Chapter 29

MAGGIE

~FIVE YEARS AGO~

Regret he does, but when he realizes the mistake he’s made, it’s already too late.

I put my bags in the living room and wait for my dad to pick me up from Logan’s place. The entire day, Logan didn’t come home, and he doesn’t return in the evening, so we never get to say a proper goodbye.

It was just a clean break to our relationship, or whatever that it was.

I text him a dozen times, but I don’t get a response, except for one time, when he sends me two words.

Logan

Take care.

My eyes are filled with unshed tears, but I refuse to call him back again.

Dad keeps asking me if everything is okay. I guess he’s picked up on the fact that I’m not happy for whatever reason, but then he lets it go after a few minutes of nagging, chalking it up to teenage tantrums.

I hole myself up inside my room and cry all day. I spend the weekend crying, because Logan won’t even respond to my texts.

For an entire week, I refuse to go to school. Even though I plan not to call Logan again, I cave in and call Logan several times a day. I’ve become the kind of girl I swore I would never become, but my heart hurts so much.

I reluctantly pull myself out of bed when Amelia calls. She says she wants to meet me. While I’m in no mood to speak to anyone, I’m making everyone suspicious by acting depressed.

I quickly change into a tank top and a pair of shorts. It’s skimpy, but I’m not in the mood to play dress-up.

When Amelia meets me outside, she wraps me in a hug.

“Hey girlie, how are you feeling now?”

The urge to cry was there, but I needed to control my emotions. “I’m okay.”

“Well, you don’t look okay,” she comments, looking concerned. “Maggie, I’m your friend. You should tell me what this is about. Is it…is it some guy?”

I nod.

I want to tell her everything, but at the same time, I know she’s going to parrot it to her boyfriend, Dawson, even though she has the best of intentions. That’s her flaw. And then Dawson might tell someone else.

“I’m sorry, it’s too painful to talk about. Maybe I can tell you some other time?”

“Of course,” she says, “Carter was concerned about you.”

Carter’s been texting me, too, and I haven’t been too enthusiastic about our chats because ninety-nine percent of my brain is preoccupied with my breakup with Logan.

***

Amelia convinces me to go to school the next day. I’ve done a good job of hiding my puffy eyes behind concealer and powder.

More than the breakup, I’m depressed about the fact that I’ve lost the best friend I’ve had for years, and only because I’ve been selfish enough to push things on him when he was clearly reluctant.

Classes drag on monotonously, and I hardly pay attention. I check my phone after every class, but there aren’t any texts.

Amelia and Dawson do their best to cheer me up, and it works for a while. Those dorks are funny when they are together, and I regret skipping school for so long.

What really surprises me is seeing Carter leaning against his car, waiting for me. He gives me a megawatt smile as soon as he sees me walking toward him.

When I reach him, he lifts me off the floor in greeting. “Maggie.”

That dimple-kissed smile makes things a little better.

“Carter, what are you doing here?”

“Do I need a reason to come see you? I missed you, so I thought I should stop by.”

He pinches my cheeks. “Want to hang out for a while?”

“Okay, where to?”

“That’s for you to decide. I’m still new to this town, remember?” He winks.

It’s no wonder girls fall for his charm. That smile is infectious.

He opens the door of the passenger seat of his car. When I settle in, he takes the wheel.

***

We go to the ice cream parlor that’s a little out of town. I insist on paying, but Carter refuses. He says this is to cheer me up.

He doesn’t ask me what happened or why I’m sad, and that’s what I like about Carter. He just wants to hang out with me without being nosey about my personal life.

It lifts me out of the gloomy mood I’m in and, for a moment, I’m not thinking about Logan anymore.

“There’s some ice cream on your cheek,” Carter points out.

“Where?” I ask.

“Here.”

I start wiping it.

“Let me do it.”

It’s just like those scenes in the movies. He runs his thumb over the smeared ice cream and licks it.

“Hmmm…never liked mint chocolate because I think it tastes like toothpaste, but this is good.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, it does not taste like toothpaste. Your taste buds are weird.”

“No, they are not.”

“Ugh, whatever.”

He then takes me to the movies and buys me the largest mixed popcorn and a slushy.

Not going to lie, it’s the most fun I’ve had in days. It’s late at night when he drops me home.

We’re standing close to my door when he says, “Maggie, I don’t want to be that person who pries into your personal life, but you have to know that I’m here if you want to talk about something.

“I know you’ve been distracted and upset, but I wish I could find a way to see you smile again, like that day at the party when we first met.”

I can’t hold it in any longer. It’s like a dam breaks free, and I start to cry uncontrollably. He puts his arm around me and lets me cry on his shoulder as he caresses my head slowly.

“You have to smile for me, okay?”

I give him a weak smile. “Thanks for today.”

“You’re welcome,” he says. “Let’s hang out tomorrow too.”

“Okay.”

Carter gets into his car, and I wave goodbye. I’m about to step into the house when I sense a shadow behind me.

Logan stands there, looking less than happy. “Hey, Maggie, I got your texts,” he says in a monotone. “Can we talk?”