Tori grins, but there’s no warmth behind her eyes. “Well, good luck, D, because it looks like she’s already moved on.” She points to the table where Gracie and Ben are sitting, and he has his arm around her shoulders. My stomach plummets.
I’ve lost my appetite.
Chapter 16
Grace
Sixteen Years Old
“So, uh, you gonna address all of that weird-as-fuck tension back there?” Ben asks as we walk to the other side of the cafeteria.
“It’s nothing that I want to get into, really,” I mumble, keeping my head down.
“Come on, Grace. You listen to me go on and on about how much I miss Mia, like, every day. I show you pictures of her freaking cat. If anything, I owe you for putting up with me.”
I laugh. “I’m an aspiring vet. Looking at animal pictures isn’t exactly a hardship for me.”
Ben raises an eyebrow. “Clue me in. DT said that you’re best friends, but I have literally never seen you in the same room together before today.”
I wrestle with the idea of telling Ben the truth. It would be nice to unload some of the weight I’ve been carrying onto someone I trust, or at least someone who won’t judge me. After a few moments of hesitation, I decide to open up.
“Danny isn’t just my next-door neighbor. We’ve been best friends since we were ten years old. Like ‘sneaking over to each other’s rooms in the middle of the night, listening to our favorite songs, talking about our hopes and dreams’ best friends.”
He feigns hurt. “Not gonna lie, I thought I was your best friend.”
“You refuse to make other friends here, so technically, I’m your only friend,” I counter with a small smile.
“I already have a very full social calendar with you, Grace. Who do you want me to befriend? Good Guy Garett?”
I can’t help but giggle. Ben always knows how to keep it light and breezy.
“Plus, what’s the point when I’m going back to Indianapolis as soon as humanly possible?”
“I know, I know. You’re just looking for reasons to leave me.” I grin. We’ve had this conversation a million times.
His easy smile turns serious again, mouth pressed into a determined line. “So, if you’re best friends, why was it so awkward back there?”
Hearing Ben use the word “awkward” to describe Danny’s interaction with me causes me to break—how far we’ve fallen. My eyes start to mist over.Oh my God, how embarrassing.Ben puts his arm around me as we turn to face away from the majority of the cafeteria.
“Hey, sorry I asked. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s just been kind of hard. We were incredibly close, basically codependent, until he started dating Tori. Now, I hardly ever see him. The space between us is actually painful,” I explain.
“WhatisTori’s deal? She seemed pretty possessive over someone who claims he’s your best friend.”
“Um, she actually told me to stay away from him,” I whisper.
Ben drops his arm from my shoulder to fully face me. “She didwhat?”
“She said that Danny doesn’t need to ‘lose focus’ on his dreams right now, and he was already stressed with how little time he has outside of football. She basically told me to back off and implied that’s what he wants, too,” I mumble.
Ben shakes his head. “I don’t know, Grace. First, you’re a great friend, so don’t doubt that for anything. Second, Dan seems like a good dude—if not a little possessive ofmybest friend. I just don’t think he’d say things like that about you.”
“Maybe. Either way, he’s made very little effort with me since he got with her. When we hang out, we mostly talk about classes and football.” I pause, thinking about how much I’m willing to share. I don’t have anyone to talk to about Danny, so it might be nice to get Ben’s perspective.
“And…and I think I’m starting to see him as more than a friend. Or I was. Before Tori, I guess. I thought he…well.” I weakly grin, shaking my head. “Looking back, thinking that he could like me as anything other than a friend seems silly, considering Tori is almost my exact opposite. I’m sure I was imagining it all.”
Ben looks thoughtful as he asks, “Have you talked to him about how you feel?”
