Daydream (Maple Hills, #3)(109)
He jogs out of the room, leaving me very confused. When he returns, he holds up my necklace. “No bad luck.”
I know I have a goofy grin on my face the entire ride home. I catch it in my mirrors every so often, but I couldn’t get rid of it if I tried.
Well, until I pull into my driveway and find a car I don’t recognize and my lights on. A normal person would think they’re being burgled. A normal person would panic and call 911; they wouldn’t let themselves into the house with their potential robbers. But I’m not a normal person, and I know this is so much worse than being robbed, because when I walk into my living room, my mom and stepdad are drinking a bottle of wine with Will and his parents.
“Surprise, Hallebear!” Mom shouts, jumping up from her seat to hug me tight. “Why do you have paint in your hair?”
Chapter Thirty-Four HALLE
IF THERE’S A HIGHER POWER, it fucking hates me.
There’s no other explanation for why my worst nightmare has dropped on my doorstep a day earlier than planned. Not even my doorstep—they’re in my house. Because apparently my parents think it’s totally normal to let themselves into a house they don’t live in. Okay, maybe Mom owns the house, but still. I could have been here walking around naked. Henry could have been here walking around naked.
My mom takes great joy in explaining that Will’s coach let him travel early since his parents were flying in for the game. She says it like it’s a wonderful thing, and I can’t process the words to express how it does not feel like that. I want to ask why they didn’t just fly to Will’s house and travel with him tomorrow, but it feels like a hallucination and I’m not quite sure how to deal with it.
I wait until they’re all talking about how excited they are to go to the game before pulling my cell phone out of my pocket. I bring up my chat with my friends.
SPICE GIRLS
HALLE JACOBS
What’s the code for when you get home and your ex, his family, and your parents have let themselves into your house?
POPPY GRANT
Is there a color more urgent than red? Like code super red?
CAMI WALKER
fuck the code babe, RUN
EMILIA BENNETT
Do you want us to come and save you? I can call in a gas leak and get your street evacuated AURORA ROBERTS
leave them in your house and we can have another sleepover at the hotel!!! don’t forget Joy though HALLE JACOBS
I’m wearing Henry’s Titans T-shirt and Will is just STARING at me HALLE JACOBS
It literally says HENRY right on my breast
POPPY GRANT
Bark at him
AURORA ROBERTS
bark at him
EMILIA BENNETT
Bark at him!
HALLE JACOBS
He’s asking what I’m laughing at
CAMI WALKER
woof woof woof woof woof
POPPY GRANT
Tell him you’re laughing at his absolute audacity to turn up at your house EMILIA BENNETT
Have you told Henry?
HALLE JACOBS
No. I literally just took my phone out to text you guys
AURORA ROBERTS
yeahhhhhh. maybe like, don’t? unless you want him to turn up
CAMI WALKER
agreed. i mean as a spectator, i would like to see it…
CAMI WALKER
but as your friend, i would not
HALLE JACOBS
I have paint in my hair and my mom wants to know what it’s from HALLE JACOBS
She does not want to know what it’s from
AURORA ROBERTS
tell her you’re letting an arty guy rail you and see what she says HALLE JACOBS
Would rather die
HALLE JACOBS
Putting my phone down
HALLE JACOBS
Pray for me
CAMI WALKER
i’ll ask my granny to light a candle for you
CAMI WALKER
it’s the middle of the night in ireland though so you’ll have to wait POPPY GRANT
I have a Dolly Parton candle will that work
HALLE JACOBS
I think so because this can’t get worse
Tucking my phone away, I start trying to mentally run through all the things in the house I would have hidden if I hadn’t been blindsided. Laundry on the guest room bed, litter tray that needs to be cleaned, various books decorating every surface. Oh God. There are condoms in the bathroom. Apparently it can get worse.
It’s like someone lit a fire under me as I spring from my seat.
“Honey, where are you going in such a rush?” Mom asks, freezing me on the spot.
“I need the bathroom, sorry. Be right back.”
I’m practically an Olympian the way I sprint up the stairs. Maybe I was wrong, maybe Grayson didn’t get all the sporty genes. When I throw myself through the bathroom door, the offending black box is staring back at me. I think if it could talk it would tell me to grow up, but it doesn’t stop me grabbing it to hide from my parents.
What I don’t expect to find is that the box is empty.
HENRY TURNER
Did we use all the condoms in my bathroom?
Are you hitting on me?
I’m being serious.
No, made a pretty big dent though.
We can try harder next time.
The box is empty.
Weird. Maybe Mrs. Astor doesn’t want me to hook up with you.