Page 65 of Fight For Me

“Maybe you’re the one who needs to destress,” I say drily, reaching out a hand to her. She takes it and collapses to her knees at my side, staring at me with wide, worried eyes.

“Is it very bad?” she whispers.

I consider lying, but I hate being anything but truthful with Everly. “It’s not great.”

“How not great are we talking?” she presses. “Four hours a night?”

“If I’m lucky.”

She winces. “Do your parents know?” When I hesitate to answer, her concerned frown deepens. “Alex.”

“I don’t want to worry them. If I call, my mom is going to insist that I come home. Or she’s going to get on a plane. And it really isn’t that bad.”

Her gaze is fierce. “You need to sleep. Did you bring your meds? I’ll stay with you tonight and keep an eye on you.”

“Thenyouwouldn’t sleep.” I shake my head. “That’s no solution.” My stomach sinks. “We have a long day tomorrow. At least one of us should be rested.”

“I don’t like this,” she mutters. “If doing this show is stressing you out so much that you’re not sleeping, it’s not worth it.”

“It’s only for a few more weeks. I can handle it.”

“But you shouldn’t have to! This is your health, Alex! That matters more than a stupid reality show.” Her eyes widen. “Are you crying? What’s wrong?”

I shake my head, pressing my fingers into the corners of my eye. I always get more emotional when I’m tired. “You’re just a really good friend,” I manage to get out. “I know how much this show means to you—”

“No,” she interrupts. “Doing cool and amazing things with my bestie is what matters to me. Having a kick ass fashion line is what matters to me. The show is just a bonus.” She takes my hand. “If this isn’t working for you, that’s fine. You know that, right? We’ll still have FEA Threads with or without this show.”

Deep down, I know that she’s right. The dream had never been to be on TV. Yes, it had been flattering and exciting to be offered our own show—even if it did have more to do with Fox and Everly’s parents than our line—but the line is what’s important, for both of us. Still, the show will help the line in a way traditional advertising can’t. I don’t want to throw away this opportunity just because I can’t fall asleep.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” she says. “We’re going to ask Rose to lead a yoga session.”

Rose is a certified yoga instructor and her sessions have saved my ass more than once over the years. But she’s on vacation. “We can’t do that,” I argue. “It’s late. She probably wants to spend time with Leo—”

“She can spend time with him tomorrow. After yoga we’re going to do face masks—we’ll have to include Bodhi, he’s majorly into skin care—and then we’re going to raid the freezer for ice cream and curl up on the couch together and watch movies. Maybe that will chill you out enough to sleep. If not, we’ll watch more movies.”

“And eat more ice cream?”

She laughs. “I like the way you think. I’ll text Rose and we can get started.”

I know things have gotten bad when I’m too tired to argue. “Thank you,” I whisper.

She scoffs. “Please. As if there’s anything I like better than a sleepover.”

But she shouldn’t have to do this. She shouldn’t have to rearrange everything just because my body is screwed up. “I hate this,” I say through gritted teeth. “I hate that this keeps happening. Why can’t I just be normal?”

“Normal is boring,” she says easily.

“I’m serious. I hate that I might ruin this for you.”

She scoffs. “Ruin it? Alex, none of this would be happening without you. I would just be doodling outfits in my sketchbook. You’re the one who does the heavy lifting. You’re the one who knows business. You’re the one who keeps us organized. This would just be a silly fantasy without you.”

“Yeah?” I ask, feeling embarrassed when my voice cracks.

“Yeah,” she says, reaching up to pat my cheeks. “Besides—there’s literally no one else in the world I would want to do this with. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and put on your yoga pants.”

I snort a laugh through my tears. “We should definitely put that on a t-shirt.”

Her eyes light up. “That’s not a bad idea—we could expand into athletic wear!”