Friday, May 13th, Morning: Olivia

I’m outside the country club before it opens. It was dark when Igot here. Sleep eluded me. I think I may have only gotten about three hours, since I couldn’t quit thinking about Leo and what I did. The damage I caused.

Charlie texted me at some point last night asking if I was okay again and if he needed to be on phone duty today, since Wes and Sophie are still in Minden. I haven’t responded to him yet. My phone is still on the charger on my bedside table so Mom won’t see where I am.

I wait in my car until I see the tournament officials pull up. They arrive in unison, all five of them in their matching polo shirts and khakis, ready for the final day of play.

By the time they reach the check-in table, I’m right behind them.

“Excuse me,” I say. “Can I please talk to you a minute? It’s really important.”

Mr. Williams comes forward, since he’s the only one who knows who I am. “What’s wrong?” I must look a mess, because there’s actual concern on his face.

Tears fill my eyes and I brush them away. Mr. Williams gestures for me to sit in one of the chairs while the other officials casually gather in the remaining chairs or perch on the edge of the table.

“I need to tell you what I did yesterday. I’m the one who put the extra club in Leo Perez’s bag.”

This gets their full attention.

Mr. Williams leans forward in his chair. “Why don’t you start at the beginning.”

I probably go a little too far back, since I start by telling them how I know Leo and his relationship to the Evil Joes, but I’m proud of myself for calling them by their real names.

“It’s just, I don’t know anything about golf. I thought it would be an easy class. A blow-off. And they handed me a rule book when I started on Tuesday, but I didn’t read it all the way through because I thought…why would I need to know the rules when I’m not playing?”

I’m crying hard now that I’m getting to the part about what I did.

“My aunt Maggie Mae bought Leo a new club as a gift. And she gave it to him here, in the middle of the tournament,” I say, rolling my eyes. “As much as I don’t know about golf, even I wouldn’t expect someone to use new equipment for the first time in the middle of a tournament as important as this.”

One of the officials hands me a paper towel and I’m grateful, since I’m one step from wiping my nose on the sleeve of my T-shirt.

“But Leo is such a nice guy. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so he rearranged his bag to make room for it. I walked up while he was doing that right here at this table.” I look at Mr. Williams. “You were off to the side, talking to some other men, and I was waiting to drive you around. It was right after my lunch break. You asked me to make a copy of some papers, which I did.”

He nods like he remembers the time frame I’m talking about.

“I knew something was wrong with Leo last night, but it wasn’t until I found out what happened that I put it together. He asked my aunt and cousins to pick up the extra club once they were finished at their party. He would have had to tee off before they were done. So he left it sitting there, hoping they would grab it for him, since they were at that pool party. You know, the one that was so loud yesterday.”

All five of them shake their heads and mutter things like “Oh yeah” and “That one” and “So loud.”

“I came back out here after making the copies and Leo was gone, but his pushcart and bag were just over there.” I point to the area between here and the tee box for hole ten. “He must have gotten his bag back in order and gone in to use the restroom before heading back out. But I saw one of his clubs leaned against this table. And I knew it was his because it had the same neon-green handle. And I assumed he overlooked it when he was putting everything back in his bag. So I grabbed it and ran to his bag, dropping it in with the others. I thought I was helping.”

I’m hunched over in my chair so far that my head is almost in my lap. But I sit back up because I need to finish, as painful as it is.

“That’s why he had no idea how it got in his bag. And my family probably thought one of the others grabbed it.”

The officials are all looking at each other now. I have no idea if they had already come to a decision about what to do with Leo, but if they were planning to disqualify him, I pray I’ve swayed them in some way.

The gray-haired guy on my right says, “It’s very clear you are upset about the part you played in this. We appreciate you coming forward and telling us what happened. We will take everything you’ve said into consideration.”

That’s it? How can that be it? I confessed! They have to know he didn’t do it on purpose.

“You aren’t disqualifying him, are you? It’s all my fault, not his.”

Mr. Williams responds, “We will make a final decision this morning. Even though he wasn’t the one who put the extra club in his bag, each player is ultimately responsible for the contents of their bag.” He must see I’m about to go into a full-fledged meltdown, because he adds, “The best thing Mr. Perez has going for him is that he brought it to an official’s attention the moment he discovered it. That says more about him than anything else. And you certainly cleared up the ‘how it got there’ part.”

“Leo is an honorable player. He doesn’t deserve to get thrown out over my mistake.”

Mr. Williams nods. “We’re taking all of this into consideration.” He pauses a moment, then adds, “But I think it’s best if you’re not on the course today.”

My head falls. I knew this was a possibility. I mean, if they didn’t kick me out of here, Coach Cantu would have. Especially after yesterday at the pool.

“Will you please tell Coach Cantu what happened and why I’m not here?” I say.

“Yes. I’ll let him know.”

I get up from my seat and walk slowly back to my car. Looking back, I see they’re sitting down around the table in deep discussion, probably deciding Leo’s fate right now.

But my fate is sealed. By not finishing today, I don’t get my hours. And there’s no way Coach Cantu will sign my form after what I’ve done.

I get in my car and drive to the only place I can think to go.

Nonna’s house.

I creep in through the back door in case they aren’t up yet, but the smell of coffee and bacon hits as soon as I enter.

Poking my head around the corner, I see Nonna at the stove.

“Hey,” I say, quietly.

She startles but recovers quickly. “Olivia! What a nice surprise!” And then she sees my face. “Oh, sweet girl, what’s wrong?” She turns off the fire under the pan and has her arms open just in time to catch me. I bury myself in her embrace and the tears start rolling once again.

Nonna walks me to the one of the stools at the counter and sits me down but doesn’t release me. She lets me cry without saying a word, just rubs her hand down my back over and over. This somehow makes me cry harder.

When I finally catch my breath, I pull away from her. She sits down on the stool next to me, her hands clasping mine.

“Want to talk about it?” she asks quietly.

“I screwed up. So bad.”

She reaches over and hands me the box of tissues off the counter and I pluck three out quickly.

“Like We’ll have to visit you in jail screwed up? Maybe I can bake a file in one of my cakes. Help you bust outta there.”

Chuckling, I wipe my eyes and nose because everything is leaking.

“Not quite jail-time bad,” I clarify. “But bad. And not just for me. I may have screwed up something important for a good friend.”

“But you don’t want to tell me what it is?” she asks. Her tone hints she already knows the answer.

Groaning, I say, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

She gives me a squeeze and a kiss on the top of the head. “Well, let’s get some food in you. That will make you feel better.”

Nonna heads back to the stove and turns the fire back on. In seconds, the bacon is sizzling again. She fixes me a cup of coffee and slides it across the counter to me. I don’t know how, but she can fix any member of this family a cup of coffee and it will be exactly the way they like it.

There’s a pan of biscuits that goes into the oven, then she’s cracking eggs into a skillet.

“Want me to help?” I ask.

“No. Just relax. Drink your coffee. Clear your mind.”

And that’s what I do. I get lost in watching her move around the kitchen. The same room she has fed this family out of for fifty years. She and Papa bought this house right after they got married. It was big but in bad shape and Papa got it for a steal, he likes to say. They lived on one side while they fixed up the other. Then they switched. All eight of her children were brought home from the hospital to this house. All of her grandchildren have run through this kitchen.

I’m lucky to be a part of this family.

It’s not long before Uncle Michael and Tim show up.

“Olivia!” Uncle Michael says when he sees me. He crosses the room to give me a hug. My red puffy eyes are a dead giveaway. “What’s wrong?” His tone is serious as he drops onto the stool next to me. I glance at Tim, but he’s moved closer to Nonna to wish her good morning. Probably giving us a little privacy to talk.

“Tough day,” I say.

He searches my face. “Already? Can I do anything?”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, but I’ll be okay.”

“You will. No matter what’s going on, it’s only temporary. Work through the problem, find the solution, and fix it.”

I wish it were that easy.

Tim brings Uncle Michael a cup of coffee and gives me a soft smile. I’m grateful he doesn’t ask me why my face looks like this.

“Okay, you can make a plate,” Nonna announces.

You’d think with only three of us in the kitchen, one of whom has been crying her eyes out, it wouldn’t be a mad dash to the front of the line. But it is. Uncle Michael and I jump up at the same time and knock each other out of the way. He pulls me back by my T-shirt so he can get in front of me, but I stick my foot out and poke him in the stomach, which startles him enough that he lurches to the side, giving me back my lead. We’re both laughing and pushing and laughing some more, but by the time we get to the stack of plates Nonna has out, Tim has beat us there by calmly walking around the other side.

“Amateurs,” he says while Nonna piles food on his plate.

I elbow Uncle Michael in the side. “I like him.”

Uncle Michael’s face lights up. “Me too.”

When other family members start showing up, I sneak out the front door and head back to my house, leaving my car at Nonna’s since it’s blocked in by Uncle Sal’s and Uncle Marcus’s.

I head straight to my room and bury myself under my covers. With a full belly, a somewhat clear conscience, and only a few hours of sleep last night, I’m dead to the world within minutes.

“There she is! Thank God!”

“She’s sleeping!”

“That coach is going to be pissed she overslept.”

I hear the voices and know that it’s Charlie, Sophie, and Wes, but I can’t seem to pry my eyes open.

Then Charlie jerks the comforter off me. That does the trick. I sit up in bed, my hair going every direction and my eyes swollen,

“Why’d you do that?” I moan.

They all three look speechless.

Charlie recovers first. “We’ve been calling you for hours! You never told us who needed to be you today. And then you didn’t respond or answer your phone, so we got worried.”

Sophie sits down on the edge of the bed. “But your car is at Nonna’s, so we stopped there first. She said you were there for breakfast.”

“Did you get out of going to the golf course today?” Wes asks.

Flopping down on the bed again, I try to pull the comforter back over my head, but they won’t let me. Sophie crawls into the bed and settles in next to me on my right. Charlie plops down on my left. Wes is on the other side of Sophie.

“Tell us what’s wrong. You’re never like this,” Sophie whispers.

I look at her and Wes. “I’m so sorry I was late yesterday. You’ve been so perfect this week and I screwed up the one thing that mattered to you.”

Sophie hugs me tight. “Oh my God, I hope you don’t think we’re mad at you.”

“God, oh no, we’re all good!” Wes says.

“What else is going on?” Charlie asks. “You’re not this upset over that.”

And I spill it. All of it. I start with talking to Leo the first day when he walked me home from Nonna’s house. I don’t skip anything…not how I feel about him and not how I screwed things up for him. And for myself by getting banished from the course.

It takes forever for me to tell the whole story. It feels like weeks. It feels like years.

They are quiet when I finish. And still. No one moves and no one speaks.

For a long time.

Finally Sophie asks, “So you don’t know if Leo was disqualified or not?”

I shake my head. I’m not sure I have any words left in me.

“Well, hell,” Charlie says. He pulls out his phone and makes a call, putting it on speaker.

A girl answers. “Hey! What’s up?”

I recognize Lily’s voice.

“Hey, are you at that golf tournament?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Can you tell us if Leo Perez is still in it?”

When he says us, Lily knows that’s me.

“Yes. They let him stay.”

Tears race down both cheeks, I’m so relieved. I look at Sophie and she’s crying, too.

“Okay, thanks. Uh, how’s he doing today?”

There’s a muffled groan. “He’s had a rough morning. There were a lot of parents who challenged the ruling. But the officials weren’t having it. I think it messed with his game.”

I pull Charlie’s phone out of his hand. “Can he make it up? He just needs to finish in the top three.”

“Maybe. He’d have to play this afternoon like he played yesterday.”

I’m about to hand Charlie his phone back, but I ask one last question. “Does he know it was me?”

“Yes, the officials told him about your visit this morning.”

I drop the phone in Charlie’s lap and burrow back down in my bed. Sophie scoots even closer to me.

Charlie thanks Lily and ends the call. We’re all quiet once again.

“So, what does this mean for graduation?” Wes asks.

I shrug, but I’m so buried in these covers they probably don’t see it. “Coach was so pissed at me about the pool party yesterday. Said that was my last warning. The tournament officials said they were going to tell him what happened and why I was asked not to be there for the last day of the tournament.”

Charlie asks, “Have you checked your phone? Maybe he called you. Or texted.”

We all look toward my phone sitting on the nightstand.

“I don’t want to look,” I mumble.

“I’ll look,” Charlie says, and I yell “No!” and roll over to hold him down.

He gives up easily and we go to back to just lying there.

After a few minutes, Sophie says, “Just look. It’s killing me.”

“I second that,” Wes says.

“Third,” Charlie shouts.

“Okay, fine. I’ll look.” I lean across Charlie and grab my phone but hold it low so no can see the screen. It lies on my chest, facedown, my hand resting on top.

“You. Are. Killing. Me,” Charlie says, enunciating each word.

I take a deep breath, then blow it out while I bring the phone up so I can finally see the screen.

There are lots of notifications. From Mom, Charlie, Wes, Sophie. I swipe open the phone so I can see all my conversations. First thing I see is a text from Leo.

L:Today is pretty shitty. Hard to sort through all of it. But thank you for clearing everything up

“Aww,” Sophie says.

“What?” Charlie lifts his head so he can look at Sophie on the other side of me. “Why is that an Aww text?”

“Because!” She props herself up on her elbows so she can see him, too.

Charlie looks at me. “What’s your call on it?”

I’m still staring at his words. “I think he could have been ugly to me and I would have deserved it. I think he’s struggling today and even though he still gets to play, I’m the reason why it’s hard. And although I cleared things up, he’s playing poorly and that’s due to my actions. He still may not get his scholarship.”

Charlie drops his head back down on the pillow next to me. “Even if we like him now, we do not have to like the Evil Joes. They are not a package deal.”

I squeeze Charlie’s arm. It’s a big move for him to let this go with Leo. “It might not be an issue. He may not want anything to do with us.”

Now it’s Wes’s turn to sit up. “Of course he does! What’s not to love?” And then Sophie pulls him back down.

Exiting out of the conversation with Leo because I want a little time and privacy before I text him back, I scroll down and see a text from Coach Cantu, which is shocking, since I’ve yet to see him use a phone. It’s from nine o’clock this morning, about two hours after I spoke with the tournament officials.

Beside me, Sophie takes a deep breath when she sees. “Open it!”

I really don’t want to do this with an audience, but these people know everything. They should know this, too.

COACH:You leave me no choice. I am unable to sign your form since you have not completed your hours.

Well, there it is. Surprisingly, I’m not crying. I guess I’m all cried out.

“He sucks,” Wes says.

“Call Mr. Spencer. Tell him what happened. He can overrule that guy.”

Thinking back to the e-mail exchange with our vice principal earlier this week, I say, “He can’t. I already asked him. He said no.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sophie says. She rests her head on my shoulder.

“It is what it is.” I feel hollow inside.

My phone rings in my hand and it startles us enough that we each scream.

Mom’s name flashes across the screen.

“Are you going to tell her?” Sophie asks.

“Not right now. I can’t handle any more today.”

I swipe the call open and put it on speaker.

“Hey, Mom,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as sad as I think it does.

“Hey, sweetie! How are you?” She is cheery. So very cheery.

“Good, just hanging out with Sophie, Wes, and Charlie.”

“Wonderful! Well, good news! Dad and I are on the way home! We got done late last night and we are on the road. Should be there right after lunch.”

I want to let out the loudest groan right now, but I don’t. I hold it together. Because now my plans of wallowing in bed all day are shot.

“Oh, good!”

“Can’t wait to see you!” Mom says.

Sophie leans close and whispers in my ear. I shake off her suggestion but then decide it’s not a bad idea after all.

“I may be at that party for Bianca when you get home. It’s at two, I think.”

“Aw, that’s right! Well, we’ll see you after! Love you!”

She ends the call, and I turn to Sophie. “The last thing I want to do is go to a party,” I say.

“We’re not staying in this bed all day. We’re going to Bianca’s party and making a cupcake. The sugar will do us good. And then you can face your mom when we get back.”

I sigh and say, “Okay. But I’m showering before I do anything.”

“Yes, please do,” Charlie says, and I punch him in the arm.

The three of them get out of the bed to head downstairs.

“Party is in a couple of hours,” Sophie says, then shuts my door behind her.

I ignore my phone but pull out my laptop from the drawer in the nightstand. I hesitate a second, then grab Leo’s faded blue hat and slip it on. I may not deserve it, but I feel better once I’m wearing it.

Pulling up LSU’s website, I start researching while thinking about what Uncle Michael said—work through the problem, find the solution, fix it. I can’t fix what I did to Leo any more than I already have, but I can see what my options are, since it doesn’t look like I’m going to graduate next week.

I scroll through the site and read every FAQ page I can. When I can’t find a definitive answer to what I’m looking for, I break down and call the admissions office.

“LSU Office of Admissions. This is Tess,” a woman says when the call connects.

“Hey, I have a quick question. I’ve been accepted to LSU for this fall, but I may not have my diploma until midsummer because it seems like I’m missing a half credit of PE. If I can take it this summer, would that affect my standing for the fall?”

“Oh, you should be fine. As long as all your high school credits are met by the time classes start in August, you’re good to go.”

So that’s it. I thank her and end the call. It could be so much worse. I’m still going to college this fall. I’ll still get a little money in scholarships, although I’ll be missing a big one by not graduating as salutatorian. That’s going to be the hardest part when I admit everything to my parents.

The lost money makes me think of Leo. Grabbing my phone, I pull up our conversation again.

ME:I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I thought I was helping but I ended up hurting you. And that kills me. I’m so, so sorry.

I throw down my phone and head to the bathroom.

Charlie, Sophie, and Wes are waiting for me on the front porch when it’s time to leave for Bianca’s party. Charlie holds out his phone. “Switch with me,” he says.

“What? Why?”

“Charlie and I are going to the cupcake thing for Bianca while you and Sophie go to the golf course,” Wes says.

Backing up a step, I shake my head. “No. I can’t.”

Sophie pulls my phone from my hand and gives it to Charlie, then hands me his. “Yes, you can. We checked with Lily. The match will be over soon. They’ll tally the scores, then the winner will be announced in about forty-five minutes. We’re going to be there for Leo.”

I blink the tears away. “He won’t want me there. Coach won’t want me there. The officials will lose it if they see me there.”

“They can’t do anything else to you. The awards ceremony is open to family and friends. That’s what we are.”

Sophie starts to pull me to her car, but I resist.

“Hold on,” I say, then sprint back inside. I grab the blue ball cap and put it on, pulling my ponytail through the small opening. And then I’m back outside.

“This is a bad idea,” I say, when Sophie’s car pulls away from the curb.

“We’re full of bad ideas. So what’s one more?”

The entire ride to the course has my stomach in knots. Sophie and I are quiet and the only sounds in the car come from the radio station. I think she’s as nervous as I am.

The guard at the entrance of the country club starts to give her a problem until I lean forward and wave. He lets us through. What a difference a week makes.

“Gosh, there’s a lot of people here.” Sophie circles the parking lot twice and only finds a spot after someone leaves.

Getting out of the car, we walk side by side. I have a strong urge to grab her hand for support, but instead I take a deep breath and throw my shoulders back. I have every right to be here.

We bypass the clubhouse and walk around the building until we’re on the back side, where the big board showing everyone’s daily score is. Today’s numbers haven’t been put up yet. There’s also a podium there now, along with a microphone and a table full of trophies.

Sophie wants to get closer, but I grab her arm, holding her back. “This is far enough.” I’m happy I’m here, but I don’t need to be front row.

The golfers are in a cluster on the far side while the parents are standing right in front of the trophy table. Coach Cantu is nowhere in sight.

Mr. Williams approaches the podium and checks the mic before saying, “First, I’d like to welcome all of the parents and friends who are here to support our golfers. We could not do this without all of you! And we’d like to thank Ellerbe Hills Country Club for allowing us to use their incredible facility. And thanks to the weather for cooperating!”

A low chuckle rumbles through the crowd. I’ve been keeping an eye out for Leo since the moment we arrived, and I finally spot him when the guy in front of him leans over to pick something up.

He looks exhausted. After what Lily said about some people being mad he wasn’t disqualified, I was worried he’d be off by himself, but he’s got a group surrounding him. Tears spring to my eyes when I see him.

Mr. Williams’s voice booms out, “It’s my honor to present the trophies and awards for the winners of this year’s tournament! It’s been a wonderful three days and I’m very excited for the future of these golfers.”

He shuffles his papers and a ripple of nervousness and excitement races through the crowd. Yesterday Leo killed it and was sitting in first place going into today. I hope he was able to get his game back.

Mr. Williams starts with the girls and I’m thrilled to hear Tanika got third place. She’s beaming when she walks up to accept her small trophy.

Now it’s time for the guys.

“In fifth place is Christopher Locke.”

Everyone claps, including us.

“In fourth place is Kenneth Jung.”

I squeeze my hands together in prayer. Leo needs to make top three to get his scholarship. My eyes are sealed shut and I chant silently, Top three, top three, top three.

“Third place goes to Jason Reiner.”

My stomach sinks. Lily said he was doing bad this morning. I was thinking third place would be a miracle. And then Mr. Williams says, “And in second place is Leo Perez.”

There are a few mumbles and groans, but they’re drowned out by the cheering. And most of the cheering for him is from the other players. Well, Sophie and I are doing our part as we scream and jump up and down.

Part of me wonders if Leo could have held on to first place if he hadn’t had to deal with all the drama last night and this morning, but by the look on his face, he’s ecstatic. He takes the trophy from Mr. Williams, then leans in to say something to him. Mr. Williams pats him on the shoulder and Leo heads back to his friends.

“Oh, there’s Aunt Maggie Mae,” Sophie whispers. Sure enough, she’s here, along with Uncle Marcus.

Mr. Williams awards the first-place winner, but we’ve tuned him out.

Now the parents are converging on the players, congratulating the winners on their game.

“Do you want to go say hi to him?” Sophie asks.

I shake my head. “No. Let him enjoy this. I’m just so relieved he finished well.”

There’s a man in a purple golf shirt with the LSU logo walking up to him. They greet each other and shake hands. Leo is grinning big when the man hands him an LSU cap. Leo takes off the random hat he’s wearing, replacing it with the one for his new team. I can’t help but touch the brim of the blue hat he gave me a few days ago.

I start walking to the car with Sophie reluctantly following me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to at least wave from a distance? He won’t even know you were here.”

Not looking back, I say, “I’m sure.”

We pull away while we can still hear the sounds of the players celebrating.

Phone Duty:Charlie

Wes and I crash Bianca’s party right as it’s starting.

The party is at a local bakery and the girls are set up at stations in the large kitchen. The chef welcomes everyone from the front of the room.

“Hey,” I call out, waving to Bianca.

She jumps up from her stool and makes her way to us. “What are y’all doing here?”

“Olivia is checking out the results of a golf tournament her friend is playing in and hated that she was going to miss your party. So we’re here in her place!”

“Well, can’t say I mind you showing up. Let me get y’all some aprons,” she says, clapping her hands together.

Within minutes, Wes and I are in pink ruffled aprons, mine monogrammed with Olivia’s name and Wes wearing one monogrammed with the name Susie. Susie, we discover, is Bianca’s cousin who woke up not feeling well this morning.

The chef, a guy named Blake, is at the front of the room, holding up items and telling us what they’re for.

“Oh, we’re totally going to kill this,” Wes says. He’s a pretty good cook, which has worked out well for me over the years, since I’m always hungry.

Wes and I follow the directions Blake gives us and our cupcakes are baking before anyone else’s.

We high-five and do a victory dance near the ovens.

“Seriously, Charlie, you’ve been to more parties this week than Olivia has,” Mary Jo says.

I saw the Evil Joes were set up on the other side of the room when we first got here and was hoping I could avoid them. No such luck.

“Why is Olivia at the golf course? Who does she know out there playing?” Jo Lynn asks.

Wes grins and replies, “Leo Perez.”

And I wish I had a picture of their faces when Wes said his name! That mix of shock and disgust would be my screen saver. I would send it out as Christmas cards.

“Why are they out there watching him?” Mary Jo screeches.

“Why aren’t y’all?” I ask.

Jo Lynn looks like she wants to go for my throat. “Mom and Dad are there. We offered. He said he didn’t want us to miss our party for that.”

For that. For the most important tournament of his high school career. We should have convinced Leo to defect to our side years ago. I’m finding I like Leo even more now that I know the Evil Joes hate us being friends.

“Yeah, okay,” Wes says, then walks back to our station. I just give them a look and follow him.

Wes has his phone out and says, “He came in second!”

Hell yeah. “Maybe Olivia won’t be so hard on herself now.”

Wes laughs. “You know how Olivia is.”

Yeah. I do. She’ll hold on to this for a long time.

Her phone vibrates in my pocket, so I pull it out and see a notification from L. I flash the screen at Wes and he raises his eyebrows.

“You opening it?” he asks.

I give him a look like he’s crazy. “Of course I’m opening it.”

L:Heard you were here

“Don’t reply,” Wes says. Then rolls his eyes. “You’re going to reply.”

ME:This is Charlie. I have Olivia’s phone. Long story. But we all hope you’ll be at the crawfish boil that our family is throwing for us tonight. We figured you’d get invited by the Evil Joes but you also have an invite from us too

“Aw, look at you being all sweet,” Wes says, and I punch him in the arm.

The timer on his phone goes off, letting us know our cupcakes are ready. “C’mon,” he says. “We have a cupcake competition to win.”