That was the last time I spoke to Jett. We hadn’t called or texted one another since. Or said so much as a “hey” or “hi” in the hall. With new partners in first period, we sat on opposite sides of the room, which made it easy for me to escape before he had the chance to ignore me.
So it was official. Things between us—if they were ever real in the first place—were over now. At least I hadn’t seen Tasha and Jett cuddling up to one another. That was a sight I didnotwant to see.
The blur of my reflection came back into focus as a knock sounded at my bedroom door. “TJ’s here,” Mom said as she stepped into my room. “He’s downstairs looking at all of Missy’s drawings.”
She took a seat at the foot of my bed and looked me up and down. “What—did you raid my high school closet?” she asked with a laugh. “You look exactly like me when I was your age. Apart from the hair color.” She swooped the blonde strands of her shoulder-length hair behind one ear.
I tried to picture her back in those days. She hadn’t met my father until college. Her first frat party. It got the wheels in my mind turning. Thinking of the way fate had shoved TJ right back into my lap. After I’d tried very hard to let go and…let God, like Mom had suggested.
“Why did you start dating Dad?” I asked. It might not be the best time to have this conversation, but I really wanted to know what my role was regarding TJ. Whether I ever wound up with Jett or not, I realized now that he was the type of guy I wanted.
“I liked him because he was funny and charming, and in some ways…well, he seemed to have just a very kind heart.” She shrugged. “And because I sensed that he was good—really good—at heart, I figured I could fix him.” She’d dropped her gaze to the floor, and for a moment, I saw a world of emotion rush through her.
She glanced back up to me, hints of moisture welling in her eyes, and gulped. “You’re not in charge of fixing him, Harper. TJ might be just as kindhearted as your father, but that doesn’t mean he’ll become the man he could be. Hemay,he may not. That’s all up to him.”
I felt her words pierce the deepest part of me. The part that doubted I had the right to walk away. I heard what she’d said, and for the first time, I believed it. A great burst of emotion crashed over me, fuzzy and warm in my chest, assuring me that what she said was true.
I hadn’t exactly given TJ up for the right reasons last time. It’d been more of a kneejerk reaction to what he’d done. But perhaps I needed this moment. Needed it so that I’d pursue the Jetts of the world, not the TJs.
Mom was off the bed and wrapping her arms around me in a blink. Shushing me gently as the sobs finally came. I wasn’t going to have Jett. I was only now really letting myself realize that. Which meant I had two official goodbyes tearing at my chest. One with TJ, a guy I very much cared about. And Jett, the guy I’d started falling in love with. The one I could actually picture having a future with.
“I really wanted it to work with Jett Bryant,” I admitted.
“It still might,” she said as she rubbed my back. “It still might. Don’t write him off just yet.”
“Is anybody up there or what?” Missy hollered from downstairs. “TJ’s been waiting for, like, a hundred years.”
Mom and I chuckled, both wiping at tears. “Just one more minute,” Mom hollered back. She brought a hand to my face and studied me for a blink. “You’re so much wiser than I was at your age. Already you’re seeing more clearly than I did back then.” She sniffed, nodding. “Life doesn’t come with any guarantees,” she said, “but there’s one thing I’ll tell you for sure. You don’t get very far in life by beating around the bush. If you’re confused about something Jett’s done...if it doesn’t line up with the other things you know about him, then confront him. Give him the chance to explain himself, for crying out loud. You don’t want to go through life haunted bywhat ifs,do you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve already got one of those where Jett’s concerned,” I admitted. “From clear back in the eighth grade.”
“Oh yeah?”
I grinned. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
Mom rested a hand on my back, as we headed down the stairs. “Well, let’s get a picture of you two. Can’t live off selfies alone, can you?”
“I’m going to take so many selfies once I get my own phone,” Missy promised as Mom positioned us by the door. I saw my mom in a new light then. A strong, independent woman who hadn’t just gone out and found a replacement for Dad. And she’d had plenty of opportunity, I knew that much. She wasn’t afraid to be alone. And I shouldn’t be either.
I’d also decided there was a whole lot of wisdom in what she’d said. I couldn’t just let this relationship go without confronting Jett. It wouldn’t be tonight, of course. I wasn’t about to make a scene, but someday soon I would show up at Jett’s house and talk to him about what had happened. At least then, even if I was alone, I’d have some answers.
“Okee-doke,” Mom said as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. “You guys better get going. Have a great time.”
“Yeah, have a great time,” Missy echoed.
“We will,” I promised Missy before looking at my mom. “And thanks.”
Chapter Sixteen
Ithought more about what my mom said as we drove to the school. I thought it’d be best to at least get on the same page with TJ before we stepped inside the gymnasium.
“Hey,” I said, stilling him at the doorway. Music from a band I didn’t recognize echoed down the hallway. “I just want to go in and have a fun time tonight, okay?”
TJ nodded, but his face was already scrunching up in question.
“What I mean by that,” I went to stipulate, but that’s when I saw something my eyes could not pull away from: Tasha draping her long skinny arms over Jett’s shoulders. She zeroed in on me like a hawk through the crowd and shot me a wicked grin.
“Never mind.” I looped a hand around the nook in TJ’s arm and yanked. “Let’s dance.” Wafts of perfume clashed with body odor as we weaved our way through the crowd, one dancing couple at a time. I stopped once we were roughly two yards from Jett and Tasha.
