Fallen Crest Forever (Fallen Crest High #7)

I ended up going to a 24-hour diner, and after my phone blew up with calls from Mason, then Logan, and finally Taylor, I texted Taylor to tell her where I was.

I’m coming. She texted back. Don’t leave.

After that, my phone stopped ringing, so I assumed she’d told Mason and Logan where I was too.

Fifteen minutes, two cups of coffee, and a glass of water later, she came my way down the aisle between tables. She wore black leggings, an oversized hoodie sweatshirt, and a baseball cap pulled low over her face.

I half-snorted/half-laughed. “You could be in a magazine with that outfit.” Her hair was gorgeous. It had grown longer over the year, and some of it was pulled over her shoulder. The rest fell down her back.

I wasn’t a girl who got jealous, but I felt the same feeling stirring now that I’d had toward Mason an hour earlier. Taylor always knew who she was. She never questioned herself. I knew that was a quality that had drawn Logan to her.

She frowned, giving me an incredulous look. “Are you joking? You’re drop-dead gorgeous, Sam.”

So I’d been told, but I never felt it.

I shrugged, filling my coffee cup again from the carafe the waiter had brought over. “Well, I’m being a dramatic girl right now.”

Taylor shrugged too. “It happens to the best of us. I think every girl deserves five meltdown moments. It’s good for the soul. Cleansing.”

I laughed. “Thank you for that.”

She grinned. “I should be the one thanking you. I’ve earned major friendship points here. You texted me, not Logan or Mason. Logan didn’t say anything, but I could tell.” She pretended to brush dust off her shoulder. “He was impressed.”

I laughed a little more this time. “And thank you for that.” I felt my insides settling a little. “I don’t feel as ridiculous as before.”

“You shouldn’t feel ridiculous at all, but can I ask why you’re here and not snuggling up with that man of yours?”

“Because Mason started to lie to me, and I flipped out.” I held my coffee mug in both hands. I didn’t pick it up, but was content just feeling the warmth from the hot liquid seeping into my hands.

“What was he going to lie about?”

“I asked them to leave the Faith thing alone. They’re not going to.”

“Oh, yeah.” She nodded. “Logan tried to sell me the same bullshit. I saw through it. Vegas, my ass.” She snorted.

“He tried lying to you too?”

“He can’t lie to me.” She chuckled to herself. “He’s tried. He sucks at it.”

Logan was an incredible liar. That was a testament to Taylor and their relationship.

I let out a deep breath. “I’m not really mad at Mason. I’m mad at myself.”

“Why? You’re one of the nicest people I know. As Logan would say, you’re a big deal.” She winked.

I laughed shortly, then waited as the waiter came over to ask Taylor if she wanted anything. She ordered a coffee and some toast. I was content with my water, but did ask for a refill of my carafe. I never claimed my addiction to coffee was healthy.

Taylor groaned as the waiter left. “Our eight o’clock run is going to suck ass.”

That was right. And I had to win. I had to beat Faith and Raelynn every time. I shook my head. I would. I had no worries about their running times.

“We’ll be running even earlier once classes start.”

“Why did I think joining the team would be fun?” She rolled her eyes, talking to herself. “Because I thought it’d be good for me. Good for me to join a team, to be social, to do something with you. I like to run. How hard could it be? I just do a few more miles than I normally do.” Her sarcasm was thick, but she was half-smiling. “You might have to remind me in a few hours all of those things. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be questioning my sanity at mile three.”

“I’ll remind you.”

“You and me, we’re not big social creatures, are we?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been burned by too many people.”

“Yeah.” She quieted, staring at the table. “Me too. Is there something wrong with us? And Mason and Logan love us. Is there something wrong with them?” She was laughing, but I sensed a twinge of sincerity in her questions.

The waiter brought over the coffee and refilled both our glasses of water. I picked at a stain on my mug.

“Is it possible to have an early-life crisis? Maybe that’s what I’m doing.”

“No.” Taylor was firm. “You’re changing. You’re developing; that’s it. I firmly believe that.”

“Yeah?” I looked up, feeling new hope.

She nodded decisively. “Completely. I thought I was losing my mind when I started to heal from my mom’s shooting. And then it just happened one day. The day before, the same shitstorm; things were all in upheaval. And then the next day it settled. I felt okay. I felt I was going to be okay. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but that’s how it was for me.” She poured her coffee, eyeing me once she put the carafe back on the table. “You’re going through something. Don’t stress. Just let it ride, and you’ll be fine once you get to the other side of it.”

I felt a little more relief at her words. “Does Logan know how smart you are?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m ‘majorly awesome.’ That’s how he puts it. He’s awesome, but I’m in the major leagues.”

I could imagine them laughing over that.

I felt another twinge of jealousy. And I hated it. This wasn’t who I was, but I couldn’t hide from it. It’s what I was feeling. I had to face it.

“You and Logan have a good relationship.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “And is the subtext that you don’t?!”

We weren’t equal. Mason had been my protector. I protected him too, but it wasn’t the same.

“You guys are best friends.”

“Again.” Her mouth dropped open. She put a hand under her chin and manually closed it. Then she pointed. “That was me almost falling to the floor. Are you insane? You and Mason are beyond tight. Logan and I are good. We’re best friends, but you guys . . .” She shook her head, a stunned expression on her face. “You’re family. You’re tight in a way it takes years for married couples to get to, and that’s if they don’t divorce. Not that you and Mason are going to divorce. Ever.” She frowned to herself. “I have to stop talking. I’m making it worse, aren’t I?”

“You’re not.”

But I still felt the whirlwind of not knowing in me.

And the worst part, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. Something was missing. It wasn’t Mason. It wasn’t Logan. It was me. I was missing a part of me, and I’d just realized it. I still didn’t know what it was.

“Can we sit here a bit longer?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Anything you want.”

“Thank you, Taylor.”

“That’s what friends do.”

I looked up, holding her gaze. We were friends. It had started slowly when she began dating Logan. It had built a little over the year, then the summer jump-started it, and now—after the team and tonight—Taylor was a ride-or-die friend.

And she was my friend.

She stared at the coffee. “We should’ve ordered decaf.”