“Oh, Gracie,” she says, wrapping me in a hug. “I’m so sorry. When did all this happen? You were together at the movie premiere.”
“After the premiere, I visited Eastbrooke. Brady was being a baby about it. Said he didn’t understand why I couldn’t just go to school with him and Kylie and the rest of our friends. Then when I got home, he complained that I barely texted him while I was here. I explained that I was busy and trying to see what life here would be like. Then he started kissing me, telling me he loved me, that he didn’t want me to leave him, and made me feel guilty for even considering it. Then he told me it was time. That he didn’t want to wait anymore. That if I really loved him, I would do it with him. That he needed to know I loved him.” I stop and take another deep breath. “I was going to, but he wasn’t acting like himself. He was being forceful and it just felt . . . wrong. When I yelled at him and told him to stop, he about started crying. That’s when he told me that he slept with Kylie while I was gone. I told him never to speak to me again.”
“Have you?”
“Nope.”
“And?”
“He keeps texting me, begging me to reply. To come surf with him. Says he misses me. That I’m his best friend. That he’s so sorry. That she doesn’t mean anything to him. But he’s a liar. He’s still hanging out with her. She posted pictures of them together on her Instagram. So, needless to say, even though I don’t give a shit what he does, I’ve been posting a few photos of my own.” I grab my phone and show her a few of my favorites. “Here’s me with the Summer Boys, backstage at one of their concerts. I like this one especially. Jared looks like he’s totally into me.”
Keatyn scrolls through my photos then tilts her head. “There’s not one photo of you and Baylor.”
“There are some on his phone. He made me take a selfie with him before I left.” I blush. “He kissed me on the cheek.”
“Why on the cheek?”
“Because I told him I had a boyfriend at home.”
“When you met Baylor here, were you interested in him?”
“I see where you’re going with this and you’re right. The fact that I had fun with Baylor is also part of why I didn’t sleep with Brady. There’s just something about Baylor. Like when we met. It was weird.”
“Weird how?”
“When I first got here, they set me up with Tiffany, a senior prefect. She was really cool and didn’t let my being famous get in the way of things. Or maybe they told her not to. I’m not sure, but I felt as close to a normal kid as I ever have. Anyway, I sat with her at lunch.” I smirk at her. “And yes, she sits at your table. Imagine how honored I was.”
“Stop teasing me,” she says, laughing.
“Anyway, this boy sits down across from me. Not at the same table, but at the one next to us and since no one is sitting across the table from either one of us, our eyes meet. God, that sounds corny. Our eyes met from across the room. But they did. And I mean, I couldn’t help but notice how cute he was. Dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and when he smiled at me, it wasn’t like when most people smile at me. Like they recognize me, their eyes get big, and then they smile. He just smiled at me. He wasn’t smiling at Gracelyn Stevens, the actress. He was smiling at Gracie, the girl. I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”
“No, Gracie, you don’t. You know what you felt and you should trust your judgement. Just like you knew it wasn’t right for you to sleep with Brady. So, how did you start talking to him?”
“After lunch, I had to shadow a sophomore guy named Trent, so I could see what my classes would be like. He sits behind Baylor in math. Trent sat at his desk and wasn’t sure where to have me sit because all the desks were full, so I was awkwardly standing there. Baylor stood and offered me his seat. Sounds stupid but it was sort of chivalrous. I was grateful to sit, but was also sad because it meant I wouldn’t get to sit by him. But then I heard this horrible screeching noise and when I turned around, Baylor was dragging a chair toward me. We shared his desk and instead of taking notes, he was drawing funny little pictures that made me laugh. When class was almost over, he made this little cartoon of a floppy-eared dog holding up a sign asking for my number. We texted most of the day, and he invited me to hang out with him and his friends that night. When we walked toward the gym, he took my hand in his. I remember the first time Brady held my hand. It was awkward. Like he wasn’t sure if he should. Baylor took my hand in his without question. It was sort of possessive. Which was kinda hot. But at the same time it felt . . . different. Like special different.”
I look up at Keatyn, who is biting her lip, trying not to smile.
“Fine,” I say. “To quote The Keatyn Chronicles movie, My hand felt like it belonged in his forever.”
“Oh, Gracie!”