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I frowned and turned to study my friend. “When did you get this annoying?”
One corner of Wes’s mouth poked up. “Who says it’s new?”
I laughed in spite of myself. “I guess that’s a point.”
Wes just lifted his eyebrows.
I pressed two fingers between my closed eyes. Wes, clearly, wasn’t going away until I told him what the problem was. Maybe I ought to spit it out. But seriously, what was the point?
“Did I mention this wasn’t going to change anything?”
“You did. I believe I responded that I didn’t care. Hurry it up. I could freeze.”
“You’d be the first person in the history of the world who froze in sixty-degree weather.”
Wes pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “It’s only fifty-four.”
“Oh. Well in that case.” I rolled my eyes. “Do we need to go find a coffee shop?”
“If I thought you’d actually show up and tell me what your problem was, I’d be all over that. But right now? I think you’d better talk while I have you here.” Wes put his phone away. “So talk.”
“My dad left my mom.” I had to force the words out. There was a part of me—a reasonably large part—that was annoyed that I was having so much trouble with this. It wasn’t like I lived at home. I kept waiting for that part of me to be the one in charge.
“Oof. That’s rough. I’m sorry.”
I looked at Wes and tipped my head to the side. “No judgment for it pushing me off the rails?”
Wes shook his head. “Nope. My folks are divorced, remember. They split up when I was seventeen. Just before high school graduation. They said they’d held it together as long as they could, and since my exams were over, they figured I’d be fine.”
“Were you?”
“Not even remotely. You really don’t remember me the first semester of college?”
I tried to think back to freshman year and our group of friends, but didn’t land on Wes until after Christmas break. “I don’t, no. Did you hang with us right away?”
“Not really. Scott kept trying, but you didn’t party, and party was all I was looking for.”
That got a glimmer of memory. “Oh wow. That was you. I remember me and Austin having a chat with Scott and trying to get him to stop bringing his loser stoner friend around.”
Wes nodded, pointing at his chest. “AKA me.”
“How did Scott know you?”
“I was roomies with a friend ofhisroommate. Those two hated me. They talked a lot of crap. I guess Scott felt bad for me and tried to help out.” Wes shrugged. “I wasn’t interested at first. But you all grew on me. And since being the group’s stoner friend didn’t look like it was going to fly, I got it figured out.”
I could tell there was more to the story, but I also didn’t figure it was my place to pry. Not right now. “And your folks?”
Wes blew out a breath. “They’re…tricky. I love them, but they make it hard. Mom went off the rails even worse than I did. She’s in AA now and seems to be determined to stay sober. Dad has a whole new family, and I don’t really know where I fit in it. We’re cordial, but I try not to overstay, you know?”
“I don’t. But I guess I’ll find out.”
Wes patted my shoulder. “So your dad walked. Why?”
“Her name’s Jasmine.”
“Eessh. Ouch.”
“Right?” I looked at him and made a face. “She sounds like a teenager. I’m sure there are middle-aged women named Jasmine out there; it’s not like the name is new. But he wouldn’t tell me how old she is, so yeah.”
