Those two have a bond that a lot of people never get to experience in their lifetime. Being an only child, I’ve never had a bond so close, so tight knit, the way that they do. The closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister is Emery.
Which is why, under no circumstance, would I ever tell her about my childish crush on Reed. Not only would it change the dynamics of our friendship, but Emery and I made a promise to each other in the very beginning that as her best friend, I wouldnever, ever(a middle schooler’s promise, keep in mind) think of Reed as anything other than a brother.
She’d spent her entire middle school years being befriended by fake girls who wanted nothing but to get as close as they could to Reed. He had that effect on girls. He made them lovesick, and Emery was the casualty in a lot of those relationships gone bad.
But isn’t that what girls do? Be friends with their new boyfriend's sister, only to drop her when they suddenly split?
I’d seen it time and time again, even after we became friends, hence the promise to each other.
Even though it was years ago, I never want to hurt Emery or be the reason that she feels betrayed, no matter how hopelessly in love with Reed I have been since middle school.
Breaking through my forbidden thoughts, she says, "So, I was thinking, do you want to go to this goat yoga class with me in the morning? Hella early, but whatever. I need it."
Wait. Goat…yoga?
"What the hell is goat yoga?" I laugh. During the conversation with Em, I've seemingly made my way through the cart of books and am finally down to the last one.
Em squeals. "Oh my god, listen, I saw it on Twitter and I knew that we had to do it. It's basically just yoga outdoors where you get to cuddle baby goats."
"Okay, that does sound amazing. I'm in. Hey, I totally forgot to ask. Do you think Reed has time to stop by to check the furnace? It's starting to get cooler at night and I swear it sounds like someone's in there banging it with a wrench every time it kicks on." I grimace. Seriously, I'm going to bang my own head against the furnace if it's on its way out. It's an expense that we truly can't afford right now. Not unless I can pick up more transcribing jobs on the side.
I've been picking up online transcribing jobs for a little extra cash when I'm not taking care of dad, working at the library or in class. So really, not many. But it’s nice to have a little bit of money tucked away.
"Uh, so Reed is out of town for a bit for uh, some family stuff." Em stutters. "I'm sure he could look at it when he gets home."
"Yeah, maybe I'll just shoot him a text."
"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'll text you the address. Love you, bye!"
She hangs up before I can even respond and I look down at my phone. Okay, well, that’s settled. Goat yoga it is. I laugh to myself.
After the phone call with Em, I sit down at the large oak table, spread my books out and get to work. I only have one night off, tonight, so I have to get as much work done as possible.
Two nights later, I'm lying in bed, reading, when my phone buzzes. I'm so engrossed in the story that I don't bother to check the screen, thinking it must be a notification from social media, but then, seconds later… it rings again.
This time, I glance down at my phone and see Reed's name flashing on the screen.
Setting the book aside, I sit up quickly. Reed never calls me... like ever.
"Reed?" I whisper, careful not to wake my dad who's on the other side of the paper-thin wall.
"Uh, Holland, hey..." He trails off, and I hear a loud thump on the other end. "So, could you possibly come to my house? Like… now?"
"It's after midnight, everything okay?" I ask hesitantly. Even though I'm already getting out of bed, sliding my feet into my worn Vans, and grabbing my cardigan from the hanger on the back of my door.
"I'll explain when you get here. Okay?" He sounds like he's running a marathon.
"Okay, be there soon."
We hang up and I quietly tiptoe through the house, like I'm a teenager again, sneaking out. I lock the house up tight, and make sure Dad's sound asleep. He should be okay for a few minutes while I run to Reed’s. He only lives a few minutes up the road from the house I share with my father. Except, he lives in the fancy part of town. I check my phone and verify that all of the indoor and outdoor cameras are working properly, and then I lock the deadbolt to the front door behind me.
My rusty, tin-can bucket of a car sits in the driveway. I've affectionately named her Betty. She's not much to look at on the outside, or well, the inside, but at least she has four wheels and gets me where I need to be. I've learned to appreciate the smaller things in life.
The entire ride to Reed's house, my mind is running a mile a minute. When I pull in the driveway and park, I notice that every single light in the house seems to be on.
Why is he calling after midnight? After our… weird moment at his house the other day, I wasn’t expecting to see him again so soon. I’m surprised to say the least.
And… I’m nervous. This is the first time I’ve ever been to his house, alone. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself before I get out of the car and walk up the path to the front door. I raise my hand to knock, but before I can, the door swings open and Reed’s standing on the other side.