Seventeen-year-old Hazel never saw having a sick mom in her future. And the last thing she expected was for her new next-door neighbor to give her a checklist that would change everything.
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After Hazel Winter's mom got sick, all emotion vanishe...
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THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY night, the day I thought River had a date, I'm sitting at the bar of the movie theatre, happy as a lark with another small box of popcorn in front of me, slushy in hand while River works.
We haven't stayed away from each other. Now at school, we eat lunch together, and if we're not, then we're talking by our lockers, or he's messing with my hair in Mrs. Thompson's class. What was supposed to be a friend is becoming a...best friend? Something I never thought I would ever have.
It helps a shit ton he's my next-door neighbor, though. On days that I have to watch my mom, River will come over and sit on my porch steps to talk, or I'll invite him inside if my mom is feeling okay. We'll watch random Netflix shows or play this or that, asking each other a bunch of random, irrelevant questions.
River is someone that has become so close to me in such a short amount of time. I could lie and say that he's not important, but when it comes down to it, I know that if he left my life right now, the void would be almost unbearable.
I watch as he gets things ready to close for the night, and it's not until Joy strides in that I become irritated. I had planned on going to the diner again with River, but something tells me she has other plans.
"Joy?" River raises a brow. "Why are you here? I thought you had a concert to go to?"
Narrowing my eyes over Joy, I realize that her normally cheery face is now sullen, her cheeks puffy and eyes red. She tried to cover it with concealer, but it didn't work. She's been crying.
"Well." She places her hands on her hips and laughs in disbelief. "I just found out my boyfriend is cheating on me, so the concert was a complete bust."
"Wait, what?" River asks and sends her a look of sympathy. "Joy, I'm so sorry. That's messed up."
I nod in agreement, unsure of how to console someone that's just been cheated on. I'm not the most emotional person, so seeing someone cry or get worked up makes me feel like the most awkward human on the planet. It's like I clam up, and all words of encouragement vanish from my mind.
"Thanks." She sniffles and wipes away another tear before she laughs. "But I got all dressed up tonight, and I won't waste looking this good. We're going to a party. All of us."
I snort—no way in hell.
"Uh..." River scratches the back of his head. "That's not really our scene, Joy."
Our scene. His choice of wording makes my stomach completely bottom out.
"Come on!" She pleads. "Okay, so we haven't known each other that long, I get it, but can't you help someone in need? I'm heartbroken. The last thing I want is to go home and drown myself in a bucket of ice cream."
It's hard to picture Joy upset at anything. Even heartbroken right now, she's still smiling and laughing. She seems like the type of person to find the bright side of everything.
