Who We Were by Christy Sloat Page B

I’d thought he was cute, but he was way more than that. His brown hair was neatly combed back and fell just to his neckline. His eyes sparkled when he talked, and his smile was perfect. I’d noticed it before, but this time it was different. It was like I was seeing him for the first time, and what I saw, I liked.
    “And two Coke’s and that’s it,” he finished.
    “Sure thing, sugar.” She smiled again. Frowning, he turned his attention to me. He wasn’t flirting back. But, why? She was super cute. She had red hair that reached her butt in a long braid and a body that looked like she worked out or ran. Yeah that was it, she had a runner’s body. Even in her god-awful waitress uniform, I could see it. So why didn’t Nolan? Was he gay?
    If he was, it wouldn’t matter one bit to me, but I was curious now.
    “So,” he said breaking my concentration. “Want to come to the cottage tonight? We’re having a little BBQ, just me and a few guys.” I bit my lip, fighting the urge to ask if he was gay or not.
    “Can I bring Kyleigh?” I asked.
    “Of course. And, just so you know, Nash won’t be there if you were gonna ask,” he said as he sipped the Coke the waitress sat in front of him.
    “Oh. That’s fine. I don’t care,” As soon as I said it I realized, I didn’t actually care if Nash was there. Weird. I was into him, right? Yeah, I was. So why did I not care if he wasn’t going to be at the party?
    “Cool.” Nolan smiled and dug into his sandwich. I picked up mine and took a big bite. I scarfed it down in only a matter of minutes. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I ate that sandwich. I had to start getting myself back to normal. Well, not normal, but back to eating a regular diet.
    We left the diner, and Nolan drove back to school. I watched the peach trees that lined the roads fly by as he drove. I remembered picking peaches with Lily at her grandparent’s farm. We had so much fun as kids, but that time was over. She had decided to be someone else. Who we are now wasn’t the same as who we were then. We were growing up and growing apart. And I was going to have to adjust to life without Lily.
    I did want to reinvent myself, so I would do that. I would become the girl I had always wanted to be, and I wouldn’t have anyone holding me back.
     

 
     
    Thirteen
     
    The night came fast, and I picked up Kyleigh from her house. She took one look at my outfit and went back inside to change. I dressed casual, jeans and a tank top. She had a full party outfit on, complete with seriously high heels. She came back out in shorts and a way more casual shirt.
    We pulled up at the cottage, and what was supposed to be a small BBQ looked like a huge party. I put the car in park and stared in awe at the amount of people filling the cottage grounds. There must have been at least a hundred people already―they were not just some of the guys, like Nolan had said. I got out and Nolan ran up to meet me. He looked very unhappy.
    “Nice BBQ,” I joked. He didn’t laugh.
    “You have to go,” he said as he pushed me back into my car.
    “What?” Kyleigh said.
    “What?” I repeated.
    He looked down, not meeting my eyes. Something was definitely wrong. I looked at the crowd and the people there and spotted Lily and Oliver on the front porch kissing. Surprisingly I didn’t care. I wouldn’t let her ruin my nights anymore.
    “I don’t care about that,” I told Nolan pointing to Lily. “I’m not going to let her stop me from living my life, not anymore.”
    Nolan frowned and shook his head. “It’s not her. I just … I just don’t want you getting hurt. You have to go, Sadie. Trust me. You don’t want to be here.”
    My stomach clenched. What was going on? I was knocked for a loop. Nolan was completely serious.
    “Okay. Fine.” I was mad, but not at him. He grabbed me before I got into the car again.
    “Listen, Sadie, I promise to tell you everything tomorrow. Just know that I never meant to