I don't even know how long I've been staring at the ceiling in my room. I've been running the words I read over and over in my head for what feels like hours. That text could only be from one person... But, how'd he get my number? It's not the same one as when we had a fling....

Do I respond? Or ignore it?

I peek at Eli's sleeping face and sigh. What do I do? Texting him back would only open up a whole can of worms that I'd rather avoid, especially with Eli leaving for boot camp soon.

I mean, freshman year was filled with unnecessary drama thanks to Jake.

My hands start feeling clammy just remembering — expressing mutual feelings for one another, finding out he lied about not having a girlfriend, getting bullied by her friends when he and I started fooling around, the fights I had to break up between him and another guy....

I lean over my bedside table to take a bite of one of the cold tacos, being careful not to wake Eli.

There's no way I can tell Trish about the text either. She hates Jake.

After wiping my fingers on a used napkin next to the plate, I pull the cover over my head again and re-read the text.

Sup, it was nice talkin to you again. We should hang out again sometime, I miss us chillin

My fingers hover over the keyboard, but they don't move. After several attempts at typing out a reply and deleting it, I finally give up. I shouldn't be digging up old feelings. I need to ignore him.

Jake is my past and Eli is my future. That's how it should be... right?

***

Several weeks later.

Eli leaves for boot camp in a week. I should be filling out more college applications to be on the safe side in the meantime, but I have too much on my mind to focus on that. And I can't even hang out with him before he leaves since he'll be too busy getting everything ready.

I plop down on my bed and turn my head to look out the window. It's still light out despite it being so late into the afternoon already. I guess summer really is just around the corner.

Hopefully, Trish shows up soon. Everyone in the house had plans for today, so I'm the only lame one staying home on a Saturday.

I unlock my phone and entertain myself by scrolling through different social media apps.

After another hour passes, I'm staring at the text message again before I realize it. I've lost count of how many times I've re-read this text. I've left him on read for weeks, but I still haven't decided whether or not I should even reply.

It would just be harmless talking... We can be friends and nothing more.

I sit and grab the glass of water on my bedside table and chug it. Using the back of my hand, I wipe the water dripping off my chin and take one large, deep breath.

I need to clear my head.

"Hellooo? Anyone home?"

Trish is here! Finally!

I scramble off the bed and poke my head out of my door. "I'm upstairs!"

Trish appears at the bottom of the stairs with a grin. With every step she takes, the plastic bag she's holding rustles and the casual bun atop her head bounces.

"I bring spoils from war!" she announces, opening the bag and dumping out its contents onto the middle of the floor.

Tons of snacks, drinks, and some leftovers from what I assume she had for lunch tumble around the carpet. If she wasn't already my best friend, this would seal the deal.

I get down on all fours and sit cross-legged across from Trish. "How was your date?"

"Good! We went shopping and then grabbed a bite to eat at that new Italian place across the street from the mall. That's where these leftovers are from actually. Figured you'd wanna taste." The grin stretches across her face, no doubt proud of herself for being so thoughtful.

"Oh, nice! Thanks! Was this the... second date with this guy?" I say in between bites of chicken parm.

"No, third actually! He's real nice and isn't too clingy, so it's working out. Here's a selfie I took of us at the mall." She scootches closer to present the photo she was now using as a wallpaper on her phone.

"He's kinda cute!"

Trish beams with pleasure. "Right?!" She takes a sip of her iced tea and opens a granola bar. "Enough about me, girl. Your situation is more complicated and needs to be discussed. When do you get to see him?"

"The day he leaves."

She raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Ooh, one last awesome date, eh?"

"Nah, nothing that exciting... or even fun, to be honest." I peek at her from the corner of my eye, pretending to struggle opening a chocolate bar. "I'm gonna see him off at the airport... with his family."

I don't have to look at her to know she's staring at me with wide eyes.

"Brooke, is that really a good idea?"

She knows better than anyone how Eli's family and I 'get along.' To put it simply, we don't. And the worst part of it all is that I don't even know why. What did I do wrong? Did our first meeting start us off on the wrong foot? Was Eli telling them things behind my back? Did they just not want Eli dating 'a white girl'? I have no idea. All I know is that when his family and I are in the same room, you can cut the tension with a freaking knife.

I shrug. "I mean, I don't particularly want to, but if I don't go to the airport, I won't be able to see him at all until he gets back. He's gonna be so busy this week that he can't even spare a few minutes."

Trish pinches the crumbs from her granola bar piling up on the carpet and drops them into the plastic bag being used for garbage. "He can't spare five minutes for his girlfriend? How busy is he?"

"You know him. He says if he sees me for even one minute, he'll cancel his other errands and spend the rest of the day with me."

"Well, I guess that's sweet enough... I'll give him a pass this time."

A laugh escapes me without meaning to. I've been so stressed about everything that I'd forgotten how much I can just relax when I hang out with Trish like this.

I even almost forgot about the text I memorized.

If I told Trish about it, she'd just tell me to delete it and focus on my farewell to Eli. She'd be right, of course. The next time I see Eli, I'll need to make sure I'm mentally and emotionally prepared. The goodbye will be hard enough, but I'm dreading having to interact with his family... and, worst of all, with Sara — his childhood friend.

Now that I think about it, she could very well be the reason his family and I don't get along. Maybe it's not Eli slandering my name but her.

"Brooke, hey!" Trish throws her empty iced tea bottle at me and pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Ah— sorry, what were you saying?"

She frowns and crosses her arms across her generous chest. "Yeah, I figured you were being a space cadet. I saiiid do you wanna watch that Netflix show I was telling you about the other day?"

"Oh, yeah, sure!"

Good. That'll help me not have a panic attack running through every possible scenario that can occur at that airport meet-up. I'll be fine so long as I don't think about it.