"We all have dreams, Devon Parker!"
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Hadley Carter's life is a mess. That is, more of a mess than usual. The unexpected return of her ex creates a storm of chaos Hadley is left to battle alone. Ha...
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"Did you want to come in?" I ask Devon after she has pulled into my driveway, dropping me off at home after a day spent with our friends.
"It's okay," Devon declines with a slight shake of her head. "It's getting kind of late. I should probably head home."
I purse my lips before offering a response. I debate with myself for a moment, questioning whether or not I should bring up the distant behavior Devon has been portraying lately.
After a moment, I become fed up with thinking. Before I have the chance to second guess myself, I blurt, "What has been with you lately?"
Devon raises her eyebrows as she finally turns to meet my gaze. Her expression falters before she mutters, "What?"
"You've been acting . . . off," I explain. "Distant with me. It's like–"
"No, I haven't," Devon interrupts before I can complete my thoughts.
I furrow my eyebrows as I study my girlfriend warily. "Devon, yes you have. Ever since Sloane came back, you've been acting like a completely different person."
Devon snorts, grinning sarcastically as she turns to face the windshield, gripping the steering wheel before her so tightly her knuckles begin to turn white.
I take her silence as a cue to continue. "Don't deny the facts, Devon. You've hardly talked to me since my birthday. You're suddenly always busy, with excuse after excuse as to why we can't hang out. When we are together, you seem so uninterested in everything. You acted like you don't even want to go on the trip Mason suggested earlier. All of this is just so unlike you, and I feel like it's my fault."
"I just have a lot going on right now, Hadley," Devon mumbles in a calculated tone. "That's all."
"Just say it already," I argue, feeling an overwhelming amount of hurt and anger suddenly rise in my chest. "Just admit that Sloane living across the street from me bothers you. Admit that you're jealous and worried and scared and that–"
"I'm not!" Devon cries unexpectedly, stopping me short. I flinch when she speaks, not used to having her yell at me. "I'm not," Devon repeats softer this time, rubbing her temples as she exhales a sigh. "If anything, you're the one who's been acting weird since she came back."
I scoff, mouth gaping as I stare my girlfriend down in shock. "What does that even mean, Devon?"
Devon shoots me a look that seems to say to cut the bullshit. "It's all you fucking talk about, Hadley. Sloane this, Sloane that."
"My ex I never thought I would see again is living across the street from me," I retort. "Excuse me for feeling a little blindsided about the situation."
Devon shakes her head, smirking to herself about Lord knows what. "Look, Hadley. Your ex being back–it's whatever. I'm just busy. That's all."
"You're mad at me," I point out. "I'm not stupid, Devon."
