“It’s only because my dad is trying to get me to live with him. So she’s been doing all these things she never does. She’s been cooking me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She went out and bought me an entire new wardrobe for school and even doubled my weekly allowance.”
“Oh wow, do you want to live with your dad?”
I scoff. “No.” I shake my head at the thought.
Hannah sets down her food and turns to face me. “You can tell me your problems. Please, I want you to tell me about your troubles. I’m not here for just the good things and the happy times. I’m here for all of it. I want the bad, the good, the funny, the sad, and everything in between. I want it all. We all need someone in our life we can lean on—someone who will be there for us no matter what happens. I want to be that person to you, and I want you to be that person for me. If we want our relationship to work, we need to be more open with each other.
“We need to be able to tell each other everything. Even if it’s hard to say and it’s going to hurt. There were so many times over the summer that I wanted to ask you about football or your parents, but I was always afraid you’d get upset with me and then leave. The few times I mustered up the courage to try to get you to talk, you gave me curt, one-word answers.” She reaches for me, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her onto my lap. “You don’t have to face your trials all alone. You have me.” She sweeps her hand through my hair, pushing it off my forehead.
Hannah’s right. I don’t share my feelings. Maybe if I’d confided in her over the summer about my struggles, everything wouldn’t have weighed me down until I snapped and ended up saying things I didn’t mean. It’s just that I’m not sure I know how. I’ve always kept everything inside and accepted that I had to deal with it on my own. “You are my person, Hannah,” I say, cupping her cheek.
Hannah adjusts herself, so she’s straddling my hips. “And you’re mine. I love you, Ford. All of you.”
I let my forehead rest against Hannah’s. “I don’t want to live with my dad, but neither of my parents has even bothered to ask me what I want. I talked to my gramps the other day. He’s my mom’s dad. He told me that if things get really bad, I can stay with him and my grandma.”
“At least you have a backup plan if things get terrible.”
“I feel helpless. I want to talk to my dad, but I’m afraid he won’t listen to what I have to say.”
“The only thing you can do is try.”
“I will.” I wrap my arms around Hannah, pulling her flush against me and nuzzling my nose in her neck. “I’m sorry for the things I said over the summer. I’ll do better, I promise.”
“Apology accepted, and I know you will. I promise I’ll do better too. Let’s put that day behind us. It was just an insignificant blip in the movie of us. We all make mistakes. We just need to learn from them and then keep moving forward.”
“Hannah, you’re the only person I’ve ever said I love you to. I’m done being that silly guy who wanted all the girls to like him. All I want is for you to like me.”
I feel Hannah let out a shaky breath. “Too bad I don’t like you.” She lifts her head, kissing my nose. “I love you.”
“Hell, yes.” I sit up. “Come on, let’s finish our dinner and play a game of Madden before you go home.”
Hannah laughs, sitting up. “The perfect date.”
17. Stalker Website
When I walk into the house, Beth is in the kitchen waiting for me. “Hi,” I say, dropping my keys in the entryway bowl. I toe off my shoes and then sit at the counter.
“How was your dance lesson with Sophie Lancaster?” she asks.
“It was good. She watched the tape Micah sent her and had some dance move suggestions for my routine where it drags. We had to do some of the moves in the pool because I’m not quite flexible enough. She also gave me some exercises to help get me that last bit of flex I need. She was super nice. I wish I could afford more lessons from her, but I’m grateful for the lesson I got.”
“Are you hungry?” she asks.
“No, I ate at Ford’s.” I pick at the edge of my backpack, waiting for her to ask about Ford.
“How was that?” Apparently, we’re playing the vague game, neither of us wanting to start a serious conversation.
“It was good. We talked, we had dinner, and we played the Xbox. It was the usual.”
“And…”
“And…we’re back together.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes. I’ve thought a lot about what you said. How my feelings for Ford would fade, and I’d like other guys. But that hasn’t happened. All I think about is Ford. I want to be with him, and he wants to be with me. Ford could date any girl, but he wants to date me.”
“I’m glad you two figured everything out. I like Ford. He’s a good guy.”
