Just as we make it to the driveway, we see Griffin. He’s running down the driveway, scanning the street.
“I can’t talk to him right now,” I croak out. Addie nods and moves me into the shadows before marching out to confront him.
“No. Just no,” Addie says. “She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Griffin’s face is illuminated by one of the lights anchored to the eave of the house. He looks awful.
Guilty, yes, but there’s also sadness swimming in those eyes.
“Please, Addie. I need to talk to her.” He squints toward the darkness where I’m hiding. “Please, Sophie. Talk to me. Let me explain. I didn’t mean it like that.”
I take a step back, not wanting to be near him…not wanting to hear his excuses. Running behind a row of azalea bushes to the front yard, I trip every other step, trying to put some distance between us.
I hope Griffin doesn’t follow me. There is a small part of me that wants to take what I heard, twist it around until it’s something that doesn’t crush me. But I can’t quit hearing the disappointment in his voice. No matter what he says, he didn’t want to see me. He didn’t want to be here with me.
By the time I make it to my car, I’m shattered. Footsteps pound on the pavement behind me, and I brace myself.
“Sophie, please talk to me?” Griffin begs.
I’m facing the car. He’s right behind me, and I know Addie is somewhere behind him.
My mouth tightens. “I was so excited my parents let me stay home because all I could think was how fun it would be to hang out with you. Just the two of us. That’s what I was looking forward to. But you want a break. From me. Right? Isn’t that what you were looking forward to?”
His hand lands softly on my shoulder and he says, “Turn around and talk to me.”
I shrug him off. “Is that what you want?”
I can feel him struggling to find the words. “I don’t know what I want, Soph. Everything is so confusing right now. Things got so serious between us. It’s our senior year. We’re supposed to be having fun!”
I spin around. “Well, let me make it easy for you. You want a break? You got it. We’re done.”
He reaches for me, but I dodge his grasp. He seems frantic, and I can’t help but think it’s because of how this is going down. He didn’t get his trial run first.
“Wait, Sophie. Can we talk about this? I love you. I really do.”
His words are like a blow. I’ve waited and wanted him to say this to me for months.
I can’t do this.
I can’t stay here.
“Please stay and talk to me,” Griffin begs. I turn and get into my car.
Griffin finally retreats to the sidewalk as I start the engine, and Addie runs to the window. “Let me drive you.”
I give her a weak smile. “I’m fine. I’ll call you later, okay? I love you.”
She reaches in the window and gives me a quick hug. “I love you, too.”
Thankfully, Griffin keeps his distance.
Within minutes, I’m on I-20 headed to Shreveport.
By the time I get to Nonna’s house, I’m a wreck. I check my appearance in the rearview mirror and almost scream at the mascara-streaked stranger staring back at me. My nose is red, my eyes are swollen, and I’m pretty sure there’s dried snot crusted on my shirt.
Thankfully, most of the lights are off, so there’s a good chance no one is here but my grandparents. At this house, it’s not unusual to step over sleeping bodies just inside the door. Out of the eight kids my grandparents have, six live here in Shreveport, four of them within blocks of this house. Though you’d think it would mean they’d go home, that’s usually not the case. But tonight looks quiet.
I park my car on the street and grab my bag from the backseat, but I only make it to the front steps before I collapse. I can’t go in there like this. Nonna will call my parents, and they’ll be mad I didn’t come straight here. But they’ll also be upset about Griffin. They love him. Even with all of their crazy rules, they already treat him like he’s part of the family.
