Page 69 of Somebody To Love

“Are you lovesick?” Meredith asked me while Dana went to find more scissors. Who would have thought that making a card would turn into such a full-blown project? I thought to myself as I glued little hearts all over the back of the card.

“Lovesick?” What had given Meredith that idea?

“Yeah, I read about it in a blog.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is everyone reading blogs about relationships nowadays?”

“Um... yeah... aren’t you?”

I shook my head. “Maybe that’s why I’m such a disaster at love. I don’t read enough about it.”

She laughed. “Maybe. But you don’t have to read about love to know what it is. You just know, you know?”

“I wish it were that simple.”

“It is that simple,” Meredith said. “You adults just make it so complicated. That’s why I’m determined to never grow up.”

“Good luck with that.”

She smiled widely at me and then Dana appeared with a glue gun, glitter, and balls of yarn. Were we making a card for every teacher in the school, I was tempted to ask.

I stood up. “I feel like you guys can handle it from here. See you later, kid.” I kissed Meredith’s forehead as I gathered my things.

“Be right back, hon,” Dana said, heading out with me. She never left a kid alone. She must have had something to say and didn’t want Meredith to overhear.

“You’re unhappy,” she said without preamble.

I shrugged. “We can’t be happy all the time.”

“That’s not the Piper I know.”

“The Piper you know was immature and irresponsible. She made too many mistakes. I’m determined to not be that person anymore.”

“Funny, the Piper I know is an entrepreneur, incredibly kind and smart. She also has always been there for me. Never in a million years would I describe her as immature or irresponsible.”

“You’re my best friend, you’re required to sing my praises. It’s in the job description,” I joked, but her words were moving and I was trying to keep things light so that I wouldn’t tear up. Dana and Carter had always been my biggest cheerleaders and I appreciated them so much.

“I’m tired of watching you mope around.”

“I’m not moping.”

“You are. I thought after your initial meltdown that you would be fine and return back to normal, but I was wrong. You can’t bounce back because you’re in love.”

I scoffed. “I’m not in love with Ty. Far from it. I hate the guy.”

“You don’t hate him. He hurt you, but you don’t hate him. In fact, I think you’re so angry with yourself because even after he hurt you, you’re still in love with him.”

“You’re way off base,” I said, opening my car door, trying my best to get away from her and this conversation that I didn’t want to have, quickly. “I’ll call you later.”

I climbed in and started the car. She leaned into the window. “You know Meredith was right?”

“That we should have used the glue gun from the beginning? You’re right.”

“You know I’m not talking about arts and crafts. She’s right about love being simple. I loved Carter since I met him but I complicated things and for that reason, I wasted so many years of my life without him. Don’t overthink love, Piper. Just go for it.”

“But he betrayed me...”

“There’s always two sides to every story. Talk to him and find out his.”