“Pretty sure it will.” My dad runs over the books with me once a month and has since I was fifteen. Not because he expects me to take over. Nope. He wanted me to know that all I had to do in high school was excel at sports. My state trophies, my individual awards, all sit on a shelf behind his desk. I think he polishes them nightly.
“You don’t know that. Besides, I want someone who can keep up with me, someone who has the same kind of drive.” She guns her engine. “And that someone does not follow others around and post dumb videos on social media. I’m going home now. Don’t follow me, and stop posting stuff about our non-existent relationship! We are not dating!” She peels out of the hardware store parking lot without a look behind her. I lift my phone and take a video.
“I know that.” So does everyone who follows me. After blurring out the license plate, I post the edited video with an update. “That feeling when your crush leaves you in the dust. Literally.”
I get twenty thousand views within the first few seconds of posting it. I don’t know why, but the internet is keen about my one-sided romance. My follower count increases every day. I’m going to hit three hundred thousand soon.
“Was that Rory Carlson?” a voice asks.
I look over my shoulder to see Cane Justice ambling over. His boot heels make a soft clicking noise against the asphalt. “Yup.” I turn my phone screen toward him.
A long, low whistle glides from between his teeth. “She wants nothing to do with you. I like the touch of her giving you the finger.”
“I felt like that was important to keep in—for authenticity’s sake.” I tuck my phone away.
“Sterling come to town with you? I haven’t seen much of him lately.”
“He’s busy with the princess. Her dad’s moving into the ranch.”
“Yeah, I know.
“It’s getting to be a full house. Good thing Sterling and Maria are going off to college. Gives us some time to get a house built for them.”
My best friend has fallen for a real-life princess. At first he thought the dad was going to object to the relationship, but it turns out that the Justice Ranch is exactly what old Prince Harold needed. The Justice house is bursting at the seams with three of the Justice cousins getting hitched.
Because misery loves company, I ask, “How’s Astor these days?”
Cane’s sober face turns dark. “You know how it is.”
“Guess we can be single together.”
“You ever ask your followers what you should do?” Cane jerks his head toward my phone.
“Regarding Rory? Nah, but they give me free advice all the time. Do you want me to ask about your situation?”
He hesitates and then shakes his head. “No. No one can solve my problem unless you know how to bring a horse back from the dead.”
“Probably someone knows, but it’ll come back mad and haunted and eat up the entire town until there’s nothing left but empty corpses and shit.”
Cane snorts. “Tyson, Halloween is over. It’s Christmas time.” He points to the main street where the wreaths and lights got hung last week. “Can’t you see?”
“Zombies don’t care about the holidays. Every day is an eating day for them.” I snap my fingers. “That’s actually some good content. I’ll see what the followers think. Why don’t you walk like the undead for me and I’ll post it.”
Cane obliges because what else does he have to do? Like me, all his time is spent waiting for his woman to join him by his side. It’s not really living, though. You can’t really live unless you have your soulmate next to you, but I can—and will—be patient. At some point, Rory will figure out that I’m the man for her. It might not be today or tomorrow, but it’ll happen. No doubt in my mind.
two
RORY
He’s driving me insane.But even worse, he’s actually wearing me down. From the very start I’ve had no idea what to do with Tyson Carter. Growing up in somewhat of a small town, everyone knows Tyson. He graduated last year, but still he lingers around Edison.
He could have gone off to any college he wanted. Not only because of his skill on the football field but also his family name. But I guess when you don’t have to worry about money, you can do whatever your heart desires. I don’t have that privilege.
Needless to say, he’s still in Edison making social media videos and becoming more famous with each day that passes. The girls online swoon over him, and all the boys want to be him. The recent comments on his posts are all about how he stays in Edison because of me. That thought had never once occurred to me. I still find that hard to believe, but with each passing day I start to think maybe it is actually true. And I’m not sure what to do with that.
I pull out my phone when I park outside of my next delivery and do what I always tell myself I’m not going to do. I check to see if Tyson posted again. He has. It’s a video of me from a few minutes ago. I notice that the likes and comments are rolling in already. Lately he’s been posting more and more that pertains to me.
I glare at the one from Jessica saying she's more than willing to be Tyson’s girl. That he wouldn’t have to ask her twice or chase her. I shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but be pissy about it. I don’t want Tyson, but no one else should have him either. It’s a ridiculous way of thinking, but it’s all in my head, and no one will ever have to know.