pig, leave some for the rest of us,” Ginny said, grabbing one of the cookies from his hands.
“There are, like, six dozen over there. Get your own,” Ty said, stealing the cookie back.
Marina smacked Ty on the shoulder. “Don’t steal from your sister.”
He looked at Marina, mouth dropping. “You saw she stole from me first, right?”
“But she’s your sister and younger.”
“By, like, all of five minutes,” Ty groused.
Ginny grabbed a cookie off the rack and sat on the barstool next to me. “Where’s Khiley and Stephen? I saw the truck in the driveway.”
“Solving some unknown crisis,” I said.
“Wait. The lovebirds have a crisis? How is that even possible?” Ty asked.
“Just because you think you’re the only one with issues, doesn’t mean that’s true, Tiras,” Ginny snapped at him.
He groaned. “Don’t use that name.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “It is your name.”
“Because Mom read it in some dumbass book,” Ty groaned for the millionth time in his life about being named after a fantasy hero in an Amy Harmon novel.
“Don’t swear,” Marina said. It was the only thing she really ever scolded us about.
“Sorry, Grams,” Ty said, but he didn’t look sorry. Ty rarely looked sorry about anything. His ego was about as big as his throws. Hundreds of yards long. “But you have to admit, Stephley rarely have problems. They’re like the golden children of the family.”
“Don’t use that stupid ‘ship name. You know they hate it as much as you hate Tiras,” Ginny defended the absent couple.
Khiley and Stephen made it back into the room. Khiley’s gray eyes looked like she’d been crying, and Stephen’s were full of sadness and regret. When I tried to catch his gaze, he purposefully avoided me.
“If we’re the golden children, what does that make you?” Stephen snorted. “Some platinum god? Because I think you’re the only one the town named a park after.”
“Everyone, please, can we focus? We only have a few minutes. We need to finalize the details for the surprise party.”
“Mayson texted me. He said he’s almost here.” Khiley gave her update on her brother’s location in a monotone voice so unlike her it only emphasized what we all saw: something was terribly wrong. Khiley and Stephen weren’t known for having issues, especially not ones that would make the sassy, nonstop Khiley burst into tears. I itched to get my brother alone to make him spill his beans but was afraid it would backfire on me.
For now, I was going to have to let it all be. We’d each have to keep our secrets until they spilled out on the front lawn like the garbage on trash day.
TO BE CONTINUED…
While it’s sad to leave Edie and Garrett in this torn apart state, they both need a few days before they can make things right in their world. So, while we wait for them to stew and brew and come to the realization they can’t live without each other, we’ll have to move on to Khiley and Stephen and just what could be bothering the soul mates.
Cover Images: © Deposit Photos | VitalikRadko and iStock | Antonel
Stephen Brennan and Khiley Abbott
A long time ago, a girl named Cam fell in love before she was born with her neighbor, Jake. My Life as a Country Album shared their coming-of-age tragedy and the story of the man who made Cam feel whole again after losing her soul mate. What could be more fitting, then, for her daughter, Khiley, to have that same soul mate experience, but with a different ending? Khiley’s soul mate is the son of Cam’s best friend, Wynn, who found her happily ever after in My Life as a Mixtape. Khiley and Stephen were born a few months apart and were raised hip to hip, much like Cam and Jake once were. But now they’ve got something pulling at the fabric of them…
Still confused? Check out the “My Life as an Album Series Who’s Who.”
Stephen
NOT THIS YEAR
“When I look into the mirror
No happiness is present here.”
Performed by Aly & AJ
Written by Price / AJ Michalka / Armato / Michalka
Khiley was aching to leave. I could feel it in every breath she drew next to me. I’d had a hard time convincing her to come in the first place. Only the fact that if we hadn’t shown up, it would have raised more suspicions had pushed her to come. But once Khiley’s brother, Mayson, had arrived, and Edie had handed out our assignments, Khiley was done. She whispered, “Let’s go.”
And I did