her track team. Dae had asked her out more than once, knowing she was in a relationship with Angel.
When she had to break the news to him about who she’d be spending time working on their project, he’d played it off as if he were okay with it like he was now. But Sarah could see it in his eyes just by the way he looked at her. He’d been anything but okay with it.
“Did they? How long ago was this?”
“Few weeks ago,” Sarah said. “It’s why he decided to come home for the rest of the summer.” Seeing his reaction to that almost made her want to keep what else he decided to do to herself, but she knew it was just a matter of time before she had to tell him, so she figured she may as well do it now. “He’s transferring to East Side U. too.”
That launched the brows. “He is? When?”
“This year. He put in all his paperwork before he came home, and, of course, he’s already been accepted.” She leaned into him, feeling how tense he’d suddenly gotten. She rubbed his arm. “Remember way back I told you U.C.L.A. had always been where he’d talked about going when we were in high school? ESU was the other big one he’d always wanted to go to. Now he’s decided to finish school there.”
She wouldn’t mention that the only reason he changed his mind back then was because Carina had gotten a scholarship to Columbia and that now that they’d broken up he was transferring to a school just two hours away from Sarah. Regardless of how bad it sounded or looked, Sarah knew it had nothing to do with wanting to be near her. He just wanted to be closer to home, and he said staying at Columbia, where he’d see Carina every day, would be awkward. There were other academic reasons for it that made sense. He also said he was over the cold weather and being in Southern California would be a welcome change—the change he’d need to get over Carina.
“So it’s over , over?” Angel asked, still looking a little stunned over the whole thing. “After all that time with her, he’s really walking away? Weren’t they together as long as you and I have been?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, still a bit saddened over it. “They started going out the year I moved out here. But this isn’t the first time they’ve broken up. They’ve had issues for a long time.”
Angel eyed her weirdly. “What kind of issues?”
Sarah straightened out, feeling a little uncomfortable. If she didn’t know any better, Angel was already coming to conclusions of his own—conclusions he was partly right about. Just like Angel, Carina had had the same reservations about Sarah and Sydney’s friendship all along, but she’d never told him. Still, Sarah knew the whole truth. No matter what, she wouldn’t let him make accusations.
“He said she was very clingy and needy—that she always had been—but he’d thought she would outgrow it.”
He was still peering at her in that strange way that made her so uncomfortable. She’d never been good at lying, and she’d vowed long ago to never keep anything from Angel again. She’d learned her lesson. Not even half-truths would be acceptable.
“So what made him finally decide to end it?”
Sarah removed the hair band out of her hair and pulled her hair back again, redoing her pony tail. It was a nervous attempt to make time to think of how to say it. She’d been so consumed with thoughts of her father all day she never even stopped to think of how best to tell him if she ever had to. It hadn’t occurred to her he might ask straight out.
“Carina gave him an ultimatum,” she said, looking away at the television, hoping he wouldn’t ask for specifics, but she knew he would, so she didn’t want to be looking him in the eye when she told him. “And he finally walked away.”
Feeling his eyes on her, she continued to pretend to be engrossed in the laundry detergent commercial on the television. “What was that ultimatum, Sarah?”
If she didn’t hear it in his voice—that he
When she had to break the news to him about who she’d be spending time working on their project, he’d played it off as if he were okay with it like he was now. But Sarah could see it in his eyes just by the way he looked at her. He’d been anything but okay with it.
“Did they? How long ago was this?”
“Few weeks ago,” Sarah said. “It’s why he decided to come home for the rest of the summer.” Seeing his reaction to that almost made her want to keep what else he decided to do to herself, but she knew it was just a matter of time before she had to tell him, so she figured she may as well do it now. “He’s transferring to East Side U. too.”
That launched the brows. “He is? When?”
“This year. He put in all his paperwork before he came home, and, of course, he’s already been accepted.” She leaned into him, feeling how tense he’d suddenly gotten. She rubbed his arm. “Remember way back I told you U.C.L.A. had always been where he’d talked about going when we were in high school? ESU was the other big one he’d always wanted to go to. Now he’s decided to finish school there.”
She wouldn’t mention that the only reason he changed his mind back then was because Carina had gotten a scholarship to Columbia and that now that they’d broken up he was transferring to a school just two hours away from Sarah. Regardless of how bad it sounded or looked, Sarah knew it had nothing to do with wanting to be near her. He just wanted to be closer to home, and he said staying at Columbia, where he’d see Carina every day, would be awkward. There were other academic reasons for it that made sense. He also said he was over the cold weather and being in Southern California would be a welcome change—the change he’d need to get over Carina.
“So it’s over , over?” Angel asked, still looking a little stunned over the whole thing. “After all that time with her, he’s really walking away? Weren’t they together as long as you and I have been?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, still a bit saddened over it. “They started going out the year I moved out here. But this isn’t the first time they’ve broken up. They’ve had issues for a long time.”
Angel eyed her weirdly. “What kind of issues?”
Sarah straightened out, feeling a little uncomfortable. If she didn’t know any better, Angel was already coming to conclusions of his own—conclusions he was partly right about. Just like Angel, Carina had had the same reservations about Sarah and Sydney’s friendship all along, but she’d never told him. Still, Sarah knew the whole truth. No matter what, she wouldn’t let him make accusations.
“He said she was very clingy and needy—that she always had been—but he’d thought she would outgrow it.”
He was still peering at her in that strange way that made her so uncomfortable. She’d never been good at lying, and she’d vowed long ago to never keep anything from Angel again. She’d learned her lesson. Not even half-truths would be acceptable.
“So what made him finally decide to end it?”
Sarah removed the hair band out of her hair and pulled her hair back again, redoing her pony tail. It was a nervous attempt to make time to think of how to say it. She’d been so consumed with thoughts of her father all day she never even stopped to think of how best to tell him if she ever had to. It hadn’t occurred to her he might ask straight out.
“Carina gave him an ultimatum,” she said, looking away at the television, hoping he wouldn’t ask for specifics, but she knew he would, so she didn’t want to be looking him in the eye when she told him. “And he finally walked away.”
Feeling his eyes on her, she continued to pretend to be engrossed in the laundry detergent commercial on the television. “What was that ultimatum, Sarah?”
If she didn’t hear it in his voice—that he
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