Page 15 of The Forever After Bet

“Oh. My. Gosh!” I throw my arms around her, crushing her in a hug. “You’re going to be a Broadway star one day.”

“Thanks, I’m so excited about it, but I’m not sure singing is what I want for my career. My mom encouraged me to try out for a part. She wants me to pursue a singing career, but I’m not sure it’s what I want. I’m feeling lost. I don’t even know what colleges to apply to.”

“Where do you want to go?”

She rubs her hands along her jeans. “Sutherland, but only because that’s where you’re going and where Ty is going to play football.” She looks up at me. “But that’s not a good enough reason, and my parents already told me they can’t afford for me to go there.”

“There’s Oakey College in Cascade, and Idaho State has an outreach program there. Where do your parents want you to go?”

“My dad wants me to stay close. The University of Idaho is his first choice. It’s only about an hour and a half away. My mom wants me to go to Wichita State. They have a top-rated vocal acting program. She even said we could fly out and tour the school over Christmas.”

“Wow. I guess you have to figure out what it is you want. I’d absolutely love it if you went to Sutherland. It’s hard to even think about being away from you, Leah, Aubrey, and my family next year.”

“Life is changing, and I’m not sure I like it,” June sniffs, pulling out more tissues.

“We still have seven more months of school left. We’ll make the most out of it. Plus, we have the summer. Unless your parents are carting you away to Spain again.”

“No! I told them I wanted to spend the summer at home hanging out with my friends and earning some extra money for school.” June turns away from me, tears running down her cheeks again.

“Oh, June. I’ll ask one more time, and then I’ll let it go. Are you sure about this? We could make it work. I love Ty like a brother.”

June sits forward wiping her face. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m sure.”

“Okay. Can you stay over?”

She nods.

“I think there are a couple of pints of ice cream in the freezer, and we will raid the pantry for snacks. Then we’ll watch a funny nineties romcom.”

“That sounds perfect.” June grabs me, giving me another tight hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re my best friend. You’ve done so much for me. I love you and will always be here for you, no matter what.”

8. Survival Mode

I’m glad this week is finally over, but I’m not sure I can handle an entire week off from school for Thanksgiving break. This last week I did everything in my power to stay busy. I call it survival mode. It’s what I do when bad things happen in my life. The last time I went into survival mode was when I was an idiot and broke up with Hannah at the end of the summer. It was easy to stay busy then because I had football, and we had two practices a day plus workouts.

The less downtime I have, the better. I’ve been running and lifting weights in the morning at school, then coming home and lifting weights and using my mom’s stair master. My thighs are sore after doing it for five straight days. I reorganized my room and moved things around. I even did my laundry, folded it, and put it away. When our housekeeper, Mrs. Murdock, asked where my dirty clothes were, she didn’t believe me when I told her I’d already done it.

I started reading Jane Eyre for English, and we aren’t going to start discussing it until after Christmas. I keep telling myself I’m getting a head start; but really, I’m filling my time with everything and anything and reading keeps my brain occupied. I even looked up the most referenced books that appear on the AP exam and have been checking the eBooks out of the library and skimming them. If they made the book into a movie, I rented or bought it. Hopefully, my mom doesn’t wonder why several Jane Austen movies are now in our digital library.

I used to love having the house to myself; but these days, I hate being here alone. It reminds me of how empty my life feels. I’ve already made several lists of things I can do to keep myself busy during the break. Right now, I’m playing mind numbing video games.

There’s a knock at the door, and I glance at my watch. It’s almost five. Jack and Ty are staying over tonight. Jack had to work at the country club until seven, so they were both coming over later.. I answer the door. I It’s Tyler. He has his hands on either side of the door frame with his head hanging down and his body hunched forward. He peers up at me, a haunted look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I wrap my arm around his back, and he leans on me the whole way into the family room.

He sits on the sofa, putting his head in his hands. I go into the kitchen, get a glass of water, and sit down next to him. I don’t say anything and wait for him to tell me what’s going on. He runs his hands through his curly red mop several times, then reaches for the water, taking several large gulps.

“June broke up with me,” he finally says.

“What the—” I scrub a hand down my face. “Why?”

Ty glances at me but looks away, shaking his head. I close my eyes and groan. “It’s because of me and Hannah, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he says, his voice a hoarse whisper. My friends have been amazing through this whole mess. I know it’s taken a toll on both of them. Jack has been the middleman. I’m always asking him how Hannah is, if she’s eating, and how things are between her and her parents or even her and Jack. Ty has been the go between with Hannah’s friends, but there’s not much to manage. Her friends have been absolute rocks for her. It’s been a comfort to know she has them for support.

“I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do? Would June talk to me?”

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