my parents believed so wholeheartedly in what they did, then why did Ray’s way of life pose such a threat? Surely the truth would come out, sooner or later. But here I was, caught in the middle of it all.
Each of my friends had lives, things to look forward to, while I felt like a crab trying to climb out of a boiling pot. How could I free myself when everyone was desperate to keep me “safe”?
Feeling disgusted, I changed out of my sweater and ripped a brush through the waves Zara had created. It had all been a false hope.
Now in my organic cotton pajamas, I turned off the light and slid under the covers. Half an hour later, the door cracked open and Cori came in.
“Ginger?” she whispered.
I opened my eyes, the sliver of light from the hallway shining too brightly.
“I tried,” she said softly.
“I know,” was all I could manage before rolling over to face the wall and succumbing to the flow of disappointed tears.
Thirty-Four
On the way to school Monday morning, my heart rate kept climbing higher and higher, and I could feel it throbbing in my bandaged thumb. This would be the first day I saw Ray since Friday, and I didn’t know what to expect.
Would he still walk me to the building? Would he give up? Would he even care?
“Cori,” I said, “I’m freaking out. Help.”
She looked up from her half-finished homework assignment. “About Ray?”
I nodded. “Mom and Dad were awful to him. What if he hates me?”
“Has he texted you?” she asked.
“No, but he doesn’t text a lot anyway.”
Her lips tugged down in a frown. “If he likes you, he’ll stick it out, right?”
“Why would he?” Honestly, what future was there for us with my parents so adamantly against him and me together? We were over before we even began.
Nudging my arm, she said, “You’re a stone-cold ginger fox. Of course he will. Got grit, don’t quit, right?”
I wished I had that much confidence. I wanted to shut my eyes as we pulled into the parking lot, just so I wouldn’t have to see Ray’s absence. To look for him only to realize that he had given up on me. On the possibility of us.
I pulled into my spot, and Ray stepped into view.
Ginger screamed beside me, clapping her hands together. My grin was too wide to be embarrassed.
She hopped out of the car, and I heard her chirp, “Hey, Ray.”
“Hey, Cor.” He opened my door for me and waited for me to get out. “Ginger.”
The smooth honey way my name fell off his lips made me melt. “Hey,” I breathed.
He took my backpack and shut the door behind me. For the first few steps, we were quiet. I kept glancing over at him, hardly believing he was still here, but thanking my lucky stars that he was.
“The heifers keep asking about you,” Ray said, his gaze ahead.
“The cows?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah, apparently they miss having you around the ranch.” Finally, he rolled his head to the side, waiting for my response.
My lips quirked. “They do?”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Think you can do something about that?”
Was he asking me to the ranch? My parents would never allow it, and that thought nearly ripped me in half. I tried to play it cool. “I can video chat?”
He paused at the bottom of the stairs. “The girls’ll never accept that.”
“No?” I asked, fighting harder than ever to keep a silly grin off my face.
“In person is the only way to satisfy these girls.”
“This weekend?” I questioned.
“Think you can get away?” he asked, his eyes revealing more hope than he probably cared to share.
My heart skipped a beat or two. “What about my parents? I thought your dad wanted you to have my father’s permission first?”
“He also told me some things are worth fighting for.”
“Saturday,” I said before I could logic myself out of it. “I’ll be there.” I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted to go. I’d found a way to get into film school, a way to go to the dorms; I’d find a way for the possibility of love too.
We walked inside, and by my friends, he handed me my bag. “See you this weekend.”
And if I thought my sister made me blush this morning, my friends’ very public celebration did an even better job.
Thirty-Five
At the lunch table, Jordan sang, “Ginger has a date.”
The boys, who hadn’t heard the news this morning, had equally shocked expressions.
“Thanks for the