Chapter 6

 

 

He stepped into the house and found Jackson sprawled across the couch, asleep. Shelby sat with his head in her lap, texting on her phone. She looked up at his entry and made a quieting motion toward Jackson. Then she extricated herself and walked into the kitchen.

“How was his game?” Reed murmured, recalling that it was his first in the fall intramural program.

“Triple overtime,” she said. “He missed a shot that could have won the game.”

“He lost?” Reed asked. Normally Jackson’s team did very well.

“They played an old rival,” Shelby said, picking up the fortune cookie from what had evidently been their dinner. “He was pretty bummed and fell asleep shortly after we got back. How was your bad date?”

“Did she get any ideas from you?” Reed asked.

Shelby nodded and motioned vaguely toward the theatre. “I suggested the movie.”

“It was fun,” he said, and then smiled. “For a bad date.”

She smothered a laugh, but a stirring on the couch indicated Jackson had heard it. He appeared in the doorway and padded into the kitchen like a lumbering bear. Spotting Reed, he came to a halt and yawned.

“When did you get home?”

“A few minutes ago,” Reed said. “Sorry to wake you up.”

“I didn’t think we would,” Shelby said, patting him on the back. “You snored like you were in a coma.” Her expression turned stricken and she looked to Reed. “Sorry, I forgot about Aura.”

Reed shook his head. “Aura is gone,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do about that. Besides, I’m really enjoying things with Kate.”

Jackson slapped him on the shoulder, almost knocking him into the fridge. “At least things are working out for you. My game was—”

“I already told him,” Shelby said.

Jackson grunted and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Then he trudged to the table and sank into a chair. He stared morosely at the bottle without taking a drink until Reed poked him in the ribs.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go buy some cold cereal.”

“What, now?” he asked. “It’s after midnight.”

“Are you turning down cold cereal?” Reed challenged.

He snorted. “Never. Shelby? You coming?”

“Are you asking me out to Walmart? To buy cold cereal?”

“Yes?” His expression turned hopeful.

She grinned and reached for her purse. “How can I refuse such a romantic?”

“See why I love this woman?” Jackson asked, kissing her before disappearing to retrieve his sneakers.

“He’s so easy to please,” Shelby said in an aside.

Reed smothered a laugh and a moment later they piled into Jackson’s truck. The quest had alleviated Jackson’s funk, to a degree, and they talked about the game and Reed’s date. Shelby shared several of her worst dates and Jackson chimed in.

“I suppose everyone has had them,” Shelby said. “Did you ever take Aura on a date?”

Realizing he had never told Shelby the whole story, Reed briefly related the date they’d been on when she’d turned him down and left with Tim. Shelby grimaced as he described watching Tim drive away.

“That’s brutal,” she said. “And the accident was a week later?”

“It was,” Reed said, looking out the window but seeing Tim driving away.

They pulled into the Walmart and Jackson parked near the front. As they walked inside Reed looked to the sky, which had darkened considerably since his date. The air heralded a bite that signified the approaching winter.

“Every guy has experienced a brutal rejection,” Jackson said sagely.

“You?” Reed scoffed. “You’re built like a superhero. When was the last time you were rejected?”

“Second grade,” Jackson lamented. “Candace Wilderbell said she wouldn’t hold my hand because I had meat for a head.”

“She called you a meathead?” Shelby asked, laughing.

“I think she heard it from an older sibling but didn’t say it right. Didn’t matter. I tried to push her down but she had arms as big as the tire swing. It was my first split lip outside of sports.”

The nostalgic tone caused Reed and Shelby to exchange a look and laugh. Then they walked into the store and headed to the cereal aisle. Reed’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out, pleased to find a message from Kate.

“Kate?” Shelby guessed.

“She got home a few minutes ago but then left. Said her roommates needed to get something for tomorrow.”

“Where’d they go?” Shelby asked.

“Right here,” Jackson said.

They turned down the cereal aisle and Reed looked up. Standing in the middle of the aisle were Kate with all three of her roommates, all in pajamas. Reed shoved his phone into his pocket and walked to her, delighted at the surprise. He wrapped her into a hug and kissed her soundly, eliciting smiles and whistles.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“It’s my fault,” Brittney said. “I needed sugar for the cookies I was making.”

“And I suggested we just go to the store,” Ember said. Then her eyes fell on Jackson. “What’s with the rumpled clothes?”

“I fell asleep,” he said, indignant.

“Because you lost your game?” Ember asked.

He grumbled under his breath and looked to Shelby, who grinned helplessly. “It’s not my fault. I texted my friends.”

“We’re your friends too, meathead,” Ember said. “And you could have told us about the game but you—why are you all laughing?”

Reed, Jackson, and Shelby were all in fits but Reed managed to say, “A story for another time.”

Confused, Kate shrugged and leaned close. “I’m glad to find you here.”

“Me too,” he said. “I didn’t really want to say goodbye.”

“What did you need from the store?” Marta asked.

“Dinner supplies,” Jackson said.

“Cereal?” Brittney asked.

Jackson sniffed. “You don’t need to sound so condescending. You like to cook. I like to let General Mills do the cooking for me.”

Reed watched his friends talk to Kate’s roommates. The group was an odd mixture of personalities and types. Ember was dressed in full-length pajamas that sported unicorns and rainbows. Jackson wore basketball shorts and an old t-shirt with a basketball, and he towered over the redhead.

Marta and Brittney wore flannel and long shirts, while Shelby was also dressed in basketball shorts and an exercise shirt. Despite their differences, the five friends talked like they had been together for ages, and Reed overheard Ember and Shelby talking about Ember joining Shelby’s basketball team.

“We could use a point guard with fire,” Shelby was saying. “Do you play?”

“She’ll just get you technical fouls,” Jackson warned.

Ember casually flicked her finger on his arm. “I leave my anger off the court,” she said. “Most of the time.”

Kate leaned over to Reed and lowered her voice. “Is it just me, or are they really weird friends?”

“They are really weird friends,” he said, smiling as he listened to them debate Ember’s anger on a basketball court. “But they somehow work.”

“I never thought our challenge would bring them together,” Reed said.

“I never thought it would do a lot of things,” Kate said, leaning up to kiss him.

“I’m getting the milk,” Jackson said. “You can pick the cereal.”

As he walked away Reed’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out. He glanced at the screen and frowned, surprised at the caller. Kate asked who it was, but he shook his head and showed her the screen and the Miami area code.

“Miami?” she asked. “Aura’s parents?”

He shrugged and put the phone to his ear. He said hello but his greeting was met with silence, causing him to frown in confusion. Several moments passed until a young voice spoke his name.

“Reed?”

He froze, the blood draining from his face. Kate saw his response and guessed the truth, her features going ashen. Marta noticed first and nudged Brittney, and one by one the others fell silent. Then Ember pointed to Reed.

“Is someone dead?” she asked Kate.

Kate shook her head and spoke into the stillness. “The opposite. Aura’s awake.”