Tate
So you dated Cam Bowman?” I toss a fry in my mouth as Maia slides into the booth next to Ember, setting another basket of fries onto the table.
“For basically all of high school.” Maia’s smile falters. “We, uh, broke up on prom night… well, I guess he broke up with me.”
“What an ass,” I respond, then look toward Ember, “no offense.”
“Oh, none taken. Total dick move. He’s heard it from me plenty of times.” Ember wraps her arm around Maia’s shoulder.
“So, what happened?”
“She doesn’t know,” Brinley says. “Totally out of the blue.”
“Totallya dick move. I’m surprised you still talk to your brother after that.” I continue. “I don’t know if I’d speak to him again if he hurt my best friend like that.”
“Trust me, I didn’t want to, but I also felt like there was more to the story. I don’t know. Cam hasn’t been the same since.”
“Maybe he realized it was the biggest mistake of his life and knew there was no going back.” I grab another fry. “And you have no idea why he did what he did?”
“Nope.” Maia pops thep, but there’s a look in her eye that makes me think she knows exactly why Cam ended things that night.
I can still see the pain in her eyes, like the event is still fresh, even though it’s been nearly three years.
“And remember, Cam has no idea she’s here. He thinks she’s going to a college across the country or some bullshit.” Brinley leans forward, and I can’t help but laugh at how invested she is in the situation.
You’d think she’s known Maia for years. I guess, in some way, she has. I have, too, since Cam’s played hockey with Declan and Fletcher for as long as I can remember. Our paths must have crossed at some point, but not to the point where I would’ve been able to tell you who she was.
“So that’s why we didn’t meet each other sooner,” I reply. “Because of Cam?”
“Yup. Don’t expect to see me at any event involving the hockey players. Or any event where I could possibly run into Cam. I’ve avoided him since that night at prom, and I plan to keep it that way.”
“Got it. So, whenever I’m around them, I’ve never heard of you.”
“Exactly. Don’t go tell your boyfriend that I’m here. If I learned anything from Cam when we dated, it’s that Fletcher has a big mouth.”
“I’m not dating Fletcher.” I stifle a nervous laugh. “What is with everyone thinking we’re together?”
“Seriously?” Maia’s eyes widen. “You’re not together. I could’ve sworn you were together back when we were all in high school. I’ve never seen friends that… comfortable with each other.”
“He’s family, basically. His parents practically raised me while mine were off, making a real difference in the world.”
My mom is the best criminal attorney in Illinois, and my dad is a world-renowned trauma surgeon. It’s actually how he met my mom. When my older sister was eight, she was with her dad and his girlfriend, and they weren’t paying attention to her. She loved climbing trees and climbed to the top of an old, rotting tree.
The branch she was sitting on broke, and she fell fifteen feet, hitting her head on a root sticking up from the ground.
My dad saved my sister’s life, and my mom met the love of her life.
My dad really wanted to have a kid, and even though my mom didn’t want to have another one since they were both so busy… she gave in, and they had me.
It didn’t take long for their work lives to get a bit too hectic, and suddenly, I was being raised by nannies. Until we moved next door to Fletcher.
My whole life changed when I met the Reeds.
It changed for the better.
I don’t know who I’d be without them.
“I don’t know many people who’ve made out with a family member,” Brinley says, and Ember’s jaw drops.
