I was suddenly hit with two realizations. First, that I loved my parents. They might’ve checked out from some parts of our lives (which I wasn’t complaining about), but I loved them. Once this whole “selling the house” thing was out in the open, everything would be smooth sailing again.
Second, that I missed Grace. I might’ve been on a witch hunt to track her down (one I fully intended to see through), but I was beginning to realize that our nonexistent relationship was not cool anymore. I didn’t know how she felt, but we needed to have it out before we went to college—otherwise, I worried the only time we’d talk was on breaks.
“Hey, do you know how Grace is doing?” I asked casually. “The tennis team won’t stop bombarding me; they’re wondering if she’ll be ready for Monday’s match.”
Dad laughed. “She seems to be sleeping it off,” he replied. “Your mom checked on her over lunch, and she was passedout.”
I smirked and mentally gave myself a pat on the back.
“I’ll be home at six,” he added, “and we’ll figure out dinner. I’m thinking chicken Parm. Sound good to you?”
I smiled. “Sounds great.”
“All right, it’s a plan. Now go have a good class.”
Go have a good class?
Oh, right—shit. I was supposed to be heading into bio.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said. “See you later.”
“See you later, James,” he replied, and then we hung up.
I let out a deep breath.
A red flag went up after I ventured into the festival again. Grace, Isa, and Everett’s dots no longer overlapped; the GB was moving in one direction, the IC in another, and the EA in a third. And they were movingquickly.
What the fuck?I wondered.What is happening?
It looked like all hell had broken loose, so I gave up on the app and shoved my phone in my back pocket. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. “Excuse me, excuse me!” I shouted as I darted through the mob scene. “Sorry, sorry!”
I twisted and turned through the festival, until finally catching sight of a baseball cap on the run. Not the Phillies’ red, white, and blue, but navy and orange.
The Mets.
Everett,I thought, and began to tear after him.
“Hey!” I called out after closing the distance a little. “Hey, MisterMetsfan!”
Everett glanced back, and though a few people stood between us, I saw his eyes widen and face pale. He shot me a terrified look before pulling down the brim of his hat and ducking into the nearest booth.
I soon realized why, because I bet you could legit see that pink pantsuit from outer space.Ungerwas here, only ten or twelve paces away.
Shit,I thought, and after spinning on my heel and accidentally colliding with a man holding a tray of beer samples, I made a break for it.
JB was on the run.
Chapter 28
Isa
I wished I could race as fast as my heart. It was sprinting, and I was trying my best to keep up, clumsily weaving through couples and friends and families with my head half bowed to the ground.Damn you, Jessica from J.Crew,I thought.Your online review said I could honestly run in these heels and not feel a thing! You gave them five stars!
Though up until now, they had been extremely comfortable.
I’d rate them four stars later.
Grace and Everett,I’d been wondering nonstop since we’d been forced to separate in the ever-growing crowds.Where did they go?
