23
Brea
Ihad pushed Memphis Eve’s upcoming surprise visit of doom until after the flower picking. After navigating that land mine of a text message with my twin, I had puked up a green-and-brown edible terrarium then promptly eaten an entire bag of Goldfish crackers. It wasn’t as satisfying as Mark’s meal.
Or Mark.
“Gah, brain, we are not thinking about that kiss,” I muttered.
That night, I tried to sleep, but Mark had left me too hot and bothered, so instead I turned on all the lamps in my room, flooded it with light, and worked on Liz’s wedding gown. When my alarm finally went off, I had the skirt done and lined and was halfway through the lace edging. I yawned and stretched.
Brea:Ready to head to Harrogate?
Amy:I’m already here! I stayed over at my granddad’s! He’s really excited to have Liz see the flowers.
Ivy:Evan and I went yesterday because he wanted to look at theVanity Ragoffices out there.
Ivy:Are you ok on the train?
Thunder boomed outside. Rain pattered against the glass.
“Why does my life suck?” I complained as I packed away my sewing supplies.
Brea:Hey, do you think I could grab a ride with you guys? All my friends have ditched me smh.
Liz:Wes and I already left, but I’ll have Mark grab you!
Brea:No! I can take the train!
Liz:He’s on his way. You’re welcome.
Brea:Tell him not to come!
Liz:She likes a man with staying power. Noted!
Brea:I’m already at the train station, so tell him not to bother.
Lies, all of it. I hastily dressed, pulling on the first things I could grab. My father wrapped a large poncho around me as I raced through the apartment.
“I found it at a thrift shop.”
“It smells like sheep.”
My dad peered at me. “How would you know? You’ve never even seen a sheep!”
* * *
The first raindropswere starting to fall as I careened out the front door of the building. My plan was to book it to the train station as fast as possible. Pulling down my hood, I ran across the street then screamed when a car stopped an inch from me. The driver’s-side door swung open, and Mark jumped out.
“Brea, what the fuck!”
“You’re not supposed to be here!” I yelled. “And why is your car so quiet?”
“It’s electric.”
“This is not the same car you had yesterday,” I complained.
“I took my sports car to impress you,” Mark retorted.
