Chapter 24 | Liz

Chapter 24

Liz

W ildwood. With Andrew. Is Zoey out of her mind? Yes . And heartbroken and still desperately in love with someone who doesn’t love her. When I left Thursday night, she seemed fine. More than fine. She declined my invitation to spend the week at my new place, citing work and Becca. Was it all a ruse?

“Where are you exactly?” I ask over the sound of Zoey’s sobbing. It’s not even crying. My sister’s heart is being regurgitated through tears. I can hear the shattering of her soul. My heart clenches, and tears trickle down my own face. “Are you safe?”

“Yes, I’m still at the house.” She sniffles. “He went down to the party at the beach.”

All I want is the details, every last detail, but Zoey won’t be able to bear it. Not right now. All that matters now is that my sister needs a way out. The what, why, and how the hell this happened can wait.

“Zoey, hold on one second, okay?” I hand the phone to Cecilia. “Talk to her for a minute and give me your phone.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Cecilia hisses, her hand covering the mouthpiece.

“Just do it.”

Not caring that I’m invading her privacy by rifling through her purse, I find Cecilia’s phone and punch in the passcode she’s used since college. Does she remember that it’s the last four digits of her ex-boyfriend’s cell phone number at this point? I hope not. Though she’s a Reid sister, and long-held, misplaced romantic feelings seem to be a prerequisite.

I type Jane’s number into the phone, hoping I’m remembering the calendar correctly and that she is where I think she is. Where I very well might have been this week. One town over from Zoey.

“Cecilia?” Jane’s voice is heavy with trepidation because why would Cecilia call her?

“It’s me.” I push back the longing at hearing my best friend’s voice. “You’re down the shore, right?”

“Yes, Liz. Why?” My name sounds odd, but I don’t have time to process a reason.

“I need a favor,” I say. “Well, Zoey needs a favor.”

“Zoey?”

“I can’t really explain,” I say too quickly. “But she’s in Wildwood, and she needs a place to stay until I can get to her. Can I send her to you?”

“Of course, but...” Jane cuts off amid rustling sounds. I wonder briefly if she dropped the phone before another voice fills the line.

“Liz?” Julian. I’ve never been so happy to hear his voice. He will take care of Zoey, no question. He always has. “What’s going on?”

“Andrew.” The one word conveys everything necessary even though Julian doesn’t know about my sister’s current entanglement. “I’m going to have her Uber to you, okay?”

“No, I’ll go get her. I’m texting her to send me that dickwad’s address.”

This is why it’s so hard to move past him. Julian’s solid and dependable and good. He knows exactly what I need without me having to ask. And, I note, he’s not off fucking Sheila right now.

“Thank you.”

“Thank me if I don’t punch that kid in the face.”

I laugh, but then turn my tone serious. “No punching.”

Before our banter can kick in—because I know Julian’s response would’ve been “A little bit of punching? What about a good slap?”—I hang up and retrieve my phone from Cecilia. She is talking to Zoey, though the conversation is stilted and about something innocuous, as far as I can tell.

Zoey is still sniffling on the other end of the line, but her tone is more upbeat than before, and the sobbing has stopped. Cecilia calmed her down. Hell has officially frozen over.

“I hear you are going to speed dating for divorcees,” Zoey says.

Freakin’ Cecilia . I try to laugh, but with Julian’s voice still in my ears, speed dating is the last thing I can think about. I miss him. And as much as my mind is winning the battle, my heart wants to drive home and run into his arms Notebook style. I want to forsake all that is logical in the face of true love. Fuck. These thoughts are exactly why Zoey is sleeping with Andrew. Pop culture has trained us to believe in the exception. And it’s easy to believe they can be the best version of themselves when their light is on you and only you. But too often we find ourselves left in darkness. We both need to stop forgetting the pain of that abyss.

I clear my throat. “Julian is across town and is going to come get you.”

“But you’re coming, right?” She sounds small and fragile and so, so broken.

“Yes,” I say, my heart growing full even as it breaks for her. “I’m coming, Zoey.”