“Fine.” I let him go and pull out my cell. “But if you hit him again I’ll call the cops.”
The crowd scatters fast. Nothing like the word “cop” to clear out a party. Only Tattoo Guy remains, his eyes trained on Garr. “Stay away from my girl, or next time I’ll bring a bat.”
Garret stares at the ground, holding his nose to stop it from bleeding. I’ve never seen my friend so broken and hurt. And not just physically.
“Brig?” Keira’s voice comes from the porch, groggy and oblivious. She wears only a guy’s baggy T-shirt, one I assume is his. “What’s—” She freezes when she sees us. “Oh.”
“Have you been cheating on me?” Brig barks.
“Uh…” She says nothing else. There’s nothing else to say. Her lies won’t work now.
Brig cusses her out, and none of us try to stop him. It’s about time for her to deal with all the shit she’s done.
I take a step toward Garret, whose eye looks pretty swollen. “Do you need me to drive you home?”
“No.” He heads for his car, and I follow.
“C’mon, man, you could have a concussion or something. And it’s foggy.”
He lets out a cold laugh. “What are you? My mom?”
“I’m just trying to look out for you, like I always have.” He stops at his truck, doesn’t turn to face me, doesn’t say anything. I keep going. “I’m sorry for everything, okay? I tried to do the right thing, but I still messed it up.”
“I gotta go,” is all he says.
“Okay…” I don’t know what more to say. If he didn’t accept my apology, then maybe our friendship really is over.
He unlocks the door and gives me an angry glance before he drives off. I sit on the curb, Brig’s lovely tirade a perfect compliment to the pounding music. Daphne sits next to me and puts her hand on my knee. “What did he say?”
“Nothing.” I sigh. “I don’t know what I was doing, coming here to save his ass. I bet he thinks I made him look stupid, like he couldn’t handle it himself. He probably hates me more now.”
“Well,” Daphne says, “you are the nark who said he’d call the police.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She leans her head on my shoulder. “No prob.”
Brig storms right by us, shoving me as he goes. He gets into a beat-up van, and before he’s even got the keys in the ignition Izzy takes his place in front of Keira.
“How could you? I trusted you! I defended you, and you were guilty the whole time.”
Keira rolls her eyes. “Can we do this later? I’m tired.”
Izzy’s jaw drops. “You’re tired? Well, I suppose breaking hearts and families and friendships must be exhausting!”
For the smallest moment, Keira looks hurt, but then she goes cold. “Screw you, Izzy.”
“C’mon, guys, let’s put this bitch behind us.” Izzy heads for Colin’s car.
Daphne and I look at each other, surprised that we seem to be included in that statement. I follow, mostly because I am happy to put Keira and her games far, far behind me.
It takes me and Daphne longer to get back to the house because I have to get Puke from Dallas’s place. After all that happened, I’m surprised my car’s not covered in beer cans and permanent marker. Maybe my telling the truth wasn’t as big a deal to them as I was afraid it would be. Or maybe Dallas has already usurped my throne.
Funny, either way I don’t care.
When I get home, Colin is nowhere in sight and Daphne and Izzy are already going at it. For once, Izzy isn’t the one commanding the conversation.
“I’m tired of you assuming I want all the same things you do!” Daphne paces the room. “I don’t like Japanese pop. Did you even know that?”
Izzy’s eyes are wide but not angry. She shakes her head.
“Well, I don’t. And I don’t like feeling as if you’ll kick me to the curb just because I like your brother, or because I think you’re wrong, or because I think Taylor Swift is the most amazing singer in the world.”
Izzy cringes. “Taylor Swift? Are you kidding?”
“See?” Daphne lets out a frustrated grunt. “I can feel you looking down on me right now.”
“I’m not!”
They don’t acknowledge me as I head for the kitchen, their fighting growing louder and louder. I feel the need to cook. I’m starving, for one, but there’s also this energy I can’t quite put in words.
Garret. I want so badly to talk to Garret. I want to tell him we’ll go lifting tomorrow and that everything will be okay. Why can’t it just be okay already?
The pancake batter comes together in no time, and I throw a few pieces of bacon on the flat grill. As I flip the first pancake over, Daphne storms in. “I can’t stay here tonight. It’s like she’s deaf.”
I hold out my hand for her, and she melts into my side. “I think she’s hearing more than you realize.”
She sighs. “Let’s see a movie tomorrow.”
“Definitely.” Maybe Izzy is having a fit, but it’s worth it. I get to go somewhere with my girlfriend other than Parker’s. I give her a quick kiss. “Sleep well.”
“I will.” She pulls me in for another kiss, and the acrid scent of burning pancake is the only thing that can pull me away from her.
“You made me burn food!”
She laughs. Before I can kiss her again, Izzy appears. I might be seeing things, but it looks like she’s been crying.
“See you tomorrow.” Daphne stops when she gets to Izzy. “We’re going to see a movie. You can come if you can stand us.”
Izzy’s shoulders slump. Daphne doesn’t wait for an answer.
I toss the burnt pancake and start on another, very aware that my sister is still there. She might be silent, but it feels like the words are building up in her. Eventually they’ll spill out, and I’m not sure I want to know what they are.
“You hungry?” I ask as I put the bacon on some paper towels.
She nods.
I make sure to block the grill from her view as I carefully add two pointy ears to a pancake. She may not be a little kid, but I know she’ll still love it. That’s what I like most about food—it’s like love on a plate.
I flip her pancake off the grill. With chocolate sauce, I add a nose, eyes, and whiskers. Then I make my Hello Kitty’s bow out of red strawberry jam. I slide it to her. “Here you go, sis.”
Izzy’s face scrunches into her must-not-cry look, and she cradles the plate in her arms. “You were right.”
“What?” I couldn’t have heard that. Izzy does not admit defeat.
“You told me how Daphne felt, and I didn’t believe you.” She swirls the strawberry jam with her fork. “But she feels exactly like you said she did. I can’t believe you know more about my best friend than I do.”
I pour more batter on the grill. “I guess we told each other all the things we couldn’t tell anyone else.”
“She should have been able to tell me.” Izzy sniffles. “I had no idea I made her feel that way.”
I stand across from her, digging into my pancakes. They aren’t anything special, but this late at night they are the perfect fluffy meal. “You know, someone once told me that it’s not about the mistakes you make, but how you act after that makes the difference.”
She swallows a bite, thinking. “Who said that?”
“Daphne.”
She snorts. “Of course. I guess neither of us deserves her.”
“Maybe not, but I’m gonna keep trying.”
Izzy nods. “Me, too.”
We eat in silence, but I have a feeling things between Izzy and me are better. It takes me off guard how comforting that is. I missed her, maybe as much as I miss Garret. I need her in my life; I care about her. More than ever, I just want to be around the people I truly care about. The people who care about me.
Which means I’m not giving up on Garret yet.
Chapter Forty-Two
New Year’s Day. A fresh start. That’s all I can think as I tie
my shoes. I have no idea if he’ll talk to me or if he’ll even answer the door, but I have to try. Because Garret is my best friend, and nothing will change that.
“Where are you going?” Izzy calls from the top of the stairs. I turn, surprised to find her dressed so early in the morning.
“To Garret’s.” I grab my coat from the closet. “Figured I’d give it one more shot.”
She hops down the stairs. “I’m going to Daphne’s. To apologize.”
“Catch her when she faints.”
She punches me. “Shut up.”
I smile. Her fake pout is so familiar, so right. Her doe eyes narrow, and I know she’s wondering what I’m thinking. “I missed this.”
She rolls her eyes and grabs the car keys from the hook.
I follow her out, the cool morning air nipping at my arms. Normally I wouldn’t head over to Garret’s so early, but I figure it’s my best chance to get in the door. Tucker gets up at the crack of dawn, and he’ll let me in. He probably doesn’t even know anything is wrong.
Knock three times.
Wait.
Like always.
Tucker’s feet pound the wood floor as he comes racing, and soon his face is smashed against the skinny window that borders the door. His smile is so much like Garret’s it hurts.
Click go the locks, and he swings the door open, not at all ashamed of his Ultramon PJs. “Hi, Russ! Are you cured?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Cured?”
“Garr said you got attacked by zombies and you couldn’t come over until you got cured from the zombie disease.”
I laugh a little. “Yeah, I’m cured.”
He lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, you can come in, then.”
“Thanks. Is Garr up yet?”
He shuts the door behind me. “I’ll get him!”
I stuff my hands in my pockets. I’m so nervous they’re sweaty. You’d think I was meeting a girl or something. It’s just Garret, I keep telling myself, but it doesn’t help. This is my last chance to make things right. To start over.
When he rounds the corner, I try not to wince at his purple eye. The guy looks miserable, tired, and ready to throw me out. “What do you want?”
“Just to talk. I wanted to tell you the truth, at least.”
His eyes flash, genuinely curious. “For real?”
I nod.
He looks over his shoulder, as if he doesn’t want Tucker to hear. “Outside, then.”
We sit at the edge of his porch, our feet on the stairs. I look out at our street, still and hazy in the light fog. It’s easier than looking at his face, bruised because I didn’t have the balls to tell him what really happened.
I take a deep breath. Get it out. No more hiding. “I was jealous of you, okay? You always had the pretty girlfriend, the good grades, the most touchdowns. I thought if I could beat you to Keira, that somehow it would prove I wasn’t always second best.”
He only gapes at me, so I keep going.
“I had no idea you were already with her, I swear. When I took her home one night, she kissed me. We made out for about a week until you came into Parker’s, and then I felt like the worst friend in the world. I couldn’t tell you…” I keep rambling. I tell him everything I was afraid to say out loud before, and he listens. “It’s my fault, Garr. I had to tell you. I’ve never been sorrier in my life.”
He looks up at the sky, pressing his lips into a tight, smiling line. “I thought you said you were going to tell the truth.”
“Huh?”
He gives me a suspicious glare. “You were jealous of me? Really?”
“You’re better than me at everything. I had no idea people thought I was cool, not until Mercedes told me, and that was after you and Keira were official. I thought they only tolerated me because of you.”
He shakes his head. “I was always jealous of you.”
“What?”
“I had to have a girlfriend just to compete. I only wanted Keira because of the way she looked at you that night. It was the same with every girl I’ve dated, man. I stole them from you.”
For some reason, hearing this doesn’t make me mad. “But why?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess because it proved I wasn’t second best. I should have listened when you warned me about her, but I didn’t want you to win. So it’s as much my fault as it is yours.”
“Wow.” I rest my elbows on my knees. “We’re idiots.”
“No kidding.”
Without another word, I know things are okay between us. There’s no way Garret and I can stop being friends. We could do a thousand stupid things like this and it would still come back to friendship.
“I think I’m in love with Daphne,” I say after a long stretch of silence.
His eyes go wide. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I smile just thinking about her. “I was at Dallas’s party last night, and she came to tell me about what happened to you. He kept calling her names, so I punched him. He looked like he was about cry, holding his bloody nose.”
He busts up laughing. “I’m sad I missed that.”
“It was pretty classic.”
“Have you kissed her?”
All I have to do is look at him and he knows.
“Man, she has you totally whipped, doesn’t she?”
“I’m happy to be whipped.”
“Someone alert the media! Russell Pearson finally has a girlfriend. Women everywhere mourn.”
“Whatever. What’s been going on with you?”
“Besides being cheated on and trying to get in with punks? Not much. Aced my classes, turned in my college applications.”
“Did Stanford ever…?” I wince, remembering the championship game. He probably doesn’t want to talk about it.
“They didn’t offer me a football scholarship, if that’s what you were going to ask.” He smiles, which surprises me. I always thought he’d be bummed if he didn’t get to go there. “But they said if I got in academically they’d put me on the team.”
My smile matches his. “So you’re on the team.”
“If I get in.”
“You’ll get in.”
“Hope so. Did you end up applying anywhere?”
I shake my head. “You know how I was working at Parker’s?” He nods. “Well, I’m still working there. And I’m gonna go to culinary school. I want to be a chef.” I’m surprised by how confident I sound, not at all ashamed. This might be the first time I don’t feel even a twinge of embarrassment.
Garret’s eyebrows arch. “That is…strangely perfect for you.”
Before I can answer, Puke’s strangled honk sounds from the street. Izzy pulls up, Daphne in the front seat, and I smile like a fool.
“Russell Arnold Pearson!” Izzy yells, though we’re only twenty feet away. “Will you do the honor of making us breakfast?”
I laugh. “I see how it is!”
“Please?” Daphne draws out the word. “Denny’s has nothing on you.”
“Fine!” I stand and turn to my best friend. “Garr, you hungry?”
He pulls himself up. “Do you even have to ask?”
We head inside, and I pull out all the stops on a full breakfast spread because they deserve it. The only people I need to impress are right here, and they like me just fine.
And I don’t have to be someone I’m not to keep it that way.
Acknowledgments
This book is about friendship, so I have to thank my friends (you know who you are) for teaching me what that word really means. Thank you for taking me as I am and for seeing so much more in me than I see in myself. I would have stopped writing ages ago without you.
Thank you to my amazing editor, Diane Dalton, for sprucing up this story and making it all shiny and new. And a huge thanks to my designer and friend, Michelle Argyle (Melissa Williams Design), for creating the absolute perfect cover for this book. You two really are my “dream team.”
Finally, a huge debt of gratitude goes to
my family. My husband and children, of course, but also I want to give a particular shout out to my siblings—Mark, Ariel, and McKenna—who made growing up together a blast and full of story inspiration. Miss you guys too much.
Natalie Whipple has always felt like a sidekick, but has never actually been one. At least not to her bestest friends. Which are the ones that matter. She lives in Utah with her husband and kids, and they spend most of their quality time playing video games together and being proud "freaks" in general.
More From
NATALIE WHIPPLE
Transparent
Blindsided
House Of Ivy & Sorrow
Relax, I'm A Ninja
Trust Me, I'm A Ninja
Fish Out Of Water
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sidekick Page 21
