Kayla: Say less. Zip’s in 20?
Me: See you there.
I look back at Ace’s door one more time before heading back to my apartment and throwing on some clothes for lunch.
I’m wishing I had a plan. I’m wishing I knew what to do. But mostly, I’m wishing and hoping and praying that whatever’s broken between us can be fixed.
Julia
The coffee at Zip’s tastes like it was brewed in a 1970s radiator, and I love it for that. The booths are cracked vinyl, the syrup is exceedingly sticky, and the burgers are basically perfect.
But none of it is helping with the pit in my stomach.
Scottie wheels up to the table, and Kayla slides into a chair across from me. Both of them look suspiciously cute for people who supposedly woke up hungover.
“Okay, before you even try to pretend this is a normal lunch,” Kayla says, tossing her purse down, “your text sounded like a cry for help.”
“It wasn’t a cry for help,” I lie. “I just wanted to see you guys.”
Scottie lifts a brow. “C’mon, Jules.”
“Okay, fine.” I laugh, but it’s a weak one. “Maybe it was a little cry for help.” I wrap my hands around the mug in front of me like it might anchor me to the earth. “Not sure if you noticed…but Ace and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms.”
Both of them blink at me.
Then they laugh.Hard.
Scottie points a fry at me. “Girl, wenoticed.”
“The tension between the two of you for the past month and a half could power the entire New York electrical grid.” Kayla’s shaking her head. “So…what happened between you guys?”
My cheeks burn, but I find the courage to lay it all out there. Some of this, I’m sure Scottie already knows because of Finn, butKayla is most certainly in the dark. “Right after he became Double C prez and I agreed to be Drew’s girlfriend, Ace kissed me and told me he loved me. He also told me all this crazy shit he’d been doing to be closer to me. Really insane kind of stuff.”
“Whaaaaa?” Kayla chimes in with wide eyes. “And what did you say to him?”
“I basically told him it was too late.”
“Oh shit,” Scottie mutters.
“I know.” I sigh. “But in my defense, I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for Ace.”
“Wait…you’ve been secretly pining for him all this time?”
I sigh again. “Cat’s outta the bag.”
They both go quiet.
“Everything just got so…complicated. And now I think I messed everything up.”
“Does Drew know you have feelings for Ace?”
“I don’t think that matters because I broke up with him last night.”
Kayla lets out a low whistle. “Damn, girl. No wonder you texted us.”
“Do you want to be with Ace?” Scottie asks.
“Yes. But mostly, I want my best friend back.”
