I'm supposed to be saving my money, not spending it, but I'm so stressed out right now that the only type of therapy that will work is online shopping.
I'm sitting in my backyard, on my computer, which is connected to my Personal Hotspot since we no longer have WiFi.
Add to cart.
Add to cart.
Add to cart.
That's all I've been doing for the last hour.
I hear the back door open and look behind me, finding my dad making his way over holding a sandwich of some sort.
"Hey, sweetheart," he says, sitting down next to me.
"Hey," I say back.
"Thought you could use a little snack."
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."
"You skipped breakfast and it's almost 1 o'clock."
"I know, I just don't have much of an appetite today."
Dad looks at me with a concerned expression. "Honey, is everything okay?" he asks.
"Great," I lie.
"You went straight to your room last night and shut the door; didn't say a word to me or mom when you got home."
"I know, I'm sorry. I was tired. I had a long night with my friends."
"Is it something with Brooks?"
I close my laptop shut because I know that this is going to be a whole conversation. "We're just...figuring stuff out at the moment."
"You know? I always liked the guy."
I press my lips together, not really knowing what to say, so I just answer with, "That's good, dad."
"Always saw his potential," he continues, and I start nodding.
"He's a great guy," I say honestly.
"Whatever is going on between the two of you, I hope you can work it out."
"Thanks, dad, but I think that whatever's going on between us is done."
"Is that what you what?"
"Yeah," I lie, but the lie feels wrong. "I think." I pause. "I don't know."
Dad studies me carefully. "Seems to me like you do know," he says.
"Yeah, well sometimes the things that we want in life aren't always made for us. I mean, there are a lot of things that I want, doesn't mean that they're necessarily good for me."
"Doesn't mean that they're bad either," dad counters before setting his clasped hands down on the table and leaning in closer. "Look, honey, at the end of the day, you know what you want. You know what will fit into your life and what won't. Those things aren't for me or your mother to decide. I just hope that you see your wisdom and trust in it. You've always been sure of yourself, even during hard times. And I know that, lately, things have been extra hard – I blame myself for that – but don't let that change who you are and how you handle things. You're resilient."
I hear his words and they stick with me. They're what I needed to hear because, lately, I've needed the reminder.
I don't say anything back, though, and dad plants his palms into the table, standing up.
"I'm inside if you need me," he says, placing a kiss to the top of my head.
I stay outside for another 30 minutes, and just as I'm about to head in, Bella comes from the driveway and rounds the corner of my house.
"Hey hey," she says, holding a few grocery bags in her grip.
"Hey," I say back. "Where'd you come from?"
"Nico just dropped me off. We ran a few errands in town and then I told him that I needed to see my bestie."
"Aww. He didn't want to come over?"
"He, uh, went to check on Brooks."
"Oh," I say. I'm tempted to ask Bella how he's been, but I know that it won't help me from moving on.
"What's in the bags?" I ask, nodding my head at them.
"Ah," Bella says like she forgot she walked in with them. "I got your favorites." She pulls out two bags of Cape Cod chips – the original flavor and the jalapeño – strawberry sour belts and mini-sized Snickers.
"I love you, B, but what's all this for?"
"No reason," she claims, but I know that she's lying.
"Really? No reason?"
"Okay, fine," she sighs. "I'm worried about you."
"What?" I chuckle. "Why? I'm fine."
She grabs ahold of her hips and gives me a scolding look. "See, that right there tells me that you're not. Anytime you say that you're fine, you always mean the opposite."
"Okay, obviously I'm going through some things, but I'll be fine. I promise."
"It's okay not to be, though. I mean, you just broke up with your boyfriend."
"And I'll get over it eventually. I have other things to worry about."
Bella looks at me concerningly. "Like your dad?"
"Yeah."
"I can talk to Nico, see if he can h-"
"Bella, stop," I say, swiping my hand in the air.
"What is your problem, Rem? You want to help your dad? We know people who can help him find a job."
"I don't need to hear this from you right now, okay?"
"Okay, I'm sorry," she says, aware that she just pushed a button. "It's not my business."
I feel bad for snapping at Bella, especially when she's just trying to help, but I'm overwhelmed.
"Listen, I'm sorry for losing my cool, I'm just...I'm just," I stammer, and then suddenly, I burst into tears.
Bella immediately comes into hug me, and I hug her back. "I know, Rem," she whispers into my ear. "I know. It's going to be okay, though. I promise. It will all be okay soon."
YOU ARE READING
Under the Stars (Sequel to Across the Pond)
Romance*The sequel to Across the Pond* Brooks Caldwell is the bane of my existence. Has been ever since I've known him. And, of course, luck would have it that I'm forced to spend my entire summer in his presence when I'm offered a job at the posh country...
