Are those comments in my head or did they actually say them?
Not that it would matter either way.It all feels the same.
“Ignore them,” Olivia says quietly, squeezing my hand tighter. “They don’t matter.”
Guess they aren’t in my head then.
“There they are,” Olivia says, pointing up ahead.
When I spot Tiff, Mike, and Ella, I freeze and take a deep breath. They're sitting in the same seats I sat in with Jenni and Chris.
“What a pathetic loser.”
“She’s been bringing him down ever since he got here.”
“Glad he finally realized he needed to drop her.”
Those are definitely in my head, because there’s no one talking around me. They’re all too busy watching the field goal.
“Hey.” Olivia stops, turning to face me. “You're doing great. We're almost there, and then you can sit down and just breathe. Okay?”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
“Honey!” Ella shouts when she sees me, waving a giant blue foam finger at me. I smile, feeling a little bit of the weight on my shoulders shifting.
Thisis why I’m here. To see them. To see the two people I could actually help in this world and make a difference for.
No longer do they have to worry about Jonathan or Jamie Nicks coming after Ella. She’s safe here, and that’s because of me.
Ella’s life is going to be so much better now. She’s going to have her own room, Tiff is going to be able to start a new life, and it was only made possible through hearing a few shitty—albeit truthful—things about myself.
I wave to Ella as Olivia and I fight our way up the steps and into their row. Tiff stands before we even reach them.
“You came,” she says with a bright smile and a little surprise. I hate that. I hate that Zach’s clearly had to tell her there’s something going on between us, because I have no idea what he’s said.
Does she know about the proposal? Does she know about Jenni? About how much I hate the internship?
I swallow, unsure of what to say, so I settle for the only thing that sounds sensible. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
She flings her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I melt into it, feeling a little more steady on my feet with her support.
She pats my back and then squeezes my hand as she pulls away. “Honey. I’m so glad we could see you.” Her eyes glisten as she takes me in. “Thank you. Really. You’re the only reason I’m even here today.” Her voice cracks and seeing how grateful she is makes the last two days feel worth it.
“I’m just glad you’re here.” I give her the best smile I can muster.
“Honey!” Mike steps forward and pulls me into a hug. “It’s great to see you,” he says quietly. “Liv’s missed you, and I suppose I have to.”
A gentle smile tugs at my lips as I nod against his shoulder, grateful that he isn’t treating me with kid gloves.
“Missed you too, Mike.”
“Honey,” Ella whines, tugging on my jeans, so I pick her up and rest her on my hip.
“Hey, peanut,” I say, kissing her cheek and brushing her blonde curls out of her face. “I’ve missed you.”
“Ahem,” someone clears their throat behind us, and I recognize her as one of the girls from my dorm. “This reunion is cute and all, but I didn’t pay a hundred bucks to watch it. Could you please sit down.”
“Relax,” Olivia says sharply before I can apologize. “We're sitting.”