Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“I’ll just drop Yoko off at my mom’s on the way to meet him. No biggie.”
I lower my voice to a whisper. “Okay, actually, yes. Please take him. He’s fine, but he’s been a little rowdy and won’t stop licking Kayla’s ear.”
Ace chuckles. “I hear Harry Wethers from Chem One had the same problem our first semester.”
I shove his shoulder. “Stop. Let me get the dog.”
“Wait. Here,” he calls, stopping me in my tracks and spinning me back toward him. “I brought some chocolate too. And a warm compress. And I know you guys had your own food planned, but I brought a couple steaks from that place you love. On the corner.”
“Brasilia?”
He winks. “That’s the one.”
“Oh my God, that’s amazing.”
“I had a feeling all of it would be beneficial today. You know, because it’s about that time of the month.”
Whenever I’m on my period, red meat is my go-to. It’s a trick I learned from my grandma Savannah. But how in the hell Ace knows all that is beyond me.
“Wait…time of the month?” My jaw drops. “Are you… Are you tracking my cycle?”
He holds up both hands defensively, a freedom he has because I’m now holding the heating pad, bag of steak, and box of expensive chocolates. “Not tracking. I just…kind of know now. I’ve been around a long time, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess you have.” I shake my head, incredulous. “Pretty wild, though, that you remember that shit.”
“Of course I remember that shit, Lia.” He wraps his arms around my shoulders and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Anyway, I thought this stuff would be comforting, but if you’re not into it, feel free to give it to the girls or get rid of it. Whatever.”
“No. It’s…great. Honestly. I can’t believe I didn’t think to get steak myself. The charcuterie was good but a little fluffy.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Jules. So you don’t have to think about it.” He winks, and I melt a little inside. Even on me, his winks have always held a certain level of power. “If you need anything else, just text or call, okay?”
I nod.
“Have fun with the girls.” He leans down and kisses me on the forehead again, and then in no more than a moment, he and Yoko are gone.
But thoughts of him linger. Dangerous, scary thoughts of what it’d be like if we were more than just friends.
I go back to the girls and the Ouija board, and of course, we start asking it questions. They’re throwaways at first—channeling our ancestors for basic hellos like it says to do in the instructions.
Is anyone there?
Are you friendly?
Can you tell us your name?
But as the night goes on, and the second margarita pitcher gets lighter, we get bolder and bolder.
Am I on the right path in life?
Do you use your spirit to guide me?
Is fate fair?
And finally, I work up the courage to test the scariest question of all.
“If you are able, and it’s not too much to ask, could you tell us the first letter of the name of our soul mate? Kayla first. Then Scottie. Then me.”
We watch as the planchette moves around the board in a circle. It stops first at the letter C, then an F, and then an A.
I gasp, and then we all erupt into hysterics. Kayla accidentally knocks over the hummus, and the planchette flies off the board like it’s had enough of us.
I know it’s silly. Probably not real.
But that A?
It scrambles something inside me. Not in a big, meaningful way or anything. Just in a tiny, oh-no-my-heart-did-a-weird-flip kind of way.
It could’ve been D. Probably should’ve been D. Logically, D made more sense.
But nope. There it was. A.
And now I’m sitting in the flickering candlelight trying really hard not to read into anything.
It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
Nothing to see here, ghosts. Move along.
Friday, July 25th
Ace
“Surprise!” we all yell as Finn pushes Scottie inside Zip’s Diner and the door closes behind them. He’s been planning this party for a minute—wanting something special and unexpected for Scottie in the middle of her finding her new normal—and freaking out to me every five seconds in the process.
“Do you think she’ll really be surprised?”
“Is Zip’s special enough?”
“Should I have told her instead of surprising her?”
My best bud is normally composed as fuck, but my God, he’s been a whiny weenie about this shit, and really, with everything I’m juggling on my own, it’s been a lot. It’s like putting on your oxygen mask before helping others on a crashing plane—I can hardly save someone else from hysteria when I’m on the brink of breakdown myself.
Last year, when he was in the throes of drama with Scottie, it was easy. I was composed. I was promiscuous. I was naïve. I was, however, in love—I just didn’t realize it yet.
But when I’m honest with myself, I know I’ve been in love with Julia since the beginning. Since we first made our decree. Since we first laid eyes on each other.