in for a long dinner. Far from the relaxing one I hoped for.
He swipes his thumb across his bottom lip to hide his growing smirk. “She used to wear her hair in pigtails every day and call herself Pippi Longstocking.”
Jenna bursts out laughing while I cover my face with my palms again and suppress a groan. “Why would you do that? I hope there’s pictures, because I need to see evidence of this.”
My shoulders drop as I glance up. “I found the book at a garage sale that my parents took me to and begged my mom to buy it for me. It just became an obsession I guess.”
Carter wraps his long fingers around his sweet tea. “It was cute, like I said. I remember Jesse telling me that your parents would try putting on the television show, but you’d refuse to watch it because her hair wasn’t right.”
“It wasn’t!”
Jenna snorts. “You’re too adorable.”
“Shut up. I can tell stories about you.”
She makes a face at me. “At least those stories all involved me being drunk. You chose to be Pippi Longstocking sober.”
Her argument isn’t one I’d use in the court of law, but I let it slide. Mostly because we’d exchange stories all night, and the last thing I want Carter to hear is how I spent my college years being the teacher’s pet.
“Speaking of drinking,” she persists, shooting me a wicked grin before focusing on Carter. “I need your opinion about our dear old friend. She insists that she can’t go out and have fun because she has other responsibilities. You seem like a reasonable guy, so you’ll give us your honest thoughts, right?”
Carter licks his dry lips, hesitation clear on my suddenly aware features. “Well—”
“Good. So, I’m trying to convince Piper to let loose for the night. She says that going out to eat is her version of that, which is pretty pathetic. She’s too young to be this boring, am I right?”
Carter doesn’t answer.
“And she’s beautiful, right?”
Carter blinks, lifting his drink to his lips.
“Which means,” Jenna concludes, “that she needs to go out and get laid.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, sinking further into my seat while Carter coughs up his drink. A few drops dribble down his chin, which he quickly catches with a napkin.
“Wow. Was not expecting that.” He sets his glass down and looks at no particular area in front of him, especially not me.
Jenna puts her hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t hear you deny any of those claims. I’m simply saying that we both care about our friend’s wellbeing, right?”
I brush her hand off. “Me and my wellbeing are just fine grabbing a quick bite to eat, thank you very much.”
“Ainsley loves you—”
“Stop,” I whisper. I can feel Carter’s eyes on me, which makes me close mine. “Not here.”
Her hand finds mine and squeezes. “I know for a fact that Danny wouldn’t want you to stop living. That isn’t why he asked you to take care of her.”
Swallowing, I push my chair back. The tightening in my chest quickly rises, suffocating me slowly. “I just remembered that I have to get home.” My voice cracks, leaving me vulnerable to the sets of eyes staring at me.
Jenna reaches out. “Piper, come on.”
I just shake my head and walk out, not having the energy to deal with her telling me she’s sorry when I know she is. Jenna never means any harm when she brings up Danny. The hurt still settles into my chest when she does though. Then the panic attacks start, leaving me winded and crying and begging for air.
I tell myself I’m fine, even when I’m not.
Chapter Thirteen
The fake smile plastered on my face could be picked apart easily by anyone who knows me. Carter Ford isn’t one of those people. He greets me without any hesitation when we meet in the classroom where he teaches American History 101.
For a few short moments, it seems like the weekend is behind us. There’s no talk of the Rec Center, Ainsley, or the restaurant. But the tension in my shoulders doesn’t ease because my mind knows it’s coming.
His throat clears first, a sure sign that he’s about to bring up a topic that I don’t want to speak on. For a moment, I consider asking him to leave it be—my life, his questions. A different part of me, a dominant side, does the opposite and lets him say what he wants. “I wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable before,” he begins quietly,