My Brother's Best Friend: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Mountain High Book 5)
Page 13
The problem was, Shannon didn’t feel the same about me. She’d been dating Austin on and off again for the past two years. Don’t get me started on how I felt about that guy. He was bad news, and no matter how hard I tried to warn Shannon about him, she never seemed to see what I was talking about. Every time he mistreated her, she always made excuses for him. It was infuriating, but there was nothing I could do about it. So I stayed by her side as much as I could to protect her from him and offer her my shoulder to cry on.
It was disgusting how often she cried over that idiot guy. He was my number one nemesis. All I could hope for was that one day, Shannon would see the light and understand who was actually loyal to her. In the meantime, I didn’t mind comforting her too much.
Shannon and I discussed some serious plot twists to our fanfiction while we drove the short trip to Skippy’s. I pulled into the parking lot behind the diner, and we laughed about the irony of our latest chapter. In that moment, everything was perfect. It was almost like I’d forgotten that Shannon had a jerkface boyfriend and that I’d just been offered an audition for a big Hollywood movie.
“Hey, you two,” Aunt Kristen beamed at us as we walked into the diner. “Booth seven’s open,” she said, pointing to the corner booth, our favorite spot. “Burgers and shakes?”
“And some onion rings,” I said.
She shouted our order to Joey back in the kitchen and turned back to us. “How was the musical?”
“You’ll never believe what happened,” I said. I told them about the big-time film director who wanted me to audition for him.
Shannon glared at me. “Why are you just now mentioning this?” She waved her hands in the air above her head. “This is huge!”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m going.”
“What?” Shannon and Aunt Kristen said in unison.
“Why would you pass up an opportunity like that?” Shannon asked.
“We already have our future all planned out,” I told her.
“Ryker,” Aunt Kristen shook her head. “Sometimes, life takes an unexpected turn with better results at the destination. You can’t give up on something amazing just because you’re too attached to the outcome you had in mind.”
I brushed off her advice. “Shannon just heard back from the University of North Carolina. They’re offering her a full-ride scholarship.” They’d just offered me a full ride as well, and it meant that we’d be able to go to school together. It was huge news. I knew Shanon had experienced a lot of anxiety about leaving Sweet Mountain and going off to a school alone. Sometimes I didn’t understand the inner workings of her mind. She always talked about how she wanted to get away from Sweet Mountain so she could see the rest of the world, but she didn’t want to be alone when she left.
She had been really excited for us to go to school together. I didn’t want to mess that up. Her top school was UCLA, but since UNC offered her the scholarship, that was where she’d decided to attend. It was her second choice, but it wasn’t like she had a rich daddy to pay the out-of-state tuition. Her dad couldn’t even pay child support.
“Maybe it doesn’t matter. I probably won’t get the role anyway. Just because the director liked my stage performance doesn’t mean he’ll like me in front of a camera. It’s a totally different acting style. No one sees my face up close while I’m on stage.”
“You should at least go for the experience of auditioning in front of someone that famous,” Shannon said. “And I’ve seen you on camera. Remember all those dumb videos we used to make back in middle school? You were actually really good.”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“This is your ticket out of here. You can see what’s beyond Sweet Mountain.”
“That’s your dream, Shannon. I’m fine going to UNC and coming right back home.” Everything I wanted in life was right here in this little town. And she was sitting right across from me. If I couldn’t be with her romantically, at least I could be in her life every day as her best friend. I would take whatever I could get.
Our food came, and we sat eating, discussing more of our fanfiction. I loved watching Shannon’s face as she talked about her story ideas. She was so passionate about her writing. She came alive whenever she talked about it. I wanted to see her this happy every day. If I could bring her this kind of joy, then I knew I was living my life the right way.
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About the Author
Randi Rigby is a lifelong lover of good books, a warm blanket, and a place to curl up and disappear for a few hours. Writing is something she's always done. She believes the right shoe can quite possibly change your life, kindness is never a bad idea, and that chocolate is divine.
She currently resides in Seattle with her husband, Brant, the boy next door who turned out to be the man of her dreams.
Follow Randi on her website: randirigby.com
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