Page 54 of The Beta Test

Tears cascade down her brown cheeks. She uncovers the cookies and hands one to me. I take it gratefully and bite into it slowly, but the effort of lifting my hand is almost too much. The sweetness of chocolate chips seems at odds with the bitter news she just hammered me with. Braden—my Braden—the boy with the chocolate eyes and the sweet smile who has been my best friend since sixth grade, lied to me. For months!

Jake reaches up and grabs the back of my neck and gives me a gentle squeeze. I lean into him and try to enjoy the rest of the cookie, but I can barely taste it.

“He’s been telling me he’s at MIT all this time,” I confess, but my voice comes out broken.

She curses in Hindi again.

The tears are building but I push through. “I’ve been confused because it almost seemed like he was ghosting me sometimes, but then other times we’d talk or text. But then I kept hearing about this girl, Tricia. I don’t know what to think!”

Mrs. Patel scoffs again, then turns slightly to set the cookies on an entryway table. She steps closer to me and looks deeply into my eyes while she holds my forearms. Though her touch is soft, it feels like she’s single-handedly holding me together.

“Avery, I’ve known you since you were little. You’re an amazing girl with a bright future! I love my son, but he’s lost his way.” She pauses briefly as her eyes water once more. “Don’t put your life on hold for him. Maybe your paths will cross in the future, maybe not. But speaking as one woman to another, do not wait for him.”

A sob rips through me, tears finally falling in a sudden torrent. Mrs. Patel, the woman who sometimes felt like a second mother to me, pulls me in for a hug and pats me comfortingly. “Shhh,” she says while we rock back and forth.

We hold there for a while. It could be a minute or an hour. It’s hard to tell when your heart is being ripped into a million pieces and then scattered across the universe.

My entire relationship with Braden flashes behind my eyes—from playing together on the playground to studying in the library for our SATs. I remember everything about him: how his whole body shakes when he laughs, the way his thick eyelashes curl, his love for flip-flops. Does he remember everything about me? Does he even care?

My phone buzzes in my pocket, ripping me back to the present. It has to be my mom saying she’s almost home with my dad. That can’t be ignored.

I pull back and attempt to smile, but… I can’t. “Thank you, Mrs. Patel—for the truth. I thought I was losing my mind.”

She gives me one last sad look, then turns her gaze to Jake. “You’re a good boy. Take care of our girl here, Mr. Taylor.”

“I will,” Jake replies seriously.

For the moment, I ignore the feelings of annoyance over their little aside. I don’t need Jake or anyone else to “take care of me,” but I do need to get home ASAP. Whether or not it’s another disaster waiting for me, I have no choice.

“I have to go. Thanks again, Mrs. Patel.”

“Anytime, sweetie.”

The door closes softly as we walk down the concrete walkway back to the sidewalk. My phone buzzes again and somehow I find the strength to pull it out to see my mom’s text—home in 5 minutes.

Five minutes. That’s barely enough time to catch my breath.

Chapter Twenty-One

We walk in silence; the only sounds are the shuffle of our feet along the sidewalk and the distant hum of cars on the main road outside our housing tract. As if the universe feels my general mood, the darkened sky releases a light drizzle, prickling my sensitive skin. Occasionally, Jake’s arm brushes mine as we walk, and I let the tactile feel of it keep me from floating off into the cosmos.

This day has felt like one hit after another, but now I have to shove all the feelings down and get ready to participate in our little family reunion. My chest constricts from the stress of it all.

Too quickly, we reach my house; Mom’s car is in the driveway. We stop next to Jake’s truck parked on the street, and I take a second to breathe, not really wanting this moment to end because then I have to face whatever is happening between my parents. I turn to Jake to thank him for coming with me, but he speaks first.

“Want me to stay?”

A reluctant shake of my head.

“Thanks, Jake, but no.” I gesture towards my house with one hand. “My dad is finally home and we’re supposed to have ‘family dinner.’”

“That’s good, right?”

I shrug. Jake has heard enough of my problems today, and now that I think about it, it’s all a little embarrassing. I basically just got dumped by my boyfriend’s mom because my boyfriend is too much of a wimp to tell me the truth.

“Anyway, better go in. Thanks again.”

A small smile, then I walk towards the front door. I glance back with my hand on the door handle and see he hasn’t moved, his concerned gaze still trained on me. I wave awkwardly and walk in.