“How are you?” I asked a bit cautiously.
“I’m fine.” She plunged her straw into her drink, taking a long sip. “Thanks for getting me a drink.”
“Sues put extra cherries in there for you.”
That put a smile on her face, even if it was small and appeared as though she was trying to suppress it.
“Hey, do you want to come over later? We’ve been trainingPeanut Butter and trying to desensitize her to different things.” My shoulders shook with a silent laugh as I thought about the things we’d been using in the training process.
“Oh, I don’t know.” She wouldn’t make eye contact with me, choosing to stare at the ice in her glass instead. “Do your parents really want someone like me to come over?”
“What do you mean? My parents love you, Skip,” I offered some words of reassurance, hoping it would ease her concerns.
She grumbled something under her breath, but I couldn’t quite pick up what it was.
“Sorry?”
She rolled her eyes, and my heart cracked a little at the words that came from her mouth. “I don’t want people to talk about you like they have been talking about me. Hanging out with me would just ruin your reputation. I’m sure your parents don’t want you to be spending time with the kid of a criminal.”
“What happened to you wasn’t your fault,” I whispered, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.
She pulled it away, setting it in her lap. “You don’t know that. You have no idea what happened. You weren’t there.”
I know enough.
“I knowyou, Sierra. You’re a good person.”
She let out a harsh exhale through her nose. “If I come over, will you stop talking about it?”
I nodded, even though she was the one who brought it up to begin with. I was just eager and willing to do anything it took to have my best friend back. “Of course. We can talk about whatever you want.”
“Okay, I can come over for a little bit.” Taking a sip of her drink, she made eye contact with me. “I missed you.”
My heart lurched in my chest. “I missed you, too, Skip. Keenan and I haven’t been the same without you around.”
She clicked her tongue. “I’m sure Keenan has been just fine.”
“Yeah, he’s been hanging out with Ivy a lot more than he’s been hanging out with me. I guess I’ve just not been the same without you.”
“Sorry about that,” she mumbled.
I shrugged. “It’s all good now, right?”
“Yeah. Everything’s good now.”
“Mom, I’m back! Sierra’s with me!” I called out when we walked into the entryway.
Mom rounded the corner to greet us. “Sierra! It’s so good to see you, dear.”
She reached out to pull Sierra into a hug. Sierra’s brows pinched together, the corners of her lips falling, but she wrapped her arms around Mom, welcoming the embrace.
“Do you want some cookies? I just made a fresh batch of the peanut butter ones you love so much.” Mom led us around the corner into the kitchen, the sugary-sweet smell of baking permeating through the air.
Sierra and I both slid onto stools at the counter, and Mom passed us the tray of cookies.
“Is Dad outside with the horses?” I asked through a mouthful of cookie.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Mom chided before answering my question with a nod. “But yes, he’s outside.”
