“Robin, I’m so happy for you,” Raven says. “Giving you a virtual hug.”
“Thanks. Valerie and her friends gave us a hard time in the beginning, but we totally ignored her and she eventually got the message and buzzed off. It was so cool how we didn’t let her get to us. I think Jamie will be my best friend now. And maybe if Olivia comes back, all three of us will be best friends. And maybe we’ll all go to HBA together, just like you, Raven, and I’ll have a friend group, too.”
Raven smiles. “You never know. Keep your chin up and your grades up and be your awesome self and everything will turn out the way it’s meant to.”
Robin nods, then gives us a cheeky grin. “Like you and Kylen? Did you guys kiss yet?”
Raven and I exchange a look. She says, “Is that any of your business?”
Robin lifts her chin. “Of course it is.”
I bend close. “Want to hear a secret?”
She bends close, too. “Yeah.”
“You have an amazing sister.”
“I know that. Tell me something new. Did you kiss or not?”
Raven sighs. “Are you going to pester us until we give you an answer?”
“Duh.”
“Okay, we did.”
“Yay! How many times?”
Raven’s finger hovers over the end call button. “Goodbye, Robin.”
She pouts. “Aw, okay. Don’t hang up yet. Don’t you want to hear something funny Jamie and I did yesterday?”
We listen intently as she talks. It’s great to see her eyes shining like that. Just a few weeks ago, she was despondent and distant, but now she’s come alive. And that’s all because she had the confidence to be herself and make friends with a girl who needed one as well.
We spend a few minutes talking about the ski lodge and we’re forced to tell her we kissed on the ice. She finds it all romantic and wishes to have something similar one day. Raven tells her she definitely will.
“Okay, Mom!” Robin calls. “Ugh. She’s making me study for my test.”
“Grades are super important if you want to get into HBA on scholarship,” Raven tells her.
Robin rolls her eyes, then playfully sticks out her tongue. “Okay, okay. Promise to call me again, too. Both of you.”
I salute. “You got it, little miss,” I say with my British accent.
Robin twists her mouth. “What was that?”
“Just Kylen being his dorky self,” Raven teases, then rubs my nose with hers.
“Robin!” her mom calls.
“Ugh. I’ve got to go. Talk to you guys later.”
“Bye.” Raven blows her a kiss while I wave, and then we end the call.
Raven takes my arm and wraps it around her. “I’m so happy she’s doing well. I was so worried about her.” She snuggles closer to me. “Thanks for helping her.”
I lower my head to kiss her cheek. “Of course. She’s a good kid and deserves all the good things.”
“She definitely does.”
