Heartbreaker - Julie Kriss Page 0,34
yes, it’s from when I was your age. This was the movie I snuck into six times.”
“Six times? At a theater?” Tess asked. “Couldn’t you just stream it?”
“I could not,” I replied, grabbing the remote and scrolling through the menu. “Long ago, in a land far, far away called Wisconsin, there was no Netflix, so fourteen-year-old girls had to sneak into movie theaters without paying. But we can stream it tonight.”
Her eyes went wide as she saw the movie I called up. “What is this? It looks sappy.”
“Of course it’s sappy,” I said, gazing adoringly at the screen, where I was loading up The Notebook. “It’s the sappiest thing you’ve ever seen. That’s what makes it so great.”
Tess gave a little grimace of dread that almost made me laugh, but I refrained, keeping a straight face. “This looks like a lot of kissing.”
“It’s a ton of kissing. Really great kissing. Ryan Gosling kissing.” I sighed. “Oh, lord.”
“Who? Isn’t he, like, forty?”
“Be quiet and watch the movie,” I said. “I’ll make some popcorn.”
Two hours later, I turned it off as we sprawled on the sofa, empty popcorn bowls in front of us. “Okay,” Tess admitted reluctantly. “That was all right.”
“You’re kidding me.” I swiped the tears from my face, because no matter how many times I watched that movie, the ending got me every time. “You’re not even crying.”
She shrugged. “I don’t cry much. Though I’ll admit that guy was really hot before he got old. Look at you.” She grinned. “You’re such a romantic.”
I patted my face dry. “They just loved each other so much. I know it’s a stupid movie and I’m supposed to hate it, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. It’s like knowing you’re supposed to hate cake or Girl Guide cookies. You just can’t.”
Tess shook her head. “You’re hopeless. Do you always watch romantic movies?”
“Sure I do. I read romance novels, too.” Though there was no way I was actually going to show her the actual books. Maybe in ten years.
“So you were boy-crazy when you were my age.”
“Actually, no. I mean, I liked boys. But I liked Ryan Gosling better.” I gestured to the screen. “I’ve always been more comfortable with fictional men than with real ones.”
“Except this Holden guy,” Tess pointed out. “You naked like him. You admitted it. Even though he’s a jerk.”
“He isn’t a jerk. At least, not anymore.” I repeated to her what Holden had told me about what happened on prom night. It was good to tell someone, to talk about it, even if Tess was only fourteen. She was smarter and more fun than most of the adults I knew.
When I had finished, she frowned for a minute, thinking. “First of all, that’s gross,” she said. “I’d punch any guy who got drunk and stood me up on prom night. But what happened to the brother?”
“What?”
“The brother. What happened to him? Holden doesn’t say he’s around, right?”
I thought it over. Holden hadn’t mentioned where Caleb was, and he certainly hadn’t said that Caleb was here in New York. He hadn’t mentioned talking to him on the phone or anything. “Maybe he moved away,” I said. “He’d be over thirty now.”
“Okay, so where has Holden been since high school? What’s he been doing? He could have an ex-wife and a couple of kids for all you know.”
“I don’t know exactly what he’s been doing the entire time, but I really doubt there’s a wife and kids.”
“Hmm.” Tess picked up her phone and started tapping.
I watched her in alarm, a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. “You aren’t Googling, are you? You promised you wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t promise,” she said, still tapping. “Your boyfriend doesn’t have a Facebook account, by the way. Or an Insta.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said.
“Yes, he is. No Snapchat or Twitter, either. It seems he lives under a rock.”
“I don’t think social media is Holden’s thing.”
“Then you should teach him,” she said, glancing up at me. “Your Insta is awesome.”
“Oh.” I had an Instagram account mostly as something I could send people to when I was auditioning for roles. “Thanks. That’s just singing and acting stuff.”
“Still, it’s good,” Tess said, as if her judgment was final. She went back to her phone.
“I’m not cool with this,” I said. “You shouldn’t snoop on a boy you like, or on anyone. If you have questions, you should just ask them face to face.”
“Too late,” Tess declared. “I think I found something.”
I closed my eyes,