“Oh … okay … ?” She shuts the door behind me and walks back to her mirror.
I glance around her room, tidy as always. “Where are you going?”
“Wesley’s.”
“To do what?”
“Just the usual. Bonfire,” she says, like it’s obvious.
“Is Brantley going?”
“I’m not sure yet. I was supposed to go to his house, but I got too anxious and bailed.” She sighs, “again”
“Oh? Really?”
It’s been a while since I’ve heard those words come out of her mouth. Addison has dealt with some anxiety ever since she was little. We never knew what her issue was or what to call it until she finally went to a doctor and got diagnosed with a mild case. We used to just call it her nerves; she’d get extremely nervous, so much so that sometimes she’d throw up.
“I don’t know why I can go to Wesley’s or anywhere with him and be fine, but the second it’s Brantley’s truck or his house, I get anxious,” she says, her frustration clear.
“Maybe you don’t feel as comfortable around him?” I suggest, trying to steer the conversation in the direction I came over for.
“No, I do,” she defends.
“How comfortable?” I sit down on the edge of the bed, studying her in the mirror.
Her eyes narrow. “What?”
“How comfortable are you two together?” I press gently.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Does he respect your boundaries?”
Her face goes blank, and I notice a slight warmth of embarrassment creeping up her cheeks.
“Yeah?” There’s uncertainty lacing her tone.
“So it was your idea to hang out upstairs while Mom and Dad were out?” My tone is soft but serious.
Her face loses color. “Who told you that?”
“Who do you think?”
“Do Mom and Dad know?” she whispers.
I shake my head. “No, and it can stay that way if you promise me it won’t happen again.”
“Fine, but it was nothing.”
My voice turns firmer than before. “Then what was it?”
“I wanted to get changed out of what I was wearing. He followed me and …” Her voice trails off.
“And then what?”
“And we just made out …” She shrugs.
“Addie …” I shake my head, not buying it. I know exactly how these things unfold. The heat of the moment takes over faster than you expect. One second you’re just kissing, and the next, you’re crossing lines you said you wouldn’t. I’ve been there; I know how quickly things can turn.
