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“Mine too. The twelfth.”
“Twenty-second.” Millie’s voice pitches up, her entire face beaming.
“Alright, kiddo.” Xan steers her to the side. “Go introduce Nova to your mother.”
Millie reaches for me, takes my hand, and pulls me from Zeke. At first, I cling to him, tugging him forward, but his smile releases me. My fingers slip from his, and his warm eyes assure me he’s right here.
He told me he’d be here for me. He asked me to trust him.
I allow Millie to tug me to the porch and pull me up. I stumble on the steps because of my shit balance, and when I look up, Xan’s and Jet’s girlfriends are watching me. They have an angel-and-demon kind of appeal. One has blonde waves, warm eyes, and fair features. The other woman is dark-haired, brown-eyed, and terrifying like Pris, but with way more makeup.
“Mom,” Millie says to the blonde, “this is Nova.”
Millie’s mom studies me with low brows and an odd look in her eye. “Nice to meet you, Nova. I’m Briggs. This is Cadence. Want to join us?”
Briggs gestures to the wicker chair and I sit, but I can’t relax. Thoughts race through my mind as memories bombard me. I’m catastrophizing this entire thing—just waiting for something terrible to happen. But given the last year of my life, I want to believe my paranoia is justified.
“How are you feeling?” Cadence asks me. Her voice is much kinder than her look.
“Better. Not feeling as sick as I was a few weeks ago.”
“Ugh,” Briggs says. “It’s the worst, isn’t it?”
The fear I had looking at these two from across the yard has diminished now that I’m here with them. Up close, they are much less intimidating.
Trust, Nova.
I smile and relax back into the chair. Cadence looks at Briggs and taps her leg.
She speaks to Briggs in French—or at least, I think it’s French. Briggs looks at me, gasps, and responds to Cadence. I pick out the wordYouTube—the only English word. My body goes rigid, locking up all my limbs, and my eyes widen with the intense fear that shoots through me.
“Mom,” Millie says with a harsh tone, “Dad told you not to do that.”
As soon as Briggs notices my expression, her features fold in with concern.
“I’m sorry, Sweetie. You’re right. We’re being rude. Can you go see if your grandma needs help with anything inside, please?”
Millie glares at her mom, understanding she’s being dismissed.
“Mom,” she protests but gets a stern glance.
“Now, please.”
Millie huffs and spins on her heel. As soon as she’s gone, both Briggs and Cadence lean in.
“You’re the girl from YouTube, aren’t you? The lifestyle girl with MS.”
My breathing speeds up, and I look over to the boys, still talking far enough away that I’m sure they didn’t hear.
“I-I am,” I whisper with a stutter.
“Wait? Does Zeke not know? About the…” she trails out, and I think she means about my being cancelled. My whole body feels like it burst into flames, and I wring my hands together.
“I told him about the MS. Beyond that, nothing about who I am. I’m just, I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.”
Briggs nods. “That’s why I keep my face out of my stuff.”
“Yeah, and what good did that do you?” Cadence pinches her mouth in a mocking smile.
