“You aren’t interested in anyone from Fayetteville, you’ve made that abundantly clear, and he’s rarely home when I’m there visiting.”
“There is no one else you’re trying to go home and see?”
“Why am I even explaining myself to you? My childhoodfriend died. We grew up together. I want to go to his funeral. Bottom line.”
“Go if you want, but you might not have a job when you return.”
I threw down the spatula and turned toward him. “Seriously?”
He shrugged, a condescending smirk on his face. “I can’t help it if Mom or Dad decide to fire you because you’re missing the biggest inspection for our company. It doesn’t prove your loyalty, Cadence.”
You know how in kids’ TV shows, the cartoon character’s jaw drops to the ground and has to be rolled up like a window shade? That’s what I envisioned my jaw looked like now as I stared agape at Elijah.
“You are kidding me, right? You wouldn’t have my back with your parents? You wouldn’t vouch for me and tell them I was out for a funeral? You’d let them fire me? Just like that?”
Again, he shrugged. “I can’t control them.”
Words stuck in my throat as my breathing picked up. I couldn’t believe this. I couldn’t believe him.
Suddenly, all those negative emotions I’d carried all summer came rushing back, like we had made no progress at all. He still valued his family and what they thought more than me. Could they really be that heartless? To deny the privilege of saying a last goodbye to one of my best friends?
My throat burned as my tears threatened to fall again. I’d made it a rule long ago to never cry in front of anyone. Tears were seen as a weakness, like you couldn’t handle yourself if you cried. However, I cried not only because I was sad, but also when I became angry.
I closed my eyes and pressed my hand to my aching chest. I needed to figure out how to properly work my lungs again. My vision was spotty, black dots moving behind my lids.
I finally opened them again. “I’m not hungry anymore. If you want to finish cooking, go ahead.”
Turning off the burner, I walked around Elijah and up the stairs to our bedroom.
“Cadence. Wait.”
But I kept going. It was too late.
When I called Jade, she picked up on the second ring.
“What’s wrong? You never straight up call me. It’s either text or FaceTime.”
The words I knew I needed to say caught in my throat. She had been Noah’s friend too. She deserved to know.
“Cadence… what’s going on?”
“I don’t know how to even say it…”
But I let the jumbled mess of words leave my mouth as my heart ached and tears fell. Her gasps and the sound of her crying was the only thing on the other line.
“I realize you didn’t spend as much time with the gang as you wanted, but I know how much they all mean to you. I had to tell you.”
“I’m glad you did.” She sniffled, her voice deeper than normal. “When is the funeral?”
“Next week.”
“When do you leave?”
I looked down at my feet that dangled off the edge of my bed. “I’m not. I can’t get the time off of work.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
