Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 24 - Lynn

*unedited*

It's a perfect summer day. The sun is filtering in between my curtains, a soft wind pushing at the fabric as a breeze blows through the open window. I shove my face into my pillow, willing the brightness to diminish so I can return to the land of dreams. But, no luck. The sun has no mercy this morning.

I roll over, kicking my sheets off my body in one swift motion and rolling out of bed. My mom must hear me stomping around in my room because a few minutes later, she comes knocking.

"What?" I holler, my voice groggy and lifeless.

"Hey," she says, peering her head into my room and sending a questioning glance to the clothing flung all over the floor. "Would you be able to go to the store and get a few things for me?"

"For what?" I mumble, as I strain for a particular shirt hanging towards the back of my closet.

"You forgot?" she questions, a hand on her hip as she rests her head against my door frame. "We're having the Davies' over for dinner tonight."

"Oh," I say, unable to muster up even a hint of enthusiasm. I keep rummaging through my closet for a moment longer when my mom's words send a weird sensation of deja vu drifting through my mind. "Wait," I say, stopping her from shutting my bedroom door. "Who'd you say is coming over?"

"The Davies."

The Davies? The Davies. The Davies...I keep repeating the name over and over in my head, and then Justine's words from several weeks back reveal a startling realization.

"I think you know their son," my mom continues, but I've already pieced everything together in my mind.

"Gregory," I say, shooting wide eyes in her direction.

"Um, yeah," she looks at me with a perplexed dip in her brow as she studies me with concern. "Do you have a problem with him?"

"No," I hurry to say, a wave of nerves awakening and sending jittery bugs into my stomach. "I just heard a rumor that he likes me, that's all."

"Oh," my mom says, her face softening as a smile slides across her lips. "Aw, baby, that's adorable." Her shoulders straighten and a giddy energy perks up her features. "I can't wait to tell your father."

"Great," I drawl out sarcastically, and before I can plead for her to keep her little lips shut, she's gone. I sigh again, snagging my blue Oxford off the hanger and slipping it over my head. I pair it with some dark skinny jeans and throw my hair into a ponytail. That's about as good as it's gonna get.

With a list of grocery must-haves, I jump in my mom's Volkswagen Beetle and head to the store. I'm just turning into the bread aisle when I spot him. They're walking side-by-side, their voices low and their movements awkward—like a cute nervous couple. The site makes me sick. They don't belong together.

Seeing Jamie with her gives me all the wrong feelings. It's not just jealousy—though that emotion does play a big part—it's something deeper. It's as if I can feel the catastrophe that their relationship could create. In the darkest crevices of my being, I sense that this relationship could potentially ruin Jamie. He's been through enough and I suspect that Penny has every intention of toying and then destroying. She's using him for her own fun, but the moment she's had enough, she'll kick him to the curb like an empty Pringle can. As much as I want to be there for him, I'm not sure I have it in me to watch him drown in misery again.

I hurry to grab a bag of hamburger buns and then head towards the checkout. I'm not purposely trying to avoid them—because, there's a twisted side of me that would enjoy letting the two of them know just what I think of their relationship—but somehow, I manage to finish my shopping before I'm spotted. It's probably best this way. I'd hate to rile the beast.