Page 37 of Break Point

My thumbs hover on the screen for a few seconds as I consider explaining in more depth, but all I want to do is close my eyes and sleep now. If I can sleep, maybe this throbbing headache will subside. And then I can sort out what I did to myself. I’ll guzzle gallons of water. I’ll eat an entire rotisserie chicken by myself for protein. I’ll carbo-load too. But right now, I just . . . need . . . sleep.

Chapter 14

Bryson

My sister doesn’t normally partake in the pizza eating. I’m sure she picked this place for the vibe, in case we had a chance to get a few more photos or short videos while we’re here. And she knows I love a pitcher of beer. But it’s been forty minutes without a response from Jaden other than her telling me she can’t, and Amelia has had four slices all on her own.

“Are you sure she doesn’t want to quit on me? I can’t sounds very much like I quit.” Amelia picks up the crust she just buried under a napkin after proclaiming she couldn’t eat another bite.

“Let me call her again.” I press Call on Jaden’s contact, and it goes right to voicemail for the fifth time. I follow up with my fifth text plea for her to call me.

“You know what? We can’t get any great shots now anyhow. The sun is going to set in thirty minutes, and the lighting in here makes it look like we’re in a bathroom,” Amelia says. She drops the half-eaten piece of crust back onto the plate and pushes it away from her body before brushing her hands free of crumbs.

She lifts her gaze to mine with a sigh.

“Let’s scrap today. Do you think you can get in touch with her for tomorrow, though? I don’t want to press if she’s quitting, but I kind of need to know.”

I rest my half-empty beer mug on the table and tap my thumbs against the sides as I stare at the amber liquid. I figured I’d be here for a while, so I’ve been nursing my beer. Guess that’s a good thing if I’m off to do Amelia’s bidding. My sister doesn’t like conflict, which is partly my father’s fault. Anytime she has expressed herself to him, it has been met with resistance, and I know that’s where a lot of her hesitation stems from. But this is her business. She paid back the seed money Dad spotted her, sure, but that doesn’t mean she’s free of his strings. If she really wants to break away, she needs to do the hard stuff. And if I keep acting as the go-between for her and Jaden, it’s going to define my friendship with her. I’m already confused about how to navigate whatever is going on between us, and I think maybe Jaden is too. Sure, it’s all marketing and messaging for my sister’s app, but it’s also not.

“Amelia, maybe you should—”

“Please, Bry.” My sister slides her palms across the table and peers up at me with puppy eyes. She’s the older sibling, yet somehow, I always feel this need to swoop in and save the day.

I push my mug aside and rest my hands on hers, giving her a long, silent stare.

“I know I should call her myself. And I will, if she doesn’t quit. But she likes you, Bry. And if there’s a chance you can convince her to stick around, to see this through . . .”

I chuckle and pull my hands away as I lean back in my seat.

“I’m not sure she likes me,” I chuckle.

Amelia shakes her head as her lip curves up on one side.

“She likes you. Dare I say, she likes you a lot.”

The teasing wiggle of my sister’s brow makes my cheeks burn, and it also sends a strange rush of flames throughout my chest. Before the stupid grin I can feel pulling at my lips shows itself, I nod and drop my chin to my chest as I stand up from our table.

“I’ll talk to her.”

My sister leaps from her seat and rushes around the table in a blink, flinging her arms around me as she utters “Thank you, thank you, thank you” on repeat.

“All right, I’ll let you know what she says. I really don’t think she wants to quit. Maybe she just needed a break.” I snag my blue Cordon ballcap from the table and slip it on backward with a wink. The move gives her the giggles, as she’s always telling me it’s one no girl can resist. If Jaden really is planning on quitting, I may need to take this hat off and put it on a few times.

I leave Amelia at the table to settle our tab and likely pick at more crust when no one is looking. When I get to my truck, I swipe through old text messages between me and my sister. I know Jaden’s address is in one of these. I’m certain she’s not far from campus, since she mentioned not having a car. It doesn’t take me long to find my father’s info dump about the check debacle. He practically put Jaden through a background check because he was certain my sister experienced fraud. It was annoying at the time, but now, I’m grateful for his texts.

The air is starting to grow crisp in the evenings, and there’s condensation forming on my windshield. The air smells like rain, so I don’t waste time once I find an open spot near Jaden’s apartment complex. I get lucky with the first building I try, and it only takes me a few minutes to find the right corridor to her apartment. I pause at the door for a second, leaning my head forward until it rests just below the peephole. I hold my breath as I listen, but there’s not a sound in the whole damn building. It’s the middle of the week, and it’s dinnertime. Most people are probably studying or eating right now.

I rap my knuckles on the door and take a big step back so I’m fully in view of the peephole. My ears are tuned for clues, but I don’t hear any movement on the other side of her door. After several seconds, I knock again, this time louder, and I clear my throat loud enough that I’m sure the neighbors can hear me.

“Jaden?” I call out after several more seconds pass. I’m about to knock again when I hear the fumbling of the dead bolt twisting and sliding from the other side. I step back a hair more to give her space and hold my breath. I hope it’s her and not her roommate.

Jaden cracks the door open a few inches, giving me a sliced view of what I think is a postnap face. Her eyes look puffy, and maybe a little red. I step toward her, but the door inches toward shutting, so I halt.

“Are you okay?” I tilt my head to the side, trying to peek beyond what she’s giving me. I think she’s still wearing her practice clothes.

Her eyes squeeze shut as her mouth contorts into a yawn as she finally pushes the door open enough for me to get a complete view of her.

“I’m not feeling well. How was dinner?” She rubs a fist in one eye socket.