I call Brynn's grandmother. Suddenly my nerves kick in and my mouth goes dry. How and the world am I going to explain this to her, in a way that she can translate it back to Brynn.

"Hello?"

"Uh...hi, Mrs. Rose. It's Finn. Finn... Nash? I'm the guy..."

"dating my granddaughter. Yes, Finn, I know who you are. We've met, remember? And I thought I told you to call me Gran?"

"You did Gran, I'm sorry. I just felt awkward... and..."

I wondered why I was fumbling all over myself

"She's still at her Dad's, Finn."

"I know Gran. Something has happened and it's pretty important that I get in touch with her or at least a message to her."

"Really?" I can hear the sudden concern in Gran's voice and hate that I am responsible for it.

"Yeah," I sigh heavily not knowing where to begin.

"Whenever I have something unpleasant to say, Finn. I find it best to just spit it out and get it over with. Like eating vegetables or jumping in a cold pool once you get over the initial bad taste or shock you find it's not so bad after all. Unless you are eating brussel sprouts and then it just all down hill from there."

I laugh, it was a very Brynnesk type conversation I was having right now, and I really did miss it.

"This may be an eating a plate full of brussel sprouts while sitting in a cold pool, kinda situation, Gran. It involves my ex-girlfriend."

"Are you getting back together with her?"

"NO!" I quickly reply.

"Is she pregnant?"

"No, no, no, Gran. Heck NO!" I shudder at the very thought.

"Well those are the two worse situations I can think of so it's most likely not as bad as you imagine so why not tell me about it?" Gran said logically.

I chuckled. She really is so much like Brynn. Find the worse case scenario and if you think you can survive it...the rest can't possibly be that bad.

"Okay, before Brynn I was dating the most popular girl in the school and I broke up with her long before Brynn. She is extremely self-absorbed to a disturbing degree and has sworn that if I date someone other than her she will try and destroy that person and I'm not exactly certain what that entails."

"So keep your relationship on the down low. Fly under the radar until graduation and then you're scott free, it would seem," Gran said.

Smart woman. If only it were that easy.

"That would be the perfect plan, Gran except at the game on Friday, your granddaughter got a little over excited by my winning the game at the last second and well...."

"Kissed you in front of the entire school?" Gran filled in.

"Jumped in my arms and kissed me in front of the entire school. The lead gossip and newspaper editor at school, has already placed a picture she took of the event on Facebook, and is undoubtedly writing an article to accompany that picture for the Monday Edition of the "Leaping Leopard", our school paper.

Gran sighed. "I see. So the cat's out of the bag."

"Yeah and I don't want Brynn getting scratched."

"Got you. Reading you loud and clear, young man. Thank you for calling me."

I sighed in partial relief. "How mad is she going to be at me?"

"Who, dear?"

"Byrnn?"

Gran laughed. "She's not going to be mad at all. In fact, you have a reprieve as she won't be in school all next week."

"What? Why?"

I know I should have been more excited about the news as it means I have a week to plan a strategy to keep Brynn out of harms way, to get things in place, to possibly deal with Jessica on my own, but a week...??? My heart sank.

"Oh, Loveface. You got it bad, don't you?" Gran asks with a giggle.

I blush and am thankful I am on the phone and that she can't see me in person. I also make a mental note to ask Brynn, "What is up with 'Loveface'?"

"Yeah, I do." I admit knowing it's pointless to deny it.

Gran laughs again, and I find myself smiling as it reminds me of Brynn's laugh.

"I had talked with her Father about her staying with me until graduation. He was not pleased about the idea. Not even a little. He had taken a week off from work so that him and Brynn would have time to get to know one another before she moved in."

"Oh. So that is why you met Brynn at the door?"

"Smart boy. Yes. I had to break the news to her as she was leaving first thing in the morning and will not be returning until next Sunday."

"So, wait... he's agreed to allow her to stay?"

"You don't miss a thing do you? Yes, she will be staying with me until graduation and then it will be up to Brynn if she wants to live with her Father or go out on her own."

If my foot didn't feel like it was broken, I would so be doing a happy dance right now.

"Finn?"

"Sorry, just really excited at the moment."

Gran giggled again. "She was too. She told me it was the only thing that made going to her Father's a bearable idea."

Wow... Brynn said that...maybe I'm not in this alone.

"I'll try my best to play damage control this week at school. Hopefully I will have a handle on it before Brynn gets back," I say although, I really don't feel that hopeful.

"Byrnn calls to check up on me every night so I will be in touch and I will be certain to give her some warning but I may not do so until the end of her visit with her father as she already as enough on her plate dealing with that whole situation."

"Gran?"

"Yes?"

"No matter how this turns out, I promise I won't let her get hurt," I say needing both her and Brynn to know that I mean that promise.

"That's sweet of you, Finn. And I know in your heart you mean it but a promise like that is not so easily kept. So, don't be too hard on yourself if somehow that promise get's broken... it may not be from anything you have done."

I knew there was a warning somewhere in her words but I couldn't quite decipher it. Why is everyone warning me that this can go wrong? Am I the only one who has faith it can be right? That we are meant to be together? Am I so crazy to be thinking that?

"Okay."

"Thanks again for letting me know."

"You're welcome. Good-bye Gran."

"Good-bye."

I stared at the phone for a while before putting it down like it held some secret I have yet to unlock. It was all still too much for my addled brain to handle at the moment.

I switched to my music to decompress.

It didn't help as the first song immediately made me think of Brynn.

I closed my eyes as I sang along with Nico & Vinz...feeling the ache in my heart.

Am I wrong? (am I wrong?)

For thinking that we could be something for real?

(Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah, oh)

Now am I wrong? (am I wrong?)

For trying to reach the things that I can't see?

(Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah, yeah)

That's just how I feel, (ooh, ooh, ooh)

But that's just how I feel (ohh, ooh, ooh)

That's just how I feel

Trying to reach the things that I can't see (ohh, ooh, ooh)

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right, right

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right, right

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right