I peer up at the woman I thought was also my, um, friend. “You knew that I was pathetic?”
Whit flashes Ella a scolding look.
She winces. “No! Not at all. That’s not what I meant. It came out wrong. I just knew that you had a crush on Clark.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“You’re not pathetic,” Whit says, reaching over to pat my shoulder. “But you’re in love with your best friend who hasn’t figured it out yet.”
“He’ll never figure it out,” I mumble through my fingers. “He sees me as a sister. Has since high school.”
This is the part where I usually change the subject, but they don’t let me off the hook and I relent—maybe it’s the spring air or the successful business proposal submission or thefact that I’m surrounded by women who all managed to find their happily ever afters. Mentally digging out the long-lost key and recalling the secret password, I reluctantly pull out an invisible machete and use the blade to chop through the vines, overgrowth, and cobwebs to reach the door of the vault.
Or my confession could be because I’m “under the influence.” Clark’s sweatshirt smells so much like him, it’s as if I can’t help but dream about our future together as more than friends.
Yes, I’m probably also wildly over-caffeinated at this point and thus delusional. I blame the two cups of coffee from home, followed by a latte chaser.
Jess leans in, “Guys have ‘Bro code,’ but we have ‘Sister secrets.’”
The three of them make lip-locking motions.
I tuck my chin. “Is that a thing?”
Ella nods solemnly.
“But I’m not a WAG.” I swish my mouth to the side.
Jess says, “You’re an honorary member of the Knights family.”
Ella says, “The town gossip you have to watch out for is Mrs. Gormely.”
“And Sophia Snodgrass-Schuster,” Whit adds.
Jess whispers, “And sometimes Nancy Linderberg, but Juniper mostly set her straight.”
Taking a deep breath, I prepare my diary pages—obviously, I don’t have it with me, but this is what it would say. “Clark and I met during our senior year of high school. I’d just moved to Oregon with my family. I was the awkward new girl trying to figure out where I fit. Then one day, I found a lost golden retriever wandering near the woods by my house. He didn’t have a collar or tags, but based on how happy and well-groomed the dog was, he clearly had a home.”
The girls gather closer, eager to hear more.
“I spent two hours trying to find the owner, calling every vet and shelter in the area. Finally, a guy comes jogging around the corner, absolutely panicked, calling for ‘Gordie.’ And there was Clark …” Without my permission, a soft sigh escapes.
Ella and Jess exchange knowing smiles.
“He was handsome, athletic, and panicked. He swept that dog into his arms like it was his child, and then he looked at me with big, green, grateful eyes. Eyes that remind me of springtime and possibilities.
“That’s so sweet,” Ella coos in an air of romance.
“We became friends after that. Fast friends. The kind where you just click, you know? We had the same lunch period, so we started eating together. He’d wait for me after my last class so we could walk to his hockey practice together. I’d sit in the stands and do homework while he skated, and then we’d grab food afterward.”
“Sounds pretty couple-y to me,” Whit observes.
“That’s what I thought, too. I had this whole fantasy built up in my head. I thought maybe he’d ask me to prom.” I shake my head at my younger self’s optimism. “Then his friend Whitaker Finch invited me instead. I wanted to say no—but new girl, remember—so I waited to see if Clark would ask. I waited and waited. I didn’t want to be rude and …”
“And …” they chorus.
“This is the part that’s the opposite of, ‘And the high school sweethearts lived happily ever after.’ More like happily evernever.”
“What happened?” Jess asks gently.
