“I can’t, Mom,” she said, fighting back tears. “I care about him too much to be only friends. We can’t go from this, how we are here, to texting and phone calls and FaceTime. It’s just easier to rip off the bandage.”
“You’re too young to be so jaded,” her mother said, frowning.
“I’m also too young to think this guy I met on vacation is going to be the one I spend the rest of my life with. I have plans, youknow? Things I want to accomplish with my life. And I’m afraid if Jack and I stay in touch, if we try to stay friends or even try to maintain some sort of long distance relationship, I’ll lose sight of all of that. And I can’t let that happen, not when I’ve worked so hard for it all. I may not be doing something noble like Logan and Berkley, but that doesn’t make my dreams any less valid than theirs.”
“Is that really what you think?” her mom asked. “That we don’t appreciate you and what you want to do with your life the way we do your brother and sister?”
Jessica slumped in her chair, embarrassment heating her cheeks. This wasn’t how she’d planned to have this conversation with her family—in fact, she’d never planned on having it at all. And while having Bethani and Lisa here, staring between them like they were tracking the volley of a tennis match, wasn’t ideal, it was too late to back down.
Jessica had always wanted to be a teacher. For as long as she could remember, that was what she’d felt called to do. Maybe it wasn’t living up to the standards her elder siblings had unfairly and unwittingly set, but Jessica still considered it to be a worthwhile endeavor.
“Sweetheart,” her mom said, reaching for her hand. “Your father and I are immensely proud of you, exactly as much as we are of Logan and Berkley. Those two…they live in their own little world. It’s been like that since they were kids. But you are just as smart and talented as they are, and your father and I support you in whatever it is you want to do. No matter what. Do you understand me?”
Jessica could only nod.
“As for the Jack situation…” her mom started.
“Please, no,” Jessica said.
“Actually, I think you need to hear whatever she has to say,” Bethani said. “Go ahead, Mrs. Daniels.”
“Thank you, Bethani,” her mom said. “What I was going to say is that, if you have feelings for this boy, the big, scary kind that make you want to run in the opposite direction, those are usually the relationships worth holding onto. I’m not trying to tell you what to do here, Jess, but you have to stop making choices with your head so much and let your heart have a say in the conversation. Otherwise you’re just letting yourself down, and possibly missing out on something really amazing in the process.”
Grudgingly, Jessica admitted, “You make some great points, Mom.”
“Yeah, Mrs. Daniels! Almost like an attorney.”
“Well, I may not be a lawyer myself, but I did raise two, so I picked up a few things along the way.” Then she added, “And speaking of, have you talked to your sister about this?”
Jessica shook her head. “Berk is busy with school. She doesn’t want to hear about my lame ass teenage drama.”
Her mother shrugged. “You may feel that way, but Berkley certainly doesn’t. In fact, I think you should message both of your siblings and see what they have to say.”
Jessica scoffed. “You already know what Logan will say. If it were up to him and Dad, I wouldn’t date until I was thirty.”
Her brother wasn’t as overprotective or overbearing as some older siblings were prone to be, but he still had a tendency to treat Jessica like a baby. Secretly, she thought the motivation behind not wanting her to date was because he’d lived like a monk since he and his long-time college girlfriend had broken up. When he’d decided to move back to Traverse City in a few months once he finished law school, she hadn’t wanted to “live in the middle of nowhere.” And poof. Four years down the drain. The whole family had thought they would be getting married after graduation, not splitting up. It came as quite the shock to all of them.
“I’m just saying, maybe they’ll have some insight that might make you feel better about your decision, one way or another.”
Truth be told, BerkleywasJessica’s favorite person to go to for advice, and she supposed getting a second opinion on the Jack situation couldn’t hurt matters.
While her mom, Bethani, and Lisa carried on a conversation around her, Jessica considered the best way to go about this without inciting a riotous response from her brother.
Jessica sighed, resigned. Her siblings had only voiced her exact thoughts, yet their words settled on her chest like a stone. It wasn’t what she’dwantedto hear, but she knew it was what sheneededto hear.
She would enjoy this one final night with Jack, and then tomorrow, it would be over.
THEN: April 8, 2020
“You gonna give itup to blondie tonight?” Chad asked Jack as they made their way to dinner that evening.
Before Jack could, Tyler reached out and smacked Chad on the back of the head. “Shut up,” Tyler said.
Jack fist-bumped him.
“But honestly,” Zach piped up from the back of the group, “I want to know the answer. Is this going to be the night our boy finally loses his v-card? Honestly, DeLuca, I could think of worse places and people than Mexico with a little hottie like Jessica.”
“Wait…” Jack said, stopping to level his friend with a glare. “You…know? That I’m…”
