Page 106 of If We Say Goodbye

I’m sitting on a fence with him right now. On one side, I’m losing myself in him—my hands tangling themselves in his hair. On the other, my heart is beating out of my chest, waiting to be discovered.

“Since when is this door locked?” Mrs. Park asks.

“It’s not. You’re doing it wrong,” Jordy says. “Let me put that away.”

“It’s not going to work. I’m going to get a knife to turn the lock.”

“Just let me try first,” Jordy says.

“Fine,” she says.

Caleb breaks away from me and unlocks the door.

Jordy cracks the door open ever so slightly. “See? It’s not locked. I’ll put it away. Why don’t you put the eggs away?”

She sighs. “Wow, I need a nap.”

Jordy opens the door a little more with big eyes and a cringy smile, shooting a glance over his shoulder to make sure his mom isn’t looking. He hands the box of cereal to Caleb and shuts the door again.

“You do look kind of tired,” Jordy says. “I can put the rest away.”

“What did you do?” she asks. “Did you get in trouble at school?”

“I’m just trying to be nice.”

“I’m not convinced.”

“Well . . .” he says.

I tense. Is he really about to give us away? Caleb pauses, tilting his head.

“Well, what?” Mrs. Park asks.

“I spilled popcorn in the living room.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah . . .”

“Baby, that’s nothing. Carpet is easy to clean.”

“But I feel really bad, so can I please put the groceries away?”

She chuckles. “If you really want to,” she says.

Who knew spilling popcorn would come in handy?

A couple of minutes later, Jordy opens the pantry door with a big smile painted across his face, holding my shoes. “The coast is clear,” he announces.

We stagger out of the pantry. Caleb’s hair is a mess, and I blush.

“What were you doing in there?”

Caleb’s face turns bright red.

Jordy grimaces. “Actually, don’t tell me.” He covers his ears. “Let me be innocent.”

“Jordy, do you know what happened to my slippers?” Mrs. Park calls from the other room.

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