One Last Time

by Beth Reekles

  I drooled toothpaste all over the floor and down my pajama top, which made Noah snort when he noticed. I shoved my toothbrush back into my mouth and gestured one sec with an incoherent mumble, dashing back to the bathroom to sort myself out. I patted the patch of toothpaste drool off my shirt before heading back out.

  Amanda gave me a huge smile, pulling me into a hug. She smelled like vanilla. Like cookies.

  For Pete’s sake, was there nothing about this girl that wasn’t perfect?

  “It’s so good to see you!” she was saying. “Where’s Lee?”

  “Sleeping in,” Rachel said with an affectionate roll of her eyes. “He and Ashton ended up going out with the football team last night after their movie. I think he’s gonna have a sore head today,” she added in a whisper.

  “Oh, oh right,” Amanda whispered back with a serious nod, pressing her finger to her lips.

  Noah caught my eye just long enough to wink at me, then drew a deep breath.

  “Lee!” he bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Lee Flynn, get your ass out here!”

  A few seconds later, there was a faint grumbling and scuffling coming from Lee and Rachel’s room.

  I laughed, while Rachel shot Noah a stern look and Amanda elbowed him and gave a sharp sigh.

  Lee dragged himself out of his room, wearing just his boxers and rubbing his face. “What the hell, Noah? Are you kidding…” His eyes settled on Amanda, blowing wide. His cheeks flushed, which only made me laugh harder. “Shit, Noah, you could’ve said we had a guest.”

  “Don’t worry yourself, big boy, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Amanda told him with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “Good to see so much of you, Lee.”

  He laughed. “Nice to see you again, too, Amanda. I didn’t realize you were coming.”

  He said this with a cutting look at me and Noah, and all I could do was give him a guilty shrug. I hadn’t even seen Lee yesterday, we’d both been so busy; Noah obviously hadn’t thought to mention it to him either.

  “Surprise!” She held up her purse, then a navy leather tote. “Oh, and I come bearing gifts.”

  She pulled out two little white squares, handing one each to me and Lee. A refrigerator magnet that read I heart London.

  “I know technically you haven’t been, but I thought you could add them to your magnet collection.”

  When Lee and I had taken our road trip on spring break, we’d made a point of picking up magnets in every state we’d passed through, as souvenirs of our epic trip. It was a really thoughtful gift, and we both grinned at Amanda and thanked her.

  “I also brought shortbread because Noah told me he’s never had it before, and you guys have not lived if you’ve not had proper Scottish shortbread.” She pulled out a red tartan-patterned box from her bag and handed it to Rachel.

  “Anything else in that purse?” Lee asked.

  “Not unless you want my lipstick or a used tissue.”

  “Think I’ll pass.”

  “Hey, you’d better get dressed anyway,” Noah told Lee. “There’s supposed to be a viewing today, remember?”

  “No, there’s not.”

  The three of us looked at Lee.

  “Uh, yeah, Lee,” Rachel said slowly. “Remember, your mom texted to remind us all a couple of days ago—”

  “They canceled.”

  “What? Since when?”

  “The…the realtor called to tell me.”

  Lee was an awful liar.

  No one was buying it, but he clenched his jaw and glared around at each of us, daring someone to call him out. I didn’t know what the hell Lee was up to, but he had to be up to something. Plus, this was like the fifth time something had been “canceled” in the last couple of weeks, which was pretty suspicious now that I thought about it.

  Right now, though, I was happy to let it slide.

  “Come on in,” Noah said. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

  “Do you want some coffee, Amanda? Tea?” Rachel offered, the perfect hostess. “Cold drink?”

  “Ooh, I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea, if you don’t mind?”

  I wanted to laugh at how cliché she was, but I had a sneaking suspicion it’d just sound mean and bitchy coming out of my mouth, so I stayed quiet, smiling as Noah led her through the house, and took myself to the kitchen with Rachel.

  “Is it still weird for you?” Rachel whispered.

  I didn’t have it in me to pretend right now. “A little. But honestly, mostly because it makes me feel so stupid for ever feeling jealous, you know? I trust Noah. And I know they’re only friends. And she’s great, right? So I just feel like such a bitch for ever believing otherwise.”

  Rachel pulled a thoughtful face, humming. “She was part of why you guys broke up, though, right?”

  “Well, yeah, but it was more because he was keeping a secret, and he wouldn’t tell me what. The distance was…It was hard. Plus the time difference. I know it’s only three hours, but we both had our own schedules and our own social lives, and it all felt totally out of whack, so it wasn’t like we were talking maybe as much as we should’ve been, and then when you throw in the new mystery female friend…”

  I watched Rachel’s face fall and a concerned look darken her features—and realized what she’d really been asking and what I’d just said.

  “Not that you and Lee will be like that,” I added hastily, and I hoped she could hear how much I meant it. “I mean, he’s made that whole stupid schedule for when you guys can see each other. I’m sorry, I don’t mean it’s stupid. It’s not. It’s really sweet. I just mean…”

  Oh God, this was why I’d mostly just stuck to hanging out with the guys for so long. I was the worst at this kind of stuff. I tried again, being as emphatic as I could. “Lee’s devoted to you. He’s made that whole schedule to figure out when you’ll be able to see each other around the holidays and stuff. And you guys are smarter than me and Noah. You’ll figure it out.”

  “But that’s just it,” she whispered desperately, eyes filling up, and oh crap, what had I said now? “You and Noah are like…You have all this passion. It’s crazy how intense you two are. I can’t stand to be in the same room when you two are looking at each other sometimes. And Lee and I aren’t like that. So it just makes me worry, knowing how hard you two found it, and let’s face it, if you hadn’t had Lee, there’s no way you would’ve seen Noah at Thanksgiving and ended up clearing the air and getting back together. But I don’t have that.”

  I thought for a moment, trying to choose my words carefully.

  Because honestly, as scared as I had been about the whole long-distance thing with Noah, I had never even thought to be concerned for Lee and Rachel’s relationship.

  “You’re right. You’re not like me and Noah. You guys are smooth and steady. You’re probably way better at communicating than we are, and you don’t bicker over things all the time like we do, so it’s probably gonna be so much easier for you guys to air what you’re actually feeling and if you’re missing each other or finding it hard. And, no, you don’t have a Lee to be a bridge between you guys, but you’ve got me. I know you probably feel like you got lumped with me because of Lee and that we’re, like, a package deal, but I…I’d like to believe we’re friends without him, Rach. I’d like to think of you as my friend.”

  Rachel took an uneven, stilted breath through her nose. She blinked rapidly, a couple of tears spilling from her eyes. She brushed them away quickly and gave me a watery smile before pulling me into a sudden hug.

  “Thanks, Elle.”

  “S-sure. No problemo. Anytime.” I patted her back awkwardly.

  Rachel drew back, wiping her hands over her face again to finish making Amanda’s tea. “For the record, you are my friend, too. With or without Lee. And you can bet your ass I’ll be visiting you at H
arvard next year and expecting you to visit me at Brown. You’re not far enough away that we can’t hang out for a weekend.”

  The suggestion caught me completely off guard. In all the time since I’d accepted my offer at Harvard, it hadn’t actually occurred to me that I’d have another friend around. I’d told Lee he could visit both me and Rachel at once, but hadn’t thought that I could just visit Rachel, to hang out.

  I smiled at her. Maybe we never would’ve been friends if Lee hadn’t asked her out at the carnival last year, but I’d never been so glad he did.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Noah and Amanda had headed out to the beach, according to the note on the kitchen counter; Rachel and Lee were nowhere to be found. I guessed I shouldn’t be so surprised: one of the college girls at work had asked to take my second shift, if I could take one of hers in a few days. An afternoon off hadn’t sounded so bad, so I didn’t mind helping her out.

  I looked at the note on the kitchen counter in loopy writing.

  I wasn’t jealous, because that would be stupid, as there was nothing to be jealous of.

  I thought about joining them. The note didn’t say they wanted to be left alone or anything—if anything, it implied the reader should come join them. But I thought about spring break and that, while I’d had fun hanging out with Noah and his friends, I’d wanted some time to Noah myself, just us. And I thought that if it were Lee or Levi, I’d want some time to hang out without a crowd.

  I trusted Noah.

  I grabbed a pen and left a note of my own: Off work early. Heading back home to see Dad & Brad. See you guys for dinner!

  On my way home, I stopped off at the 7-Eleven.

  Levi’s face lit up when I got to the cash register with a couple of supplies. “Hey! What’re you doing here?”

  “I’m supposed to be watching Brad tonight, but I got off work early. I thought he could come hang with us at the beach house tonight. He’s desperate to stay over.”

  Levi laughed, ringing up my items slowly. “Bet he’ll love that.”

  “You’ll have to come by, too. You haven’t been yet.”

  He looked down for a minute. “Just been busy, you know. But I’ll see you at the water park tomorrow afternoon?”

  I beamed. “Dude, I’m so glad you’re coming with us. Noah thinks it’s kind of stupid.”

  “Well, maybe Noah’s kind of stupid,” Levi shot back with a grin.

  I laughed. “Something only a Ravenclaw would say.”

  “Ah, so you admit it? I thought you were convinced I was a Hufflepuff.”

  Shit, he was right.

  “Maybe, like, a sixty–forty split,” I conceded. “Still mostly a ‘puff.’ ”

  “That’s thirteen sixty-eight,” he told me, bagging up my items. “And I for one can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s gonna be epic. You sure you don’t need me to bring anything?”

  I shook my head. “Nope, we’ve got everything under control. See you, Levi!”

  Back home, I let myself in and immediately heard Brad’s video game in the lounge. I stuck my head inside, grinning. “You beat my high score yet?”

  Brad jumped, just about managing to pause his game before my shock arrival ruined it.

  “Elle! I thought you weren’t supposed to be here till later?”

  “Change of plans. How would you like to come spend the night at the beach house?”

  Brad gasped and threw himself across the sofa, kneeling on it to beam at me with wide eyes. “You mean it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Wait…” Brad’s eyes narrowed, his smile turning into a pout as he looked at me suspiciously. “Is this a trick?”

  “Oh, come on. When do I ever trick you?”

  “Hmm…” He thought on it for a minute but eventually decided that even if it was a trick somehow, it’d be worth it. “Okay! Awesome! I’ll go grab my stuff!”

  I’d picked up milk and peanut butter, knowing we were running low from last time I was home. But when I opened the refrigerator, I saw milk there already.

  Huh. Weird. Maybe we’d had an extra bottle in the fridge and I’d not noticed.

  I put it in there anyway and opened the cupboard to put the peanut butter away.

  Even weirder, there was a brand-new jar there already, and it wasn’t our usual brand. I stared at it for a second, trying to work out what the hell was going on. We always got the reduced-fat one with the blue lid—it was the one Mom always bought, but we’d switched to the low-fat option a year or two ago.

  Why had Dad suddenly switched brands now? Besides, I’d thought he was expecting me to buy some.

  I drifted out into the hallway.

  “Hey, uh, Brad?” I yelled up the stairs.

  “Yeah?” He popped out of his room and into view. “You haven’t decided I can’t come to the beach house, have you?”

  “No,” I reassured him. “Where’d the peanut butter come from?”

  “What?”

  I held up the jar to show him.

  “Oh! Linda bought it.”

  He vanished back into his room and I stared blankly ahead for a second before going upstairs, following him. “What do you mean, Linda bought it?”

  First the wine and the staying overnight and now this?

  “Uh-huh. We went to get groceries yesterday after camp.”

  “She…picked you up from camp?”

  “Uh-huh,” Brad said again. “How many swim shorts do you think I need, Elle?”

  “Just one pair,” I told him absently.

  Linda had picked him up from camp? She’d taken him grocery shopping? What the hell?

  Why hadn’t I met her? Brad had met her a couple of times now. That seemed like—

  “Kind of a big deal, right? And if Brad needed picking up from camp, why didn’t Dad tell me? I could’ve done that,” I complained on the phone.

  “Weren’t you working yesterday?”

  “That’s not the point, Levi!”

  Finally, I paused for breath. I’d shut myself out on the porch to call Levi to catch up, while Brad was packing way too much stuff for just one night.

  “Why don’t you ask your dad if you can meet her?”

  “I don’t want to meet her,” I snapped, hating how childish it sounded coming out of my mouth. It wasn’t…Okay, fine, it was exactly like that, but so what? Gathering myself, I said, “I just don’t get why she’s looking after Brad and picking him up from camp and doing our grocery shopping when, like, a month ago she didn’t exist.”

  “She—”

  “Don’t you dare point out she did exist. You know what I mean.”

  Levi laughed. “Okay. Well, what did Brad think of her?”

  “Oh, he thinks she’s great. Linda this, Linda that. Linda let him pick what he wanted for dinner. Linda let him pick the music in the car. Linda puts honey in his oatmeal. Linda, Linda, Linda.” I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Levi. I didn’t mean to call and steal your break and yell at you.”

  “I called you, remember?”

  That was true—and made me feel just a little less bad. Although it did remind me I’d monopolized the entire conversation. “Oh yeah. What did you want to talk about?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he said.

  I was going to ask if he was sure, because he must have called to talk about something, but I had to get back to Brad. I said as much, and we hung up.

  Back inside, Brad had brought his backpack downstairs. It was stuffed full.

  “Do you guys have video games or should I bring some?”

  “We have video games, Brad. And I think we were planning on Chinese food for dinner. Unless Linda already got you Chinese yesterday.”

  “No. We had Mexican.”

  “I thought you hated Mexican food? It g
ives you gas.”

  “I liked the way Linda cooked it.”

  I was really, really glad Linda wasn’t here right now. I had a feeling I’d snap at her and tell her where to stick her Mexican food and her wrong-brand peanut butter.

  * * *

  • • •

  I was still sore about it later that evening. Lee and Rachel were still out, but neither Noah nor Amanda seemed to mind our surprise visitor. Right now, Noah and Brad were having an epic lightsaber battle in the pool with some sticks, making loud whusch noises. Brad was yelling about how this was the end of the Jedi, so Noah was arguing back about how he would defeat the evil Sith rulers.

  It was sweet. And while Noah might not like getting involved with Lee’s and my childish shenanigans, it was cute to watch him get involved with Brad’s.

  The leftovers from our Chinese takeout littered the table, and Amanda and I had picked up the video-game controllers Brad had abandoned to go play in the pool with Noah.

  Now she threw hers aside with a huff. “Remind me never to play against you again. Maybe you should start a YouTube channel or something. You should get paid for this.”

  I managed a laugh, distracted for a second. “I’m not so sure about that, but thanks for the ego boost.”

  There was a melodramatically mournful shout from outside and a splash, followed by Brad’s giddy laughter.

  “Guess the malevolent Sith Lord won this round,” I said.

  “Your brother is adorable,” Amanda gushed. “Kind of makes me wish I wasn’t an only child.”

  “I guess he has his moments. Now that he’s shut up about Linda.”

  Amanda gave me a sympathetic smile. “If it’s any consolation, a bunch of my friends’ parents are divorced, and my friends all seemed to hate the first person their parents dated after that. I know I’m dreading it!”

  “Wait, w-what?” I stopped reaching for a dumpling to gawp at her. “Your parents are getting divorced?”

  She shrugged, and even though she was doing a great job of looking indifferent, something felt off about it. Kind of like she was trying super hard to stay so laid-back, like this was the only way she knew how to talk about it. “Probably. Honestly, I think this is their last-ditch effort to make it work. Originally this trip was just supposed to be my mum; then it turned into this whole family thing. They’ve been seeing a couples counselor for a while, but I don’t think it’s really worked out. They think I don’t know how much they’re arguing, but…” She sighed, rolling her eyes, then added with a smirk, “Hey, do you think I’m too old to take advantage of the whole ‘two birthdays, two Christmases’ deal?”