"August, you're killing me. Just tell me what it is." She continues to look forward while walking next to me. Her fingers trail along the fences as we pass each house.
I keep my eyes on the ground, avoiding each crack because it gives me something to focus on while I prepare to tell her that me and Riley have made up and are together now. My glasses hang down my nose.
"You know how Riley and I didn't talk to each other.” I swing my head up to look at her and then back down. “We were ignoring each other these past few weeks?"
"Uh-huh." She grabs a leaf from a tree we walk under.
I pick up the branch to walk under it. "Well, we aren't ignoring each other anymore. We're talking now."
"Okay," she says, her brow furrowing, "that's good?"
She pulls me back toward her when she notices I'm starting to drift away.
"Are you back to your bantering?" she asks.
"Kind of."
God, I am such a chicken shit. She's your sister. She wants you to be happy.
"We're sort of..." I think I have sweat between my ass cheeks with how nervous I am.
Ellie grabs my arm and turns my attention to her. "Spit it out."
"We're together." My body stiffens, and I don't know how to breathe anymore.
"Together, how? Together like friends?"
"Together like... relationship together.” I step back a few inches. “Boyfriend and girlfriend together."
She shakes her head while closing her eyes, as if whatshe's hearing can't possibly be true. Ellie turns her head to the side, her ear pointing at me. "What did you say?"
" Riley and I are dating." I take another step back.
Ellie pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. "When the hell did this happen? I’m so confused. I swear, I can’t keep up with you two.”
"Well." I scrunch my nose, and my voice goes a bit high. "We talked at the nightclub."
"O-kay?"
"In the bathroom."
"The bathroom? What the hell were you two doing in the bathroom?"
"Well, you know, things happened with her mom. She was telling me about it, and she became overwhelmed. We walked to the hallway and then the bathroom.”
"The women's bathroom?"
I tip my head to the side. "Yeah."
"Okay, then what?" She crosses her arms.
I look around us to see if there are any witnesses, just in case. Two kids are playing basketball in the driveway. Another kid is drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. A man is mowing. Alright, not bad.
"She told me she loves me and then I told her I love her, then we started making out and?—"
She plugs her ears with her fingers. "La la la la la nope, I'm not hearing this!” Ellie walks back and forth singing a tune to herself.
When my lips stop moving, she unplugs her ears. She takes a calming breath. "Finally.”
