Page 21 of Falling Back to You

“Who just up and leaves everyone and everything?” Her tone was mostly flat, but there was a hint of irritation. We’d never talked about her parents moving to Gainsborough. I suspected she felt a way about it, but the one time I’d mentioned it, she had brushed my concerns aside.

“At the end of the day, our parents deserve to live their lives too.”

“But what about the people left behind?”

All I could think about was what would happen to Maple if I moved to Texas. I had no interest in changing zip codes, but my father had a way of getting what he wanted, and presently I couldn’t see myself not having to make the trip. Dial needed to know that in a few months our lives could look very different. I planned on telling her—I just needed to figure out a way to make sure it didn’t feel like I was abandoning her. We weren’t in a great place, but we’d come a hell of a long way from where we’d been. Leaving would be considered a betrayal and ruin any chance I had of rebuilding my family.

Instead of answering her question, I posed one of my own: “What about the treehouse specifically caused you to ponder?”

“Cyrus shooting me down when I asked to join your secret club. He claimed it was just for boys. I also remember him coming back a week later and informing me I was in. He seemed so pissed. I always wondered why he changed his mind.”

“Because you were the exception to the rule. And when I heard you wanted in, I harassed Cyrus until he finally said yes. The caveat was that if you got hurt, I’d have to deal with your parents’ wrath.”

Her gaze settled on me softly as my confession sank in. “You put in a good word for me?”

“Of course. You belonged in that club just as much as we did. I think Cyrus was just worried you’d show him up.”

“Which I did.” She smirked.

“Every chance you got.”

“Back then I thought when I became an adult, my life would look different.” She took a long sip of her beer. “But honestly, I barely recognize myself.”

“What do you mean? Of all the adults in our age group, you’re the one who’s adulting the hardest.”

“Key word: hard. Cyrus is the mayor. Reese has a career she’s passionate about; Edison and Fancy are practically an old married couple.”

“Yeah, and you have Figs and Twine.”

“True, but I don’t really have anything outside of that. When I was younger, I had all these dreams, and I haven’t accomplished a damn one.”

“Name one thing you wish you could check off the list.”

Dial hitched her shoulders. “I don’t know… jump out of a plane.”

“Holy fuck. I thought you were going to say ‘learn the piano’ or some shit.”

“That would be cool too. But I just wanna do things that make me feel alive. Life used to feel like every day was a chance at a new adventure.”

“And now?”

“Now it just seems like work.”

“What else is on your bucket list?”

“Isn’t that shit something people make before they die?” She ripped off a piece of her crust, popping it into her mouth.

“No, you can make a list at any time for any reason.” I nudged her with my shoulder. “So spill.”

“I’ve always wanted to ride horses on the beach like in the movies. Attend a rave, the kind with glow sticks.”

My eyes telegraphed my surprise.

“I don’t know. White people make it seem like a lot of fun. Like an out-of-body experience.”

“Not judging. I could picture you with glitter all over your body, shaking your ass in a hot, poorly ventilated warehouse. What else do you wanna do?”

She cleared her throat. “I’ve been thinking… about… going back to school.” She peeked at me, trying to gauge my reaction.