“We?” I looked up, confused.
“Yes, we.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, no room for debate. “We can’t go on our road trip until you settle things here.”
I started to protest. “Daph, you don’t have to?—”
“Noah, stop.” Her voice turned serious, and I stopped mid-sentence. “I know you think you have to handle everything on your own, but you don’t. People care about you. I care about you. You put everything on hold for me when I needed help. Why can’t I do the same for you?”
I stared at her, at the conviction in her eyes.
“Because you’re my little sister. It’s different.”
“It’s not different,” she insisted. “Not when you’re family.”
She paused, giving me a knowing look before adding, “And I’m sure Macey would be interested to hear how you truly feel about her.”
My heart thudded in my chest. Macey. It was always Macey.
“I don’t know—” I began, but Daphne cut me off, her voice growing impatient.
“Stop overthinking. Just answer this: What do youwant, Noah?”
I hesitated. WhatdidI want? For months, I’d been running in circles, trying to keep everything together without asking myself that simple question.
“I—” I stammered, unsure of what to say.
Daphne poked me again, relentless. “What. Do. You. Want?”
“Macey,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
She got up, grabbed a notebook from the shelf, and flipped it open, pen in hand. “Perfect. Because we are not leaving until I help you win her back.”
I nodded, still reeling from how quickly she’d taken charge of the situation.
Daphne smiled, her eyes gleaming with determination. “Let’s get to work.”
25
MACEY
The Burrow Bitches
Kira: Everyone chime in with their inspiration to Macey today!
Kira: I’ll go first. Macey, you’re a talented writer who’s gonna go far.
Ariadne: You don’t need a man to be successful! You’re an independent woman
Britney: you’re a bad bitch with a fat ass
Kira: Not quite what I had in mind, but I agree
Macey: I love you guys
Today I discovered that I had a limit on the time I could spend pitying myself. Turned out it was three days. I spent three whole days in bed wallowing, eating nothing but Chinese takeout while binge-watchingLove Island. Both the US and UK versions.
After a brief stint of considering applying to be acontestant on the reality show, I realized I had spiraled enough. I wasn’t made to be on TV. I was made to be a writer.
And I wasn’t going to let this setback ruin my career.
