Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,89
smile but then my happiness quickly falters. “Wait. What are we going to tell them?”
“About what?” he feigns dumb, his brow teasing upward.
“You know what. You and me.” I put my hand on his chest to playfully shove him, but he snags my wrist and jerks me to him, our chests colliding.
He rests his hands on my waist. “I’m pretty sure they already know.”
“How?”
“Because it’s been four years in the making, and they’ve had eyes for those four years.”
“Yeah, maybe …” I rub my lips together, unsure what to do.
“Why do you seem scared that they’ll find out?” he asks, trying to hide his hurt, yet his eyes give the truth away.
“I’m not really scared of them finding out,” I admit. “I’m just afraid that, when they do, everything will become so real. And it’ll become that much harder to lose what we have.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assures me, dropping a delicate kiss on my lips. “Stop overthinking and just accept that you and I belong together. We’re real, and you’re not going to lose me. You want me, and I want you.”
I nod, nerves creeping up on me as Wynter strolls into my room.
She’s wearing a dark purple dress, her hair is curled, her makeup flawless, and she’s sporting heels.
“I thought I told you to wear something comfortable,” I tell her, realizing too late that Beck’s hands are still on my waist. I consider stepping back then decide to stay put and accept what I want like Beck told me.
Her eyes dart to Beck’s hands, and a devious smirk spreads across her face. “I knew you sounded glowy on the phone.”
“What does that mean?” Ari asks as he walks into my bedroom. Unlike Wynter, he took my advice on dress attire and is wearing an old T-shirt and holey jeans. He takes one look at Beck and me, and relief washes over his face. “Thank God. It’s about fucking time.”
Beck grins proudly, while I grow extremely confused.
“Wait a second,” I say, stepping toward Ari. “You don’t seem that surprised about this.”
Ari backs up with a guilty look on his face. “Look, I know what you’re getting at, and I just want to say that I thought I was making things easier.”
I cross my arms. “How does telling me that Beck and Wynter like each other make things easier on me?”
“Wait, what?” Wynter whirls toward Ari. “You told her that?”
Ari shrugs. “She was always freaking out whenever Beck tried to hit on her or kiss her, so I thought I’d make it easier on her and let her think Beck liked someone else. That way, she wouldn’t have to stress out every time we were all together.”
“Your logic is kind of warped, but I appreciate it.” To prove it, I give him a hug.
“I just want everyone to be happy,” Ari says, hugging me back. “And to get along.”
“You’re such a sap,” Wynter teases him. “But that’s okay. It’s why we love you.”
Ari rolls his eyes as we step back. “I’m the sap? You’re the one always bawling during movies. And while reading books. And when you see puppies.”
“Hey, puppies are really cute,” Wynter argues with her hands on her hips.
They continue to argue as Luna and Grey walk into the room. Then the six of us finish packing up my stuff and load the boxes into our cars. I don’t take the furniture or anything else in the house, not for my mom’s benefit, but to have a fresh start.
While I may not get to do things over, I can choose to let go of the past and move forward with a new, less stressful future.
“You think you got everything?” Beck asks as I take one final walk around my room.
Wynter, Ari, Luna, and Grey have all driven off to take some of my stuff to Beck’s house.
I nod, grabbing a notebook and a piece of paper. “I just need to do one more thing.”
He moves up beside me as I lean over the dresser to write. “What are you doing?”
I put the tip of the pen to the piece of the paper. “Writing my mom a note to let her know where I am.”
“Willow, do you think that’s a good idea?” His tone carries caution. “What if she tries to track you down and get money from you or something?”
“I’m not telling her where I’ll be physically,” I explain. “I’m telling her where I am mentally.”
“Oh.” He doesn’t argue anymore, just moves up behind me and massages