Nothing got better over the next few days. If anything, they got worse. Dad was back and crankier than ever. I tried to tell myself it was because he was trying to maneuver the crazy-packed halls with a wheelchair, but I knew better.

It had everything to do with his promise that he would end things with Ms. Swallow. He even admitted that he hadn’t been fair, treating me that way.

I had nodded and told him I was grateful for his honesty and the fact that he saw the hypocrisy in it all. That hadn’t made his mood any better. He was crabbier at practice, making all the players—especially Tyson—run laps in the lingering summer heat.

I sat in the shade, watching the guys run back and forth. I raised my hand and squinted as I saw Rebecca cheering in the neighboring field. I hadn’t really been able to talk to her since Brutus’s party over the weekend. She’d been really busy with cheer and her blossoming relationship with Colten.

I didn’t agree with it, but what could I do? She was a big girl and could make her own choices. I, on the other hand, was in the market for a life coach. I was done making my own decisions.

After practice, all the guys except Tyson came up to the table and grabbed a glass of water. Once they were hydrated, I began to clean up.

To my relief, Rebecca came running over. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow, and she swiped them away. I wished I had her kind of elegance. Even her sweat looked dainty.

“Hey, Des,” she said, grabbing the remaining glass of water and downing it.

“Bec,” I said, wrapping her into a hug—sweat and all.

She laughed. “You don’t want to touch me. I’m gross.”

I shook my head as I held on. I needed this. I needed at least one person in my life who wasn’t disappointed by my decisions.

She let me hang onto her for a minute longer before I dropped my arms and she pulled away. “Everything okay?” she asked.

I sighed as I started to take down the table. “No. It’s not.”

And that was the truth.

“Oh, no. What happened?”

So I told her. Everything.

Her eyes grew wide at certain points, and her lips turned down at others. When I told her about the mind-bending kiss we’d shared at his house, her lips parted as her jaw dropped.

But when I got to the part that involved the hospital, she grew still. As if she were trying to analyze what I had just told her.

When I finished, I waited for her to say something. I really wanted her to agree with me. To tell me that I had every right to break up my dad and Ms. Swallow and to leave Tyson standing in the parking lot, alone.

“So?” I asked, looking at her expectantly.

She grabbed the water jug and bag of cups. I picked up the table, and we started making our way down to the school.

“So, what?”

I sighed. Loud. “So what do you think?”

She glanced over at me. “Does it matter?”

Frustration boiled up inside of me. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Why?”

Why was she acting so therapist-y on me? “Because you’re my best friend. I want to know what you think.” I left out the part where I wanted her to agree with me, because if she did, it would feel fake.

“You want honesty, Des?”

I nodded.

“I think you’re acting stupid.”

I scoffed, setting the table down to look at her. “Excuse me?”

She turned and sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Well, how did you mean it? There really isn’t a different way to interpret stupid.”

Switching the bag of cups to the hand that held the jug, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s just that, I saw you do the same thing when your mom left. You stopped talking to me for months, remember that?”

I narrowed my eyes. I had some vague recollection of that. But I thought it was because she had been busy with cheer. “But you had cheer.”

“That was the excuse you told yourself. I was there for you, but you shut me out. You were scared I would leave you too, so you left first.”

I studied her. Was that true? I’d kind of blocked out most of that year. If I remembered it, then I would remember the pain that coursed through me when I watched Mom drive away.

I swallowed. I was a horrible friend. “Bec, I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged. “You came around eventually. But hearing you talk about Tyson and Ms. Swallow reminds me of how you were back then. How desperately you pushed people away to keep them from hurting you.”

“But I let myself care about Tyson. How is that trying to protect myself?” I wanted to tell her that she was crazy. It sounded like she was saying all of this was my fault. When it wasn’t. Right?

“You let yourself care for him when you had an out. Your dad’s ridiculous rule kept you protected. If push came to shove, you could tell him that your dad would forbid you to date and you could leave. It was a clean break. But when your dad changed his mind, suddenly you had no reason to stay away, and the threat of being hurt became real.”

I dragged the table over into the school’s shadow and leaned against wall. “Well, what does that have to do with my dad dating Ms. Swallow?”

Rebecca followed and propped herself up right next to me. “Because she’s a representation of your mom. If you dad likes her and brings her into your life, there’s a chance she could leave you too.” Rebecca grew silent, and I felt her gaze on me.

I swallowed hard. The emotional lump made it difficult to talk. I knew what she was saying was true. If Dad got remarried someday and that woman left, I wasn’t sure I’d survive that. It would just confirm what I had feared forever. That I was unlovable. That everyone would leave me eventually.

This conversation was good, but it left me with just as many questions as I’d started with. “What do I do now?” I stared down at the grass and dug the toe of my shoe into it.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, now that we know how screwed up I am and how I sabotaged every relationship I’ve ever had, what do I do now? How do I”—I drew a circle in the air with my hand—“move forward? Fix this?”

I turned to meet her gaze. Her eyebrows were raised.

“Do you want to fix this?”

Even though fear gripped my heart, the truth was, yes, I wanted to move on. I wanted to be happy. And I wanted those I cared about to be happy. I nodded. “Yeah, I think I do.”

She pushed off the wall and smiled over at me. “Alright. Let’s start operation Fix Des’s Mistakes.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding and grabbed the table. “Let’s do this.”

It took until Friday to plan operation Fix Des’s Mistakes. It also required a lot of negotiation with and bribing of the football team.

I was grateful to have Rebecca by my side. She helped pump me up when I was having a hard day with Dad or remind me why we were doing this when I passed by Tyson in the hall. There was a method to her madness, and I just needed to trust her.

So when I walked into the stadium Friday night, I swallowed down my nerves. I was really going to do this. I was going to put myself out there and allow love back into my life.

Secretly, I hoped that Tyson would come running back to my arms and Dad and Ms. Swallow would make up and pull themselves out of the sour mood they’d been in all week. I was ready to be happy again, and that started with helping those I cared about be happy.

When I approached the bleachers, I saw the section Rebecca and I had cornered off earlier in the day. We’d decided to set up a romantic spot where Dad and Ms. Swallow could watch the game. We’d laid out a blanket and even provided a picnic basket with snacks and some sparkling cider.

Now, we just needed them.

My phone chimed and I glanced down at it. Dad texted me that he was talking with the team and would meet me once the game started. I blew out my breath as I replied back for him to hurry up. I wasn’t sure how long Ms. Swallow was going to stay once Rebecca finally got her here.

Which was right now. I could see Rebecca talking to Ms. Swallow and trying to strategically guide her over to our picnic setup.

“I’m just not really in the mood to watch football right now,” Ms. Swallow said. I hated the way her lips turned down or how sad she looked. I guess I’d tried to ignore it all week, but she’d been hurt by everything. Probably just as bad as I had been.

I smiled as she approached the bleachers. I wanted this terrible nightmare to be over. I was ready to stop hurting those that I loved.

“Destiny,” she said, when her gaze landed on me. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes roamed over the blanket and sectioned-off spot. “What’s going on?”

“It was my fault,” I blurted out.

Her eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

I let out my breath slowly, willing myself to calm down. I had a long night of apologies ahead of me and there was no sense losing my cool now. “My dad breaking up with you. It was my fault. I told him to.” It almost hurt to look into her eyes. I knew I would see frustration and anger there, and I thought I had prepared myself for it. But when I met her gaze, I paused.

There wasn’t anger or frustration there. Just sympathy. Her lips turned up into a smile. “It’s okay, Destiny. Really. I understand why you did it.” She leaned closer. “My mom left when I was eight. Dad and Uncle Ted took care of me. It was hard when my dad started dating as well.” She puffed up her cheeks before she blew out her breath. “I would never do anything that would come in between you and your dad.”

I nodded. “I know. I was—am just scared. Scared of opening up and letting someone in.” Well, letting a lot of people in. But it helped to talk about it. Recognizing what I’d done helped break down a part of the wall that surrounded my heart.

She reached out and rested her hand on my shoulder. “Well, that’s very brave of you, Destiny. There are many adults who lack that kind of bravery.”

Tears pricked my eyes. Hearing someone say I was brave was doing strange things to my insides. It felt good and like a lie at the same time. But, instead of fighting it, I nodded and smiled, letting her compliment wash over me. “Thanks.”

She nodded and then reached out, pulling me into a hug. At first, I wanted to pull away, but then I let it happen. I liked Ms. Swallow. She was a good person, and Dad deserved a good person in his life. I was selfish to want to keep her away. Not everyone was evil. Not everyone was Mom.

“What’s going on here?” Dad’s voice caused us both to jump back.

I glanced over at him with a sheepish expression. “Peace offering?” I said, extending my hand.

Dad’s gaze ran over the bleachers and then over to Ms. Swallow, where I swore I saw him blush. Dad. Blushing. Weird.

“Angelica,” he said, nodding in her direction.

“Joshua,” she whispered.

It was strange to watch Dad turn into this bashful schoolboy. Honestly, it kind of creeped me out. I was ready for Dad to start dating; I just didn’t want to experience it firsthand. Plus, there was one more person I had to apologize to.

But I needed to hear from Dad’s lips that we were cool. So I nodded him over to the edge of the bleachers, and he rolled his wheelchair to meet me.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked. Apparently, he had things he needed to hear from me, too.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said. “I like Ms. Swallow. And it’s time. You deserve someone special. Someone to take care of you, old man. ‘Cause I’m not going to be around forever.”

I saw his jaw muscles flinch, and I mentally slapped myself. I was about to ask him if I could date Tyson. I didn’t need to be reminding him what that meant for his little girl.

“You know what I mean,” I said, hoping my casual attitude helped alleviate any stress he might be feeling about me leaving.

He hesitated and then smiled. “Thanks. That means a lot. And know that if you need to talk to me, you can. I might not always be happy, but I’d rather you be honest with me.” He stuck out his hand. “Promise to always tell me the truth?”

I eyed his hand. “Promise not to freak out or make up ridiculous rules?”

I saw him pull his hand back a few inches, considering my request, and then push it forward again. “Deal.”

Instead of shaking his hand, I threw my arms around him and squeezed him as tight as I could, with him being in a wheelchair. “I love you, Dad.” Tears stung my eyes, and I blinked them away.

“I love you too, Destiny.” He pulled back and smiled. “Now, go tell Tyson.”

I pulled back and feigned shock. “What? I don’t know what you are talking about.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Rule number one, never lie to your father.”

I pinched my lips as I thought about it, but then decided to let that rule stand. I liked it—lying to Dad made me feel horrible, and I was ready to give up that part of my life. So I shot him a sheepish look. “Is that okay?”

His jaw flinched again, and I could tell he was battling his thoughts. Then he blew out his breath and nodded. “Tyson’s a good kid. If you like him, then I trust your judgment.”

My heart swelled. Was he really giving me his blessing? “I like him,” I whispered.

“Then go get him. It’s all ready to go.”

I rolled my eyes. Could no one keep a secret anymore? I bent down and kissed his cheek, but then I hesitated. “And you go get your girl,” I whispered.

He laughed and nodded. “I’ll try.”

I watched him roll away. Happiness and fear conflicted in my chest as I saw him approach Ms. Swallow. Her smile widened when she saw him, and they began to talk.

Feeling satisfied that I’d accomplished the first step of my plan, I turned toward the back of the bleachers and took a breath. On to the second step—Tyson.