroom and hugging her. “Do I need to beat Tyler up?”

She shakes her head. “No, I did it.”

I look at my friend, pushing her hair off her forehead. “What did you do?”

“I broke up with him.” She sniffs and lays her head on my shoulder.

My gut feels like it’s twisted into a dozen knots. I cup my hands around my friend’s face. “June, why?” I sob.

“I couldn’t do it anymore. It’s too hard. With everything going on in my life, I felt like I was stringing him along.”

“This is all my fault.” I let go of June and walk over to the loveseat and slump down. She follows me, sitting next to me. I reach over to my nightstand, grab a handful of tissues, and pass some to her.

“It’s not your fault. Don’t say that. I made the decision. School is hard enough before I add all the drama to it, both literally and figuratively.”

I want to argue with her, but I know she’s already struggling with her decision. She’s crying, and I can see the anguish on her face. “You should pick Ty over me,” I whisper, putting my head in my hands.

June wraps her arm around me, laying her head on my shoulder. “You’re my best friend. You’ve always been there for me. I want us to not only be high school friends, but lifelong friends. I love Ty, but it’s nothing like what you and Ford have. Maybe with time we would’ve gotten there. I don’t know. Even though he said he was okay with what little time I had to spare, I couldn’t do that to him. I don’t want to always be picking between the two of you, or between him and music. That’s not fair to Ty, and my life is about to get really busy.”

I look over at her. My forehead scrunched in confusion. “Why?”

“Don’t get mad at me for not telling you, but I auditioned for a part in the youth community musical last Monday. I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid I wouldn’t get a part and didn’t want to have to tell everyone if I didn’t make it.”

I grasp her hand, entwining it with mine. “I can understand that. So, I take it you got a part?”

June smiles and nods.

“June, that’s awesome. You have such a beautiful voice.”

“Thank you.” She blushes.

“So, tell me, what’s the musical? What part did you get?”

“It’s the Little Mermaid.” She covers her face with her hands, then peeks between her fingers. “And I got Arial.”

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