I shook my head. “It won’t work.”
She snickered. “Then don’t have faith. But I’m still going after her.”
I watched Ally push between the two of us as she went after Rae. Raelynn Cleaver. The girl who saved me more times than I could count. The girl who pulled me up from the mire of my life and helped me to fly. The girl I had fallen madly in love with.
This shit was never about what school program she wanted to enroll in.
This was about me. It had always been about me. At least, it seemed that way. Had I become too controlling of her actions? Did I not give her the space she needed? Did she feel smothered? Or manipulated?
Have I turned into my father?
“Don’t think that,” Mike said.
I scoffed. “You don’t even know what I’m--”
“You’re wondering if you turned into the asshole that raised you. And I can tell you, that’s not anywhere near true.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seems to me like it is.”
“Clint, Rae isn’t acting this way because of what you’re doing to her. She’s acting this way because she doesn’t understand how to mitigate her stress levels properly. I love her, but she’s always felt as if the world sits on her shoulders. Like she has to save it all in order for her to mean something.”
“That’s because she’s always had to be the strong one.”
He shrugged. “Maybe so. But at some point in time, that type of mindset is going to become destructive. It’s going to wear her down. She has to learn at some point that she doesn’t owe the world anything. That she can’t save everyone. That it’s okay for things to not go as planned. Even if she has to learn it the hard way.”
“I don’t want her learning the hard way. The hard way hurts.”
“And yet, if that’s what she chooses to do, you can’t do a damn thing about it.”
I shook my head. “I hate that you’re right.”
He chuckled. “Me, too.”
“Do you really think she’s afraid of bringing me with her, though? You think she’d have a better college experience if--”
“Don’t even say it, Clint. You know that girl is head over heels for you.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I’m good for her. At least, not right now in her life.”
“Is that how you really feel about it? Or are you trying to justify how she feels and convince yourself her way is the right way? Because I have to tell you, you do a lot of that with her.”
I blinked. “What?”
Mike grinned. “You do a hell of a lot of bending over backwards for her and always seeing her point of view on things. The first time I ever saw you stand up to her and speak your piece was when you fought her about applying to college. Maybe this is what she needs. Someone bucking up to her and showing her that she doesn’t always have the answers. Maybe that’s how she learns this lesson.”
“I just wanna love her, man.”
“Then love her. But don’t feel like loving her means always leaning to her side.”
I snickered. “When the hell did you get so wise?”
He gasped playfully. “Clinton. I’m hurt. I’ve always been wise. I just haven’t had anyone to be wise with.”
I rolled my eyes and he clapped me on the back. I stood there waiting for Ally to bring back Rae. The throng of people went back to their party after witnessing the drama.
But they didn’t reappear.
And it made me sick to my stomach.