Page 81 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

Ryan grins. “You won't.”

I eye him. “You sound pretty confident.”

“'Cause, dipshit, I won’t let you. If you fall, you'll land on me, and I'd rather that didn't happen.”

Alex laughs. “Quit whining and climb.”

Once I’m in the mow, I look around. It’s massive. The space stretches farther than I expected, dusty sunlight pouring through gaps in the old boards.

Alex points toward the far end of the space where rows of neatly stacked bales disappear into the shadows. “I’ll unload, Ryan stacks.”

Ryan nods once.

Alex looks at Lucas and me. “You two are the middlemen.”

“The what?”

“The bales come off the elevator to me. I toss them to one of you. You keep them moving to Ryan.”

Ryan scowls, “If either of you stops paying attention, the whole line backs up.”

Alex cracks his knuckles. “Questions?”

Lucas shakes his head.

I look at the endless rows of hay already stacked in the mow.

“Yeah.” Alex waits. “How long does this usually take?”

Ryan answers before Alex can. “Until the wagons are empty.”

“That’s what I figured.”

The elevator starts, and Alex chuckles, “Welcome to the Ross Farms, boys.”

18

‘HAY’ THERE

Jade

Football always came first this time of year, which meant hay waited until after practice, and hay never cared how tired you were. Tessa, on the other hand, cared a whole lot about making sure we didn't catch a ride back to the farm. She took the longest shower in recorded history, then managed to corner Coach V outside his office and drone on and on and on about our first game while I leaned against the hallway wall, arms crossed, trying—God knows I was trying—to be patient.

I want two things at once: I want my time with my cousin and best friend, to talk to me about how she’s doing. I want her to be able to break down if she needs to, uninterrupted. But if she isn't in that place yet, I won't drag her into it. Instead, I will drag her, kicking and screaming, into a talk about Lucas and make her admit she likes him.

Finally, outside of the school, I nudge her. “You wanted Alex to leave without us.”

She looks entirely too innocent as she says. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

We cut through the yard behind the school, a short cut avoiding downtown in complete silence. Since my brothers went to heaven, I’m not a fan of silence. Although I didn’t spend much time alone considering I practically lived at the farm, it seemed like endless hours compared to what was normal. I filled it with music, but right now there is no music, just… silence.

We cross the road and cut through the church parking lot, which seems like the worst place to save the day, and I have had enough.

Especially when there is no music to fill the space, “So...”

“No.”

“You don't even know what I was going to ask.”