Cant Go Back Chapter 26
Justin’s knee was in my ribs the next morning when my alarm went off. He groaned at the trilling. “Can you freaking move? Your knee is in my lung.” He grunted again, shifting slightly. I took a deep breath and half rolled out of bed.
“What time is it?” he grumbled.
“Just after 4am.” I threw his shirt at him. My mum knocked on the door before peeking her head in.
“Good, you’re both up. There is coffee downstairs.” Justin sighed as he sat up. I dug through my dresser for some sweatpants and a shirt. I stumbled to the bathroom to change. Justin knocked a few minutes later. I opened the door and held out his toothbrush. We got ready for our very long travel day in relative silence. He was still mussing with his hair in the kitchen.
“Justin. Just do it at the airport.” I laughed over my coffee cup.
“But there could be a cute airport cafe girl.” He shrugged.
“Son, if you need to hedge your bets on the airport cafe girl, you have bigger issues.” Dad shook his head. I snorted.
“Brooks, don't tease the boy.” Mum chided. Looking at the time, dad gathered our empty mugs for a quick wash before we left. Justin and I laughed and covered our eyes as mum swatted him with the damp dishtowel.
The airport was surprisingly busy for 6am when we arrived. The desk agent checked our booking and printed our boarding passes. As she had us load our checked bags on the belt, I texted Monty.
At the airport. I’ll text you when we land. The TSA line felt like it took a year and a half. I would never understand why people couldn’t remember to take their shoes off before the metal detectors or put their laptops in a separate bin. I leaned on Justin’s shoulder while I flipped through my book. He was scrolling absently on his phone.
We checked to make sure our gate existed before hunting down another coffee and breakfast. Justin was practically glued to his phone as we wandered. “It’s 6:45 in the morning. I don’t think Jess is awake yet.” I muttered.
“Oh. Yeah. You’re probably right.” Justin started.
“I wouldn’t be up yet.” Justin snorted and hummed in agreement. Mum pointed out the bookshop as we passed. As though I didn’t plan to go there as soon as I had an iced latte in my hand.
“Uh Mom, she brought-.” Justin tried to speak up. I slapped my hand over his mouth and glared at him. Traitor.
“What was that dear?”
“Nothing Margot.” He took my wrist to pull me away from the store before I could run off. I huffed.
The smell of coffee wafted over us as we approached the coffee shop. Justin was once again glued to his phone. The Coffee Cart Girl that Justin was so worried about impressing this morning, turned out to be a middle aged, balding man. I laughed quietly. Justin looked up and the grin he was sporting practically jumped off his face. My dad snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. “Bet you’re thrilled you coiffed your hair this morning instead of having a cup of coffee, huh Justin?” Justin grumbled, making my dad laugh harder.
Breakfast, a new book, and some magazines for my parents and Justin were acquired quickly. Thee four of us found a seat at our gate to wait for boarding. I curled up in my seat and leaned on Justin’s shoulder again. Monty texted me just after we boarded. Have a good flight. Talk to you later Bookworm.
I will. Should land around 3 CA time. Have a good day Cassanova.
Justin didn’t even question me smiling at my phone anymore. I sighed deeply as I settled in for the six hour flight. I had always been a bit of a nervous flyer. I offered Justin a piece of gum for takeoff and tapped my armrest as the flight attendants explained the safety procedures and the Captain made his announcements. I finished my new book about halfway into the flight.
“How was it?” Justin asked as I tucked the book in my personal bag.
“It was okay. Not very much substance, but it was decent enough for an airplane read. How’s your magazine?”
“Eh, it’s a magazine.” He shrugged. I nodded and pulled out my new notebook to try to get some writing done. “That’s nice. Is it new?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I picked it up the other day.” I answered absently. I didn’t even think that we had spent pretty much the last four days together.
“Uh huh.” Justin hummed, skeptically. We hit some turbulence and I gasped, clutching Justin’s arm. He inhaled sharply. I turned to him and smiled apologetically.
Finally, we landed and it felt like I was able to breathe again. I tapped the armrest again as the plane deboarded. Dad pulled our carry ons down from the overhead bins and followed Mum down the corridor to the airport proper. I watched as they sighed contentedly. There was always a lightness they had when they got to Boston that they didn't have at home. Dad took Mum’s hand as we made our way to Baggage Claim. Justin was back on his phone again, presumably texting Jessica after not being able to talk all day. I texted Monty to let him know we had landed and would be at the house shortly. Logan Airport was only fifteen minutes away from Chestnut Street after all.
When we turned onto Chestnut Street, I started bouncing in my seat. Justin laughed. “What?”
“Nothing.” he smirked. Dad pulled the rental into the driveway and I practically jumped out of the car. Adrian was sitting on our front step. He waved and grinned as I ran up the driveway.
“We’re here!”
“You’re here!” He lifted me up when he hugged me tightly. I laughed nervously. He set me down on the step.
“Hey man.” Justin greeted Adrian. They nodded at each other nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes. Adrian grinned again as he pulled Justin in for a bear hug. He mussed up Justin’s hair. Justin made a show of fixing it.
“As cute as this reunion is, we have suitcases to bring inside.” Mum called from the car.
“Crap, sorry Dr. H.”
“It’s Margot, Adrian Dylan.”
“Yes Ma’am.” He replied cheekily. Mum glared at him. I laughed and slung my arms around my best friends’ waists, walking them to the car.
The five of us made quick work of unloading the car. The boys lugged our stuff up to my room. I sighed as I dropped Justin and my carry ons on the bed. Justin set his suitcase by the closet and melted onto the floor. Adrian flopped himself down on my bed. I joined Justin on the floor. “We sat all day. How am I so tired?” Justin complained.
“We were up at 4am after going to sleep at like 12:30.” I closed my eyes. He grunted into his elbow in response. Mum and dad called for us to come order our traditional pizza from Santarpio’s. Justin and Adrian barrelled down the stairs. You’d think they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Every year, Justin and I split a cheese and sausage pizza.
After dad placed the order, they left to get groceries for the next couple of weeks. I watched from the front window as they drove away. Adrian ran next door for some snacks while Justin queued up one of the X-Men movies. I settled in on the couch and snapped a picture of Justin fiddling with the TV. I texted it to Monty, made it to the house.
Justin’s ass. Just what I want to see in the afternoon. Glad you made it.
Oh hush. The house is a mess and I’m all gross from travelling all day. Justin’s ass is the most presentable thing here.
I doubt you look that bad Addison. I snapped a selfie and sent it to him. See, you are much better looking than Justin’s ass. “Who are you texting?” Adrian whispered in my ear. I yelped and jolted upright.
“Jesus Christ!” Adrian laughed hysterically and came around to plop beside me.
“You make it so easy Addy.” I scoffed. “But really, who are you texting?” My eyes snapped up to where Justin was putzing around in the kitchen with the snacks.
“No one important.”
“Fine, don’t tell me. I got two weeks to get it outta you.” I shot him a look as Justin came in with a bowl of Chex Mix. Justin hit play on the movie and pulled his feet up underneath himself.
“How’s Bree?”
“She’s good. Hell bent on me teaching her to play guitar.”
“How’s that going?” I asked.
“She thinks it’s going great.”
“And how is it really going?”
“I love her. She’s an awesome girl. Beautiful. Smart. Kind.”
“And?”
“Can’t keep a rhythm for the life of her.” He laughed. I snorted a little.
“Maybe some gentle encouragement? Or a metronome?”
“Tried that. Didn’t take the hint.”
“I mean, you could just wait it out? She might get better with time?”
“Then he’s probably going to die a virgin.” Justin joked. Adrian threw a pretzel at him.
“Don’t put that in the universe.” Adrian grumbled.
“Dude, you still haven’t tapped that yet?” Justin implored, sitting up.
“Dude, do you think I’d be trying this hard to get her to play the guitar well if I had?”
“Dudes, gross. It’ll happen when it happens Adrian.”
“What? No lecture on how if a person wants to wait then they shouldn’t be subject to objectification? Or how sex isn’t the most important part of a relationship?” Adrian asked. Justin watched me, confused.
“I’ve spent enough time being subjected to Bryce Walker and Liberty High that objectification is meaningless.” I shrugged and turned my attention back to the movie. Per tradition, we spent the rest of the night camped in the living room with our pizza and snacks. Adrian and Justin raided the linen closet for extra blankets for our pillow fort after we put away groceries.
The first few days of vacation blew by while we got settled and built a routine in Boston. In the mornings, Adrian would meet Justin and I down the street for coffee. In the afternoons, Justin and I would explore to get our “Boston Feet” back. I dragged him to the Boston Library. He dragged me to some sports thing I didn’t really pay attention to. Mum paid for us to do one of those Revolutionary War tours. When we complained that it was summer break, she told us that was no excuse not to learn things. Since Justin was already in trouble about the whole summer school thing, we kept our complaints to a minimum. She offered to pay for Adrian to come with us. He told her he had plans with Bree that day. She never specified a day. In the evenings, the four of us would cook dinner and play a board game or watch a movie together. Dad never mentioned Harvard or college. Part of me wished we could just stay in Boston if it meant dad would be this easy going.
Adrian and I met at Quincy Market on Friday afternoon to get some catch up time in. I grabbed a coffee on my walk over. “Cute dress.” Adrian laughed. I smiled and did a spin.
“I know right?” We wandered the market quietly for a bit. “Do you think ice cream is a bad lunch choice?”
“You’re on vacation. You don't need to make good choices, Addison.” I laughed and stopped at Joey’s for a scoop of raspberry white chocolate gelato. Adrian got a scoop of chocolate hazelnut. I sent a picture of my “lunch” to Monty.
“So how have things been?”
“Good for the most part. Been keeping busy. As you heard, Justin had to do summer school.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that?”
“Well he didn’t really give a shit about school this year. Sports, girls, and parties are too interesting I guess.”
“Fair enough. How did your parents react?”
“They gave more of a shit than Amber.” I laughed because what other choice was there when it came to Justin’s mom. “Mum blew a freaking gasket when she found out. And then he got himself a girlfriend while he was there.”
“I’m sure that was a sight. Girlfriend? That Hannah girl?”
“Oh God no. Justin and Hannah are… never were. Which I think is ridiculous but whatever. No, he’s dating Jessica Davis. They make out on our couch and get high together.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I wish I could scrub that from my brain.”
“That explains why he’s been glued to his phone this whole trip.”
“Yeah. I just hope he knows what he’s doing this time.” We stopped for lobster rolls as we walked through the maze of vendors. I sent another picture to Monty. I sent it to Justin too. He is going to be so jealous.
“What’s he up to today?”
I groaned as I took a bite of my roll. “You have no idea how much I missed these. He's hanging out with my parents. Dad wanted to do some work on the house and roped Justin into helping.”
“Oh I see. We are hanging out because you didn’t want to do yard work.” He pushed me playfully. I bumped him back.
“No. I needed my Adrian time. What about you? What’s been up with you and Bree?”
“Things have been good here. Ma’s been on me about how important junior year is but that’s not news. Think they might buy a car for my birthday. Tired of sharing theirs.”
“Fair. Or they don’t want to worry about their back seat.” He shook his head at me.
“You have been spending too much time with Justin’s buddies. Anyway, Bree and I are good. She might be coming to the Sox game tomorrow.”
“That would be great!”
“Yeah. She had fun at the Bruins game we went to in January. I think she’s more in love with Jeremy Swayman than she is with me. I have no complaints.”
“Except the guitar playing?”
“Except the guitar playing. And Swayman is hot. She is a woman of taste.” He nodded. My phone chimed a couple of times. Justin sent an outraged selfie. “Speak of the devil. He’s jealous we are having lobster rolls without him. Hey, can we stop here?”
“Since when do you need a Boston souvenir, Addy?”
“You know I like trinkets and crap Adrian.” He chuckled and followed me. I stopped in the hat section and picked up a Pats hat.
“Since when do you like the Pats?”
“Since… I don’t know. Go Tom Brady?” I shrugged. Adrian shook his head. I texted Monty. Very important question. How do you feel about the Patriots? While I waited for a response I examined a Sox hat.
“You already have a Sox hat. And you can get one tomorrow.”
“I know I do. And no I can’t.” My phone trilled. Ice cream isn't lunch Addison. But it’s cute that you think it is. And the Pats are fine. Take em or leave em. Why? I smiled and blushed.
No reason. Sox?
Sox are the Sox. Adrian tried to read over my shoulder. I slipped it back in my purse. Sox hat it is. I paid for the hat and stuck it inside another bag.
“Okay spill Addison.”
“Spill what?”
“Justin isn’t the only one glued to their phone. Who has you blushing like a schoolgirl that you have been talking to practically nonstop?”
I faltered slightly. “Is it that obvious?”
“To someone who doesn’t see you everyday? Yeah.”
“So Justin wouldn’t think anything’s…?”
“I don’t think so. At least not right now.” I nodded.
“Stop for another snack first?” Adrian nodded and motioned for me to go ahead of him. We stopped for sandwiches and found a free bench.
“Okay so. As of now, you are being sworn to secrecy.” I pointed at him.
“My lips are sealed.”
“I’m serious. You can’t tell anyone. Not your friends, not Bree, not Justin, not my parents. Especially not Justin and my parents. And fine. Maybe you can tell Bree.”
Adrian put his hands up in defense. “I swear. I won't tell anyone except maybe Bree.”
“Okay. Well. Wow. I didn’t think this would be so hard. Haven’t told anyone yet.”
“Take your time.”
“Okay.” I cleared my throat. “I’ve been seeing someone. For a while.”
“That’s good. I’m glad. Who? Is he cute? Would I know about him? How long?”
“Woah there. One question at a time.” I gulped.
“Okay. Is he cute?”
“Mhmm. Very.”
“Would I know about him?” I thought for a moment.
“Yes.”
“Who? Oh God it’s not Bryce is it?”
“Hell no.” I made a show of gagging. “Bryce is the last person I would date or even think about dating. No. Scratch that. If Bryce Walker and I were the last two people on the planet, then I guess the human race would just go extinct.”
“Fair enough. So who is he?”
I sighed deeply. Why is this so hard? If it’s this hard telling Adrian who has never and maybe will never meet him, how am I going to tell anyone else? “Montgomery de la Cruz.” I answered quietly. Adrian sat silently for a moment. He took a bite of his sandwich and a sip of Coke. I was frozen. He leaned forward.
“Like. The guy with anger issues Justin bitches about? Bryce’s buddy?”
“Yes.”
“Tall, dark, and dangerous?”
“Would burn the world for me.”
“How long?”
“Uh… like… I don’t know. A year-ish?” Adrian did a double take. I ducked, sheepishly.
“You’re happy? And safe?”
“Very. And yes, in every way.”
“Well. Alright then.” With that, Adrian leaned back and threw his arm behind me on the bench. “Eat your sandwich. Your parents are going to think I don’t feed you.”
With our sandwiches finished, we made a couple more stops. “The hat is for him, isn’t it?”
“Yup. How do we feel about keychains? Are we over keychains?”
“You get one every time you visit. I don’t think you’re over them.”
“Fair point.” I picked up a Quincy Market keychain and showed Adrian. He made a face. Not this one. “You could get lover boy a keychain tomorrow.” I nodded.
“Also not lover boy. Haven’t said it yet.”
“You haven’t said I love you yet?”
“No. Not the right time.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means it’s not the right time. And there hasn’t been a right time.”
“Okay but then you… Addison Hawthorne you little vixen. That’s why you didn’t lecture me. Because you can’t!” I shrugged. It’s not like it was a big deal.
“It’s not a big deal. We are in a relationship. We have had sex.”
“But you haven’t said I love you yet.”
“No.”
“Is it… bad?” My eyes widened.
“Uh. No. It’s good.”
“Justin is going to kill me when he finds out I knew. Awe. My little shadow is growing up. Thought it would be me first though.” He brushed an imaginary tear away.
“Adrian. You know I wasn’t a virgin, right?” I laughed as his jaw dropped.
Like a good best friend, Adrian and Bree distracted Justin with questions about his new favourite topic, Jessica, while I browsed the team store at Fenway Park. I flipped through the keychain rack and narrowed it down to a Sox B logo and one with a glove, Sox ball, and an MLB bat. I went with the bat. Monty could take the ball off and it would be innocuous enough.
I joined my entourage on one of the concourses. I could never keep them all straight. “Do we want to split a foot long hotdog?” Justin asked.
“I don’t even like hotdogs Justin.”
“Come on Addy. It’s Fenway Park. It’s a Red Sox game. You have to get a hotdog. It’s like. In the rules or something.”
“He’s right Addy. It’s in the rules.” My dad joked and flicked my cap. Mum laughed and kissed his cheek. He grinned and kiss dipped her.
“Ew. We are in public.” I covered my eyes. Justin put his arms around my shoulders.
“Come on Addison. Just because you’re the only single one here doesn’t mean love is gross.” Adrian shot me a look. I glared and quirked a brow at him. “You never answered my question. Split the footlong?”
“I have a feeling splitting one is against these rules you keep telling me about.”
“I think it is. My cousin told me when I was little.” Bree laughed. “Thanks for letting me tag along Mr. and Dr. Hawthorne.”
“Anytime sweetheart.” Mum smiled. I tried not to notice when she slipped her hand in my dad’s back pocket. It’s cute that they love each other and do PDA. It also makes me want to vomit a little. Dad managed to talk Justin down from the footlong to a jumbo dog. He also told me it was against the rules to get lobster bisque at a ballgame.
I texted Monty while we were in line for pickup. Is it against the Rules of Baseball to get soup at a game?
He replied immediately. Yes. Full stop. Straight to Baseball Jail.
Then why do they serve it?
It’s Boston. It’s cold there.
It’s 85 degrees today. It’s not cold. I’m surprised my dad let me leave the house in these shorts.
Well damn. You need to hurry home.
MONTGOMERY!
“You’re blushing.” Adrian murmured. I shook my head and fanned myself. He nodded. It looked like I was just hot. Bree winked at me, sealed her lips, and discreetly threw away the key. Guess he definitely told Bree.
With our allegedly required hotdogs topped and ready to go, we made our way through the concourse to find our seats.
I know nothing about baseball. I don’t really care about baseball. Before Monty, I didn’t really pay attention. Where is the fun in watching men try to hit a ball and then run in a square? But at Fenway Park, in Boston, you don’t really need to understand the sport in order to enjoy the game. You go for the atmosphere. You go for the food, the beer, and the feeling of being welcome, whoever you are- as long as you’re there rooting for the Sox. I loved it. No, I could probably never explain what happened in the game. But I could explain the feeling and how it was the most connected I felt to my family in a long time.
I was awoken on Tuesday morning by Adrian and Justin jumping on me. “Happy birthday!” They exclaimed. I coughed and leaned up on my elbows. My friends were wearing birthday hats while holding a pink Birthday Girl pin and a birthday cake headband towards me. I blinked at them and rubbed my eyes as I sat up.
“Good morning to you too. There’s no way I’m wearing those.” I joked.
“Oh, me thinks you must.” Adrian laughed, turning to Justin conspiratorially.
I watched with wide eyes as they climbed off the bed and started going through my closet. Justin pulled out the blue maxi dress I packed. He held it up to Adrian with the pin. “She will look like a walking gender reveal party.” Justin shrugged and pulled out a yellow polka dot sundress. One of Monty’s favourites. “That works.” The boys continued on as though I wasn’t there watching them. Leaning over, I checked my phone. I had emails from both of my grandmas wishing me a happy birthday. My inbox was practically full of Birthday Freebies coupons. Monty had texted me at midnight California time to wish me a happy birthday. Happy birthday Addison. Hope you have an awesome day. Can’t wait to celebrate you when you get home. :) :*
I smiled brightly. “What’s got you so smiley?” Adrian asked, smirking.
“Oh you know, just all the free crap I’m going to get today while I drag you guys around the city. And you can’t complain about it because it’s my birthday.”
The boys left me to get ready once they had decided on an outfit for me. I took a quick shower and deep conditioned my hair. The boys could wait a bit. It was my birthday after all. I spent a few minutes putting on makeup and curling my hair. I flipped my head upside down and used some volume spray. With some lipgloss and one final check in the mirror, I was ready to go.
Downstairs, mum had made maple pecan rolls for breakfast. Justin and Adrian were staring at them like they would get up and run away. “Happy birthday.” Dad smiled and hugged me. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. Nicer in Boston. Didn’t have anything to say about my lipstick this time.
“Thanks Dad.” I kissed mum on the cheek as I passed her and brewed a cup of coffee.
“Happy birthday dear.” She slid a wrapped box down the counter. I looked at her questioningly. “It’s from your dad and I.”
I nodded and picked up the box and my coffee to go sit at the island with my friends. Adrian was looking from the platter of rolls to me continually. I laughed and grabbed myself a plate for a corner roll. The crunchy edge is my favourite part. Justin and Adrian both went for the same corner piece. “Rock, paper, scissors?” Justin challenged.
“You know there are two other corner-. You know what, never mind.” I chuckled. Justin won the corner piece. Adrian always chooses paper. My parents split a roll and us kids pretended not to notice the look my dad gave my mum when she sucked the caramel off the side of her thumb. “Can I open my gift now?”
“Of course honey.”
I carefully slipped my finger under the wrapper to pull off the tape and unwrap the gift. Inside there was a small velvet box. I looked up at my parents. Dad waved for me to go ahead. I smiled and opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a logo as a pendant. I tried to hide my confusion as Justin and Adrian took in the gift. The more I looked at it, I realized that it said my name. It was one of those minimalist name designs where the letters are all drawn on top of each other. I smiled up at them as I stood to hug them in thanks. Justin looked more confused than ever.
“Dude. It says her name.”
“Oh. Yeah okay, I see it.” He did not sound convinced. We laughed lovingly. Oh Justy. Sweet, cute, not so innocent, Justy.
Mum pulled me aside to the office as we were getting ready to leave. Dad was waiting at the desk. “We have one more thing for you. But you need to be responsible with it.”
“Okay.” I quirked my head to the side. Dad pulled out an envelope from American Express on it. My eyes widened.
“This is a privilege Addison,” he began as he opened the envelope. “Your mother and I discussed it and we went back and forth on it for a long time.” I nodded. I was trying to follow where this was going.
“We have agreed to set you up as an authorized user on Amex.” Mum said.
“Oh. Okay.” I blinked, in disbelief.
“You’re seventeen now. You need to start learning some financial responsibility. We agreed a long time ago that you wouldn’t have a regular job in school so you can focus on your grades. This is one of the safest ways to do that in our minds. Your mother and I will cover the bill rather than giving you an allowance. There is a limit of three hundred and fifty dollars on the card.” I blinked again. I couldn’t believe what was happening. This can’t be for real. Dad held out that card to me.
“So like. Wait. You guys are for real?” I reached out for the card. I ran my thumb over my embossed name. Credit card.
“Yes Addison. We are for real. Just remember that this is a privilege. It can and will be taken away if it becomes a problem.”
“We will discuss other parameters that come with this when we get home.” Mum added. “For now, go have fun with your friends.” I nodded and thanked my parents. Dad gave me the accompanying letter so I could get the PIN for the card. My login information was also listed in the letter. Holy shit. This is crazy.
I left the office with the card. My hands shook. Justin and Adrian looked at me, concern etched on their faces. I simply held up the card. They blinked at me. Adrian’s dad let him borrow the car for the day so the three of us piled in and set off to celebrate my birthday. The shock of the Amex had started to wear off a little. Our first stop was Brattle Book Shop. Justin laughed and shook his head. “How many books do you have that you haven’t read yet?”
“A few. Who said I was going to buy anything?” Justin and Adrian shared a look.
“Right. Not buying anything. At the bookstore.”
I sighed. My friends laughed and followed me into the bookstore. We browsed the shop for a while but nothing was really catching my eye. Or if it did catch my eye, it was a rare book that cost more than my degree would. Adrian lounged and watched as Justin and I flipped through the extensive selection of bargain books. I huffed and turned to Adrian. “Nothing is peaking my interest. Ready to go?”
“God yes.” He groaned and then caught himself. “I mean, sure. If you're ready to head out then sure.” Justin barked out a laugh.
“Good catch. Thought she was going to whack you with a book for a second there.” The three of us laughed as I rolled my eyes and dragged the boys out of the shop.
Our next stop was the mall. It was about a half hour drive so we stopped at a cafe for a coffee and snack. Adrian insisted on paying. Justin’s eye twitched a little. I rubbed his shoulder. “He’s just being nice. You want to get us pretzels at the mall?” He nodded and we left it at that. At the mall, I took the boys by the hand and dragged them towards Crate and Barrel.
“Are you suddenly in need of a new couch Addison?” Adrian joked.
“Maybe I am. You don’t know what I do in my free time.” Adrian snorted and smirked. Justin was glued to his phone again. They followed me to the kitchen appliances. “How mad do you think Dad would be if I put a juicer on the Amex?”
“Do you enjoy life?” Justin asked without looking up.
“Yes. That’s a no on the juicer then?”
“Yup.”
“Since when do you juice?” Adrian asked.
“Well if I had a juicer, I might start.” I stuck out my tongue at him. I wandered through the kitchen section, stopping every so often to contemplate buying something. I settled on simply replacing my silicone baking mat. I checked my phone periodically as I browsed. I had gotten a few texts from friends to wish me a Happy Birthday. I thanked them as they came in. We wandered the mall slowly, chatting idly as we went. We stopped at H&M and Forever 21 to look at some basics with my discount before stopping for a pretzel on Justin. I left the boys for a bit while I stopped at Arie.
As I flipped through the racks, I let my mind wander to the school year ahead. I knew that I would have to talk to Monty, now that I had told Adrian about us. I knew that we should consider telling our friends sooner or later. I shrugged. Our relationship was going to be news at school. I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with being news at Liberty. And with our luck, that would be the longest lasting news cycle. I thought about how busy this year was going to be, even without the gossip that would follow us. Junior year mattered more the most. I had a packed schedule. Monty was going to be busy with sports. I chewed on my lip as I considered how little time we would have to spend together. My phone trilled with a text from Justin. Are you done yet? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I grabbed a pink and a yellow bralette before walking to the till.
I’m just finishing up. Where are you guys?
At GameStop.
OK. Stopping at Starbies. Want anything? I headed towards Starbucks.
A wants a black coffee and can I get one of those caramel things?
Frappuccino? Whip?
Sure? Have I ever said no to whip? I laughed at my phone and ordered the drinks.
When I found my friends, they were bickering about what game to buy. By the sounds of it, the choices were some racing game and something that looked like nightmare fuel. I picked up a PGA tour game. “What about golf?”
They turned to me and blinked. “No.” They answered in unison. More bickering ensued. They finally decided on a game ten minutes later. Nightmare fuel it is. As we were leaving, Adrian spotted some of his friends. I stumbled and grabbed Justin’s arm. He turned to me questioningly. I shook my head. Adrian waved his friends over. Please no. Maybe he won’t be with them. I scanned the group discreetly. I spotted Danny and sighed.
“Hey guys.” Adrian greeted. Justin nodded his greeting. I scowled into my drink.
“Hey. Happy birthday Addy.” Danny smiled, but I caught the thinly veiled disdain in his tone. I ignored him and pulled out my phone to try to look busy. I scrolled Instagram while Justin and Adrian chatted with his friends. Can we wrap this up at some point? I must have cleared my throat or sighed more aggressively than intended because the conversation around me stopped.
“Oh shit, sorry. We gotta go guys. Birthday girl has places to be and all.” Adrian said and grabbed my hand. I waved politely as we walked away.
Justin waved towards the washroom. I nodded and he excused himself. “So what was that with Danny?”
“What do you mean?”
“You basically ignored him.”
“Oh, that was nothing.” Adrian hummed and was quiet for a moment.
“Oh my God. Danny? For serious?” I sighed heavily and looked down. I wasn’t ashamed. It was just awkward.
“Yeah. And apparently he thought it meant more than it did. So I may or may not have just… left before he woke up and not texted him back.”
“When?”
“Last summer.” I shrugged. Adrian hummed. I pulled my phone out and scrolled through Monty’s texts.
“Want me to take Justin off your hand for the night? You could call him.” I looked up.
“You’d do that? Even after I screwed your friend and ghosted?”
“Course I would. Danny is a big boy. And between you and me, he’s not in a position to be too bitter. But I didn’t say that.” I chuckled and rested my head on his shoulder. We decided we were done with the mall around two.
In the car, we decided on a late afternoon picnic in the park. We took a detour for a picnic blanket at Adrian’s house and stopped at the market for sandwiches and dessert. I laid back and rested my arms behind my head. “Thank you guys for today. I’m having a lot of fun. Stupid pin and stupid hat included.”
“Told you she’d like the hat.” Justin goaded.
“Hey Justin?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re coming to the movies and stuff with us tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Since it’s guy time, you want to spend the night at my place?”
Justin looked at me to check if it was okay for him to ditch me on my birthday for the night. I nodded. “I was hoping to have a bath and do a face mask anyway. You two have fun with your nightmare fuel.”
“Okay then sure.”
Spending the evening of my birthday by myself would normally not be my first choice. But this year it was the best way I could think to celebrate. This was the first time I had had consecutive hours alone in two weeks. I texted Monty to see if he was free to call later. I responded to some of my missed texts. Popping my headphones in, I tidied up the bedroom a little while my face mask sat and did its thing. We drew the line at touching each other’s dirty clothes so I kicked Justin’s laundry into the corner for him to deal with. When I dug through my dresser, I found a bottle of pink nail polish. It must have been thrown in there last summer. I settled on my bed and painted my toenails. I had just finished my right foot when Monty FaceTimed me. “Hey handsome.” I smiled.
“Hey you. Happy Birthday.”
“Thanks! Not that I don’t think this is cute but uh…. Since when do we facetime?”
“Since we haven’t seen each other in a week.” I shrugged. That made perfect sense. “Did you finally dump Justin in the harbour?”
I laughed. “No no. He is with Adrian tonight. It’s guy’s day tomorrow. They got some new video game today when we were shopping.”
“What game?”
I gave him a how the fuck should I know look, “No clue. Looks like it's gonna cause nightmares.” He laughed. “So, best birthday ever?”
“No, it was good. But I wouldn’t say best ever. Mum and Dad did let me have cake for dinner when I turned six. That’s pretty hard to beat.” I didn’t think it was necessary to mention the Amex sitting in my wallet. He shook his head and smirked. I turned when Mum poked her head in the room.
“Everything okay in here?” I pointed to my phone.
“Yeah, just on the phone. Clay has questions about the summer reading list.”
“You actually did the readings?” Monty asked. I looked back at my phone, wide eyed.
“That’s good. Dad and I are running to the store.” I gave her a thumbs up.
“Did you not do the readings?” His silence spoke volumes. “You have two weeks to read eight books, Montgomery.” He shrugged. Did he really just shrug at me?
“It’s not a huge deal.”
“Uh huh. Sure. Think of it this way. Now you’ll have something to do for the next week until I get home.”
“But I was gonna hang out at Bryce’s. It’s like a thousand degrees and he has a pool.” He had a bit of a point. The pool was kind of nice. Too bad it was at Bryce’s house.
“Well, it’s a good thing books are portable. Read in the pool. You’re tall enough you won't drown.”
“It bugs you that you can’t read in the pool without floaties, doesn't it?” I opened my mouth to answer. He cut me off, “don’t try to deny it, Bookworm.” I sighed, exasperated. “Fine, fine. I’ll do the readings.”
“Yay!” I grinned.
“Might need some… tutoring before we go back though.” He smirked. I blushed and my eyes widened again.
“You….” I didn't know what to say.
“Actually. Maybe it’s you that needs the tutoring. I’m sure I could help you with summarizing. Encouragingly.” His brow lifted. I sputtered and turned beet red.
“Y-You. I. Th-that. Montgomery!” He laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. “You are…,”
“Unreasonably attractive? Too hot for my own good? Very athletic? Able to render you speechless in one word?” I blinked at him. I still couldn't make words connect properly.
“A walking innuendo. Sex fiend. Walking Durex ad.”
“You knew that before we started dating, Doll.” He smirked again. I laughed.
“Stop, stop. I need to finish painting my toenails.” Monty grimaced.
“Feet. Great.”
“Yeah no I don’t do feet. But I can bend my legs pretty far. Good range of motion in my hips.”
It was Monty’s turn to blush. “Oh and I’m the one who needs to stop and is a walking innuendo.” I nodded. “Okay then. When do you get home on Tuesday?”
“I think we land at like eight and then we have the drive home. So maybe home at nine?”
“Movie on Wednesday?” I smiled and nodded.
After we ended our call, I finished painting my toenails and got ready for bed. It was so nice being able to spread out. Talking to Monty made me realize just how excited I was to get home.
