Sitting in the car, driving home … everything was exactly the same, and yet it felt different. Maybe she was the one who had changed. This whole time she’d been acting like the girl texting Talon was separate, but maybe that girl was a part of her real self, one she didn’t show many people. And you know what? She liked that girl. She wanted more of that girl.
The realization made her wonder about Talon. Maybe Talon was doing the same thing, except in reverse. The guy she met today at the station — the guy who got into fights and said crude things — was his true self, and the guy he showed her over the phone and this weekend was just an act. A lie. But even if it was an act, there had to be some truth to it, right? Maybe that person was still a part of him. Just not the whole part. But if she considered him a liar, did that mean she was one, too?
When they got home, Keeley headed straight to her bedroom. Tucker tried following, but she kept him out. She wasn’t in the mood. Not with Tucker. Not with her brother. Not with anyone.
Her cell phone rang. It was his ringtone. Before she even realized what she was doing, she was across the room, grabbing her phone. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen, his name flashing brightly like a neon light.
Talon was JT.
JT was Talon.
Keeley hit the red reject button, sending his call straight to voice mail. Did he make up that name? Why didn’t he tell her the truth?
Zach poked his head in. Gave her a cautious smile. “Left your stuff in the car. I brought it up for you.” He set it down, then hovered in the doorway.
“I’m not ready to talk about it,” she told him. Zach didn’t move. She started to grow angry. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? This isn’t about you! This is about me and my feelings!”
“Keeley —”
She didn’t want to hear it. “Leave me alone!”
“I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”
“I’m not. I’m miserable and angry and confused. There. Does that make you happy?” He just stayed there. Staring at her. “What do you want, Zach?”
Without a word, he walked over and pulled her into his arms. The silent acceptance broke her. Collapsing against him, she let the tears fall.
Three days had passed since Keeley learned the truth about Talon, and his betrayal felt as painful and raw as it had the moment it happened. Keeley found that burying herself in a mountain of homework helped. She even reserved a study room at the local library. Funny that it took heartbreak to drive her to work hard. There was no clear goal in mind, but maybe this would give her a direction to aim for.
She was in the study room, preparing for her first math test, when Talon walked in. “What are you doing here?” Keeley asked. How did he even know she was at the library? Did he follow her? She wouldn’t put anything past this guy. She had no desire to see him or talk to him.
“I thought we should talk face-to-face.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
He dropped in the chair across from her. “Good. Because I don’t want you to talk. I just want you to listen. And can you please calm down and not go all Kill Bill on me?” he said, looking at her hands.
Keeley was clutching her pen like she was going to stab him. “Get out.”
“No.”
“I’m not doing this with you.” She didn’t want to listen to excuse after excuse. “You lied to me.”
“I never lied,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Come on.” Did he really expect her to buy that?
“Technically, it was an omission of the truth. My full name is James Talon Harrington the Fourth. A mouthful, huh?” He gave a sheepish smile meant to charm.
“So what the hell do I call you? James? Talon? JT?” The Easter Bunny?
“Talon,” he stated firmly. “You always call me Talon.”
Always? “You know what? I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to studying.”
“Then study,” he said, unconcerned.
Keeley stared at him.
He stared right back.
“Aren’t you going to leave?” she asked.
Talon put his hands behind his head and stretched out. “I’m good right here.”
“You can’t stay!”
“You can’t kick me out of the library. It’s public property.”
Keeley pointed to the sign on the door. “This room is for studying and you aren’t studying. So you need to get out.” She would get an adult involved if she had to.
He lifted a backpack she hadn’t seen from under his legs. “Then it’s a good thing I brought books.”
“Talon,” she sighed.
He grinned at her from across the table. “You said my name. I consider that progress.”
He was persistent, she’d give him that. “I can’t do this with you right now. I need time.”
“How much time?”
“I don’t know.” She couldn’t put a number on her feelings.
He stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll call you Friday night. We can discuss everything then.”
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Friday was two days away. “I’m not agreeing to that.”
“How are we supposed to get past this if you won’t talk to me?”
“What is there to talk about? You hurt me. The end. What did you think was going to happen?”
“I thought I’d explain and you’d forgive me.”
Did he really think it would be that easy? “I deserve more than a ten-second acknowledgment that my feelings matter.”
“I never said they didn’t,” he scoffed. “It’s like you want me to grovel or something!”
She wasn’t asking for that. She just wanted some consideration.
“Fine. Prepare for some groveling,” he snapped, and slammed the door behind him.
As Keeley was getting ready for bed that night, her phone beeped with a text. It was a picture message from Talon. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was. There was a blue marshmallow Peep sitting on top of a pillow. Next to the Peep lay an index card with the words “Sweet Dreams” scrawled across it.
The Peep reminded her of the bonfire at the beach. She’d opened up to him that night. Told him things she hadn’t even admitted to herself. And that kiss. She touched her lips. That kiss had been powerful. She glanced at the text again. This at least deserved a response.
Good to know “groveling” doesn’t diminish your self-confidence.
Just my reputation … but you’re worth it.
Cheesy doesn’t suit you.
You haven’t even seen cheesy yet. I can cheese with the best of them. Goodnight, Keeley. Dream of me. ?
On her way to school the next morning, she received another one. She had to keep a straight face because she was with Zach, but it was hard. The picture had a blue Peep sitting next to a tall cup of coffee. The index card read, “Do you come with coffee and cream? Because you’re my suga’.” Keeley left the car with a little bounce in her step.
The pictures kept coming all day, all of them with a blue Peep and an index card. She got a picture of a Peep next to a pencil broken in two. On the card Talon had written, “Life without you is like a broken pencil … pointless.”