Serena ignores me completely, her attention back on her best friend. “You should come skating with us! Don’t even try to say no. And my mom made your favorite, pho and egg rolls. You have to eat before we go, but leave me some this time, I swear.”
“I—Serena—” Alli starts to protest, her cheeks flushing, but her best friend waves her off with zero room for argument.
“Don’t even. What’s mine is yours, duh. Plus, skating isn’t as fun without you.” Serena studies Alli briefly, her expression thoughtful, like she’s picking up on what she’s not saying. “Are you okay, though? You look kind of… distracted.”
Alli hesitates, her hand clutching the strap of her bag, and for the first time since stepping inside, she looks at me. Her voice drops, quiet but resolute. “I just… came to talk to Jared for a minute.”
Serena nods in understanding, but instead of stepping back, she throws me a look that’s half warning, half joke.
“Don’t mess it up, Jared.” She says, then taps Alli on the shoulder, whispering loud enough for both of us to hear, “Let me know if he’s being dumb.”
“I’m still here,” I grunt, crossing my arms.
“Unfortunately,” Serena teases, and with that, she flits off toward the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder, “I’ll make you both bowls, but you better be ready to skate soon!”
I turn back to Alli, who’s staring after her, a small smile contending with whatever tornado brought her here.
“Want to sit for a minute?” I offer, tilting my head toward my dad’s office.
“Yeah. That’d be good.”
As we settle in, Tyler appears in the hallway with a plate of egg rolls and gives me a knowing smirk as we pass. He doesn’t say anything, thankfully, but his eyebrows tell a story all by themselves.
Once we’re alone, I lean forward, elbows on my knees, and look at her. “What’s going on?”
Alli glances at her hands before looking up at me. “Honestly? I didn’t know where else to go.”
Her words hit like a sucker punch, a quiet ache that digs in deep.
“Well, you came to the right place.”
A flicker of relief crosses her face, and maybe that’s enough. Her knee bounces, a little too quick for the casual front she’s trying to put on. Her fingers twist at the strap of her bag, her nails grazing the worn leather. Everything about her screams that she doesn’t want to be sitting here or anywhere, but she hasn’t moved. She hasn’t bolted. That’s something.
“I had this… thing with my family,” comes out fast, like she needs to get it over with before she can’t. “My aunt said something, and I just snapped. I told her off. Walked out. Evelyn tried to mediate, but she just…” She exhales, pressing her palms to her knees. “She always takes her mom’s side. God, Jared, I never lose it like that.”
I watch her for a second, letting the words hang in the air. Underneath her rigid posture, it’s crude, all of it.
“And now you’re here,” I say, keeping my tone hushed, like I can somehow alleviate the burden off her just by holding the space for it.
Her lips twist in a wry, humorless smile, and she nods. “Yeah. I didn’t… I couldn’t stay there, not after everything I said.”
“Good for you.”
Her head jerks up, her gaze locking with mine like I’ve just said something insane. “What?”
I shrug, leaning back against the back of the chair. “Sounds to me like they pushed, and you finally pushed back. Nothing wrong with that.”
Her laugh is sharp, the kind of laugh someone gives when they’re not convinced. “You didn’t hear what I said.TíaMary’s probably sitting there right now, cooking up a new speech about how ungrateful I am—”
“Or”—I cut her off, leaning forward just enough for my voice to soften—“she’s finally realizing you’re not going to let her treat you like shit anymore.”
That stops her cold. Her knee stops bouncing. Her fingers still. Her mouth parts just slightly, as if she wants to answer but doesn’t know how.
“You think?” She says finally, her voice hesitant.
“Iknow. People like her, they rely on you taking it. That’s how they win. You’ve been letting her get to you for years, haven’t you?”
She doesn’t answer right away, just drops her gaze to her lap and runs her tongue over her bottom lip, thinking. And I contain a smirk at the gesture she does so often when she’s focused on studying. That’s Alli.
