Memphis Wills wants out of Whitehaven, the tiny village she's lived in her whole life. So aged sixteen she leaves for college in the city and never looks back.
Until five years later when she finally wises up and leaves her dirt bag boyfriend. Fee...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I text Mel when she gets home on Sunday night, thanking her for coming to visit me and most importantly for not bringing up Jerri at all.
Jeremiah Parks still haunts my dreams on the daily and I'd be lying if I said the hold he has over my heart isn't still strong, but it's getting easier not to think of him. I've hidden the shirt of his that I stole, under my bed.
I'm scrolling through my phone early on Monday morning, the sound of the shower running in the adjacent bathroom having woken me, when I spot a post that makes my skin tingle and my chest ache with longing. Jerri and a blonde snuggled up close at a bar. I recognise the exposed red brick walls and black photo frames, knowing it's the place Jerri always used to take me for meals on weekends. No doubt they're sitting at our favourite table, looking out over the canal. Fairy lights twinkle in the background, illuminating Jerri's bright blue eyes.
Feeling sick, I force myself up and out of bed. I dress in jeans and a light jumper, the sun already streaming through my baby pink curtains at seven am.
I join my dad for breakfast in the kitchen. He makes me a green tea, managing not to gag at the smell even though I know he hates it. I bring a stack of toast to the table and Presley joins us after his shower, his hair still damp and dripping onto his work shirt.
"Pass the butter, Phis."
I comply, chewing on my toast and jam, something on my mind that hadn't really occurred to me before.
I wait until Dad's gone upstairs to get dressed for work before I speak my mind.
"Does Karen River's still live next door?"
Presley looks up from his phone, crumbs on his sleeve. "Uh, yeah. She stayed when Mr Murphy died. I think he left her the house."
"I thought as much. I saw his old car on the drive the other day."
"Yeah, Mr Murphy left it to Jack."
My eyes widen but I try to play it off by picking at a thread on my jumper. "Ahh, I was wondering. So Jack lives there too?"
"No. He moved out years ago."
"Eli says they aren't really friends anymore. It's so weird to think they don't speak."
Presley shrugs. "You don't speak to him either. And you only speak to Eli because you bumped into him. It's not like you've gone looking for either of them since you've been home."
Presley's not trying to be mean or accuse me of anything, but I can't help feeling like an awful person. Should I have reached out to them both? I assumed it would be weird. It's not like we've spoken in years so showing up on their doorstep would have been strange. Being prone to overthinking, I shake my head to clear my thoughts.
"Any plans for today?" Presley asks as he gathers up his things, getting up from the table.
