The words hang heavy in the air. My heart thuds, loud and painful, at the possibility of them laughing me off, or worse, telling me to fuck off.
Their eyes narrow on me, and my stomach drops. Shit. They’re not going to help me. Asher shifts in his seat, sliding his glass back and forth between his palms. Connor’s jaw clenches, his fists curling tightly against the table. I sigh, preparing myself.
“Look,” Connor says, his voice dropping, sarcasm gone, “it’s not that we don’t want to help. But she’s our best friend too. We’ve been here, man. Every day. Picking her up, trying to get our happy Madi back, the one you”—he points directly at me—“broke.”
Beside him, I notice Asher’s eyes drop to the table. His silence hits harder than any words he could say. He thinks the same.
“We’re not saying no. But there’s no free passes either. You want us on your side? We’re gonna need proof you aren’t going to hurt our girl again,” Connor says.
Something in my chest coils, the pain of hearing him sayour girlslices right through me. She’s supposed to bemygirl.
“You have a lot of work to do. You need to explain shit to Halle. No more avoiding. But we love you, man,” Asher says.
I nod, sitting straighter, the weight in my chest shifting. They didn’t tell me to fuck off. That’s a start. I’ll take it, I’ll run with it. I’ll prove to them all that I’m back, that I’m good and ready to start my future with the one girl who has always felt like home to me.
“Now that we’ve got the sappy shit over with,” Connor announces, leaning over and punching me in the arm.
I jolt back, my eyes going wide, and I rub the spot he just hit. “The hell was that for?”
“That,” he says, not missing a beat, “was for leaving me with emotional girls.”
Before I can say anything, he leans back over and lands another punch on my other arm.
“And that was for leaving me with the honeymoon couple.”
Shock ripples through as I gape at him.
“Dude, there were one too many late-night ice cream runs and relationship therapy sessions.” Connor groans, throwing his arms in the air. His voice pitches higher. “I’m not even in a relationship!”
“Yeah, because all the attention you and Ace have been getting was such a burden to you,” Asher says, rolling his eyes at him.
I snicker, knowing full well that Connor loves nothing more than the attention Ace brings him from the girls. From anyone, really. He just loves being the life of the party. Not something Asher or I could ever relate to, but damn if it isn’t entertaining to watch.
“Moving on,” I say quickly, before they start bickering. “What have I missed around here?”
For the next thirty minutes, the guys go into great detail on everything that’s been happening in town since I left. All of it, in ridiculous detail. Any other day, listening to them would be painful, but after months of living without them, I’ve missed it. Missed them.
Everlyn—the sweet old lady who lives across the street from me—has been sneaking in late-night visits with Terry from the hardware store. The way Connor mimics her stealthy greeting to Terry makes me think it’s not so secret. The juice bar shut down, which Asher seems quite annoyed about. And the random afternoon when ten bikers rolledthrough town. That one makes my spine stiffen. We never see bikers here. They usually stick to the next town over and leave us alone; there are too many families here, too many kids. Even the nomads who stop by from time to time have made it clear. This town’s off limits. They may be criminals, but they don’t mess with families and kids. So what had them all coming through here?
Checking the time on my phone, I silently curse. I’ve been gone longer than I meant to, and the last thing I want is to make Sarah worry or feel uncomfortable and alone in a town she doesn’t know. But it’s Madi I can’t stop thinking about. I saw it in her eyes again, before she took off. The flicker of betrayal, the hurt. I wish she’d stayed. I want to clear the air. I want to see those eyes light up when they land on me, not dim. I pull up our thread and send her a message. Simple. Honest.
Me: Please Mads.
I have little hope of getting a reply. But I’m done staying silent. Done running and pushing her away. It’s time I stepped up and proved myself. I make a move to stand, sliding my phone into my back pocket. I need to get back to Sarah and Remi. I need to see Halle. Her birthday’s coming, and I have an idea of how we should celebrate. Something with just our crew, but I have to run it by Asher first. Make sure it doesn’t pull her back or overstep his plans.
Asher stands with me, stretching before making his way back over to the bar. “I still have a bit to do here before I head back to Halle’s store. You gone to see her yet?”
“I was on my way to see her when I ran into Madi. She took off. I kind of lost my mind and followed her here,” I say.
Connor groans. “Right, well…” He claps a hand on my shoulder before giving me a shove toward the door. “Off you go then, because cranky Halle is no fun.”
“He’s not wrong,” Asher calls out. “Get out of here. We’ll catch ya later.”
Cranky Halle? The words stick in my head, swimming with confusion. I’ve seen Halle sad. I’ve seen her lost, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Halle cranky. That’s new, giving me more questions than I had before on what the hell’s been happening here. Maybe she just misses our pancake nights. Maybe Asher is slacking on the boyfriend gig. I silently scoff at that thought; the guy is whipped and would move the world for her. I make a mental note to talk to him later tonight about Halle’s birthday and push open the bar door.
The sun’s high, warm but not unbearable, as I step out onto Main Street. People mill about, parents laugh and chase their kids around the playground. A few familiar voices shout out casual hellos as I walk down to Halle’s art store to find Sarah and Remi, but it’s the stares and side eyes that make me feel uneasy. My shoulders tense under the weight of them; every step feels heavier the further I walk. I keep my eyes down, hoping to slink into the background, pretending not to notice.
I pull my hat lower, hoping it will hide my face enough as I slip into the corner store. The stale stench of dust and old shelves hit me instantly, curling my nose. So many afternoons were wasted here, stacking these shelves. I stop in front of the fridge, my fingers tightening around the handle. I glance up to the left, catching the flicker of a red light. My heart falls to my feet, a rush of air escaping my lungs. I yank the door open and grab two bottles of water, reminding myself I’m not that kid anymore. I don’t need to check the camera. I don’t need to steal anything from here. I don’t need to sneak something back to Halle just to see her smile, to take that scared look from her face. People glance myway as I walk to the counter. With their tilted heads and sideways looks, trying to work out who I am, why some stranger is lurking in their town.
