The soundof paper ripping repeatedly keeps me from getting any rest. I roll over and hang my head off the side of the bunk, glancing down at Penn. He’s stretched out, notebook in his lap, scribbling shit, and then tearing it out, adding it to the little pile of paper shrapnel at his feet.
“Writer’s block?”
“No.” He refuses to look at me as he writes, almost frantically. He tears out another page, balls it up, and tosses it through the air. I reach down, snatch it, and roll back up on my bunk. “Hey, what the fuck?”
I hear paper rustling and unroll the crumpled-up ball as quickly as I can, my eyes scanning the words.
Barbie OliviaBarbie,
I love you more than I can ever express.
Missing you this much has only confirmed what I knew from the night I met you,I’m drawn to you in a way I’ve never known, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We once played a game of five questions. I’ve been saving my last one since that night..
“Give that back.” Penn leaps up on my bed, ripping the paper from my hand.
“Is someone writing a love letter?”
“Shut up,” he growls, punching me in the arm and jumping down.
“It sounded good. Why did you stop?” I lean over the edge again, peering down at him.
He starts gathering all his trash and shoving it into the drawer next to our beds.
“It’s nothing. Go away.”
“I can help. I think it’s cute you’re keeping the art of mailing love letters alive. Seems a bit wasteful when you could just send her a text, but what do I know?”
“Nothing. You know absolutely nothing, and it’s not a love letter.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking stressed.
“A song? Though, I have to tell you it’s not hittin’ yet. Doesn’t mean it won’t.”
“Ugh, it’s not a song! It’s–I’m…going to propose.”
I jolt, slamming my head off the ceiling. “Ah, fuck!” I bark, rubbing the top of my head. “Beg pardon?”
He rolls his eyes and crawls back into his bed. “You heard me.”
“You’re going…to propose…to Olivia?” He blinks at me, refusing to answer my obvious question. It was rhetorical anyway. I’m just processing. “When?”
Why hasn’t he mentioned this before? It’s obvious this is where their relationship was headed. I called it long ago, even when he was in denial, but I didn’t think he was thinkingabout it already. I always thought Tanner would be the first to go.
“I have a few dates in mind. I’m going to wait until her store opens. She needs to focus on that.”
“Yeah, and you still have to get a ring. That could take a while. Gotta make sure it’s perfect and shit.”
“I already have the ring,” he says, and my hands shoot out.
“What? Since when?”
He shrugs. “For a while. I bought it when we were doing SummerFest.”
My jaw pops open. “Wow, and you didn’t fucking tell me!?”
“Shh!” he says, glancing around. “You and Ellie were still messing around.” I open my mouth to argue, but he sends me a look. “Don’t act like you weren’t. I didn’t want you accidentally opening your mouth during pillow talk or some shit.”
My face twists in horror. “Pillow talk? Do I look like I have pillow talk?” It’s like he doesn’t even know me.
