SoI grinned and crouched downin front of her. “I can handle being friends,” I said, as I pulled my cellphone from my pocket. With a sigh of relief, she fished hers from her patchworkbag. We exchanged numbers, programming them into our phones, and she smiled asshe stuffed hers back into its home.
“I’llcall you,” she promised, her eyes twinkling lapis and azure.
Mycheeks were aching from all that damn smiling. “Not if I call you first.”
CHAPTER TWO
2006
Kylie
“Brooke!” I banged onher bedroom door. “Areyou alive in there? It’s like, 6 o’clock at night.”
Themuffled grumbling from inside told me she wasaliveandI opened the door without warning. Brooke was half hanging off her bed with herplatinum blonde hair forming a haloed mess around her head.
Igroaned. “Devin just called. He’s going to be here in like, ten minutes. God,what are you doing?”
“It’sjust Devin,” Brooke mumbled, her mouth dry and fuzzy. “I don’t need to impresshim.”
“Trent’scoming too,” I chided, and her head lifted. She had been into him ever sincethey met at that party a year ago, unbeknownst to Devin and me till later. andI smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Get the fuck up.”
Ileft her room to finish straightening up in the living room of our dorm. I hadlucked out again this year, getting Brooke as my only roommate in a two-bedroomsuite complete with living area, kitchenette, and a private bathroom. I hoped Icould be as lucky next year, my last year of college until I’d have mybachelor’s. I felt ready to move on, especially when I felt the hope for abrighter future.
Dadwas doing better. The daisies on the table told me so. I turned to smile at theflowers, their petals holding happiness and sunshine, and I thought about myfather. His sickness. The color that was coming back to his face. The weight hewas putting back on. It had been three months since he’d last sent me daisies,but a bouquet arrived that morning, and I had known it was going to be a goodday.
Aknock on the door whipped me around and I ran to answer it. Two tall men stoodin front of me wielding snacks, beers and soda. I threw myself immediately atthe tallest of the duo, while the other flanking his side rolled his eyes withan impatient, teasing groan.
“HeyDev,” I said, squeezing him tight around the neck. It had been two weeks sinceI’d last seen him. That was two weeks too long to go without seeing your otherbest friend.
Inoticed theFriday the 13tht-shirt he was wearing, and Isquealed, clapping enthusiastically. “Oh my God, you got it!”
Helaughed. “Yes, thank you, but you didn’tneedto send me anything.”
“Oh,please, it was nothing. I was browsing Amazon and it popped up. It made methink of you.” I was only half-lying. I’d been browsing Amazon in search ofsomething to send him, because after a week, I missed him. And I wasalwaysthinking of him.
“Okay,okay … let me in here,” Trent grumbled, pushing through us to walk into thesuite and dropping the grocery bags on the table. “Brooke around tonight?” heasked casually, and I looked up at Devin with a knowing look.
Hearingher name, Brooke emerged from her room, fresh faced and looking as though shehadn’t just fought against an army of zombies. Her hair was pulled back into amessy ponytail and her jeans and t-shirt gave her that casual-cute look shetried desperately to pull off around Trent whenever he was hanging out with us.
“HeyBrooke,” Trent said with a lopsided smile, and Devin waggled his eyebrows atme.
“Hey,”she said before sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.
“Uh,should I get this movie started or what?” I asked the room, and like twoanxious children, Brooke and Trent ran for the small loveseat we used as asofa, leaving Devin to scour the floor for somewhere to sit.
“Holdon,” I said to him, running into my bedroom to grab my pillows and blankets. Icame back, dumping them on the floor at his feet. “Here,dosomething with these while I get the DVD going.”
“Whatthe hell do I look like?” he grumbled, as he set to work.
“Whatare we even watching?” Brooke asked, as Trent handed her a beer.
“TexasChainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” I said grinning, flashing them the movie’scase. “Dev and I already saw it in the theater, but ugh, it wassogood.”
“Itwas fuckinggory,” Devin laughed, still fashioning a nest of pillows andblankets. “But it was great. Remember that couple that had to leave because thedude’s girlfriend kept freaking out?”
“Ohgreat,” Brooke groaned, rolling her eyes. “A horror movie. You guys know howmuch Ilovethose.”
“Ohcome on,” I said with a snicker. “Like you’re actuallygoing to watch it, anyway.”
