Chapter 13: Drew - Love On Time

It’s the last day of our first semester and the start of winter break. After the brutal stress of finals, I’m finally ready for a break from school. The last bell rings through the loudspeaker.

“Have a good Holiday Break, everyone!” Mrs. Johnson yells over the roar of teenagers rushing out of her classroom.

I meet Cooper, Ivy, and Cami at my car and we all pile in to head home.

“Did you guys hear Alex is throwing a huge New Year's Eve party at his parents' beach house?” Cooper asks the second we pull out of the student parking lot. “We have to go!”

“Sounds fun to me!” Ivy says, smiling up at Cooper from the back seat. “As long as Cami can come with us, of course.”

Cami’s head snaps up from her phone, darting her eyes to Ivy. “I don’t know. That sounds like a bit much.” She mutters, anxiously biting her lower lip.

Cami struggles with social anxiety when she’s in crowded places. I don't blame her. It's not exactly my favorite thing either, but she gets especially panicked if she feels trapped somewhere without a clear way to leave.

“It’s okay, Cam, you don't have to come,” Cooper says, twisting around the seat to face her.

“But if you do want to check it out, I can drive you back home whenever you feel ready,” I add, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. “You won't have to stay the whole time.”

She flashes me a grateful smile from the backseat. I glance at Ivy, who is already staring at me with a smirk.

We finally pull up to the curb outside our houses. Suddenly, Ivy lets out a piercing scream from the backseat. Everyone jumps, our attention darting to her.

“Oh my God! I just got an email from UCLA!” she yells, clasping her palms against her chest.

Cooper and I automatically lock eyes. Our bodies go stiff as we scramble to pull our phones out of our pockets. We knew a round of early acceptance letters was scheduled to drop sometime before Christmas.

“I got in!” Ivy cries, tears welling in her eyes.

“Oh my God.” Cooper breathes next to me, staring blankly at his screen. “I got in too.” He looks over at me, his expression a mix of shock and pure adrenaline.

“No way!” Ivy shouts, unbuckling her seatbelt and throwing herself from the backseat to the front, straight into Cooper’s arms.

“Congratulations!” Cami beams, grabbing her brother's shoulder in excitement. “Mom is going to freak out!”

My fingers are trembling as I hesitantly open my mail app. The air inside the tiny car suddenly feels suffocating. A wave of nausea hits me. I need to step out, or I’m going to be sick. I throw the driver’s side door open and take a few frantic paces away from the car, desperate for space. My hands shake violently as I see the unread message from the UCLA administration office. I let out a jagged exhale. My entire future is riding on this single email.

Cooper, Ivy, and Cami all climb out of the car, standing by the hood and watching me in anxious anticipation.

I close my eyes, take one last breath, and tap the message open.

My knees completely give out. I drop straight onto the asphalt, burying my face in my hands. Cooper comes sprinting toward me, hits the ground right next to me, and throws a heavy, supportive arm over my shoulder.

“Drew? Man, talk to me,” he pleads.

“I got it.” I choke out through a sudden rush of tears. “I got the full-ride football scholarship.”

“Fuck yeah!” Cooper roars, pulling me into an aggressive bear hug that almost knocks us both over. Ivy and Cami come barreling across the asphalt, throwing themselves into the pile, joining our chaotic, middle-of-the-road hug.

“I am so, so happy for all three of you,” Cami whispers, crying proud tears against my shoulder.

But despite the immense joy flooding through me, a quiet, devastating realization hits me squarely in the chest.

Next year, Cami’s three favorite people are leaving her behind.

* * *

The Bensons took my mom and me out to dinner to celebrate. Sitting at that restaurant table, surrounded by the people who have been there for me through this whole journey, I felt like I could finally take my first real breath. For the first time in four years, the crushing weight has lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to spend the rest of senior year agonizing over every single grade, or every worst-case scenario. I can finally just enjoy the time I have left here. And the best part? Knowing that very soon I would be able to take care of my mom.

It’s late, and the sky is painted pitch black by the time I climb out my window and cross the distance to Cami’s. I do my usual three quiet taps against the glass. A moment later, the latch unlocks as she slides her window open.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up.” She says with a small smile, stepping aside to let me crawl into the warm glow of her bedroom.

She’s wearing a simple white tank top and small pajama shorts. She heads over to her bed and looks over her shoulder, her eyes wordlessly telling me to follow her. She leans back, falling against the pillows, and catches the hem of my shirt to pull me down with her, wanting me right beside her.

“You know how happy I am for you, right?” She whispers into the darkness, her eyes searching mine.

“I know.” I sigh, “I… I just hate the thought of not being able to do this next year.”

“Then we need to make sure we make the most of the time we have left,” she says softly, reaching up to pull my lips down to meet hers.

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against me as I take her lips into a deep, savoring kiss. Her small tank top rides up slightly, leaving a slice of her bare stomach exposed to the cool air. I gently trace light circles on her ribs with my fingertips, feeling goosebumps ripple across her skin. It’s driving me mad.

Slowly, she lifts her leg to wrap it around my waist, pulling me even closer until there's zero space left between us. A sudden flood of nerves sends a shock straight through my body. Cami parts her lips, deepening the kiss with a desperate hunger. A quiet, breathless moan leaves her throat as my tongue sweeps over hers, her body instinctively rocking up into mine. The subtle friction of her hips sets my blood on fire.

Pushing against my shoulders, she rolls me onto my back and slowly climbs on top of me. My mind goes blank as pure desire takes over. I trace my hands up her stomach, stopping right below the soft swell of her breasts, my heart hammering deep in my chest.

“Cami,” I whisper, trying to catch my breath.

“It’s okay, Drew,” she whispers against my ear, trailing her lips in an intoxicating line down my neck.

A sudden, sobering thought flashes through my mind, freezing me in place. Is she only doing this because she feels pressured? Because I’m leaving? I can't let her do something she might not be ready for, especially since I'm leaving in a few months. Catching her hips, I gently roll us over, shifting us back onto our sides.

* * *

Today is New Year’s Eve, and we all have plans to go to Alex’s house party tonight. I’m standing in the kitchen, stacking clean dishes back into the cabinets, when a loud, aggressive knock echoes off the front door. I stop what I'm doing, confused because I’m not expecting anyone to come over this close to the party.

I pull the heavy wooden door open. Cooper stands on the porch, a blank look frozen on his face. His posture rigid, arms crossed tightly over his chest. My heart falls straight into my stomach.

“Can I come in?” Cooper asks, his tone flat, not really taking no for an answer.

“Yeah man, of course,” I say, stepping back and swinging the door wide so he can pass me. “Everything okay? Did something happen with Ivy?”

“Ivy and I are fine,” he says stiffly, marching straight into the center of my kitchen.

“Okay. What’s up?”

“I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth,” he says with a dark tone in his voice that I’ve never heard from him before.

I swallow hard, my throat constricting in nervous anticipation. “Of course.”

He fixes his sharp gaze at me. “Is there something going on between you and my sister?”

A suffocatingly long silence falls between us. The reality sets in. This is it. This is the exact moment I lose my best friend.

“Cooper…”

“Oh shit…So there is.” He interrupts, his voice laced with anger.

I look down at the floor, unable to meet his stare. “Yeah, there is.”

He drags a hand down his face, letting out a harsh, ragged breath. “I was hoping to God you weren't going to say that. She left her phone on the bathroom counter, and a text came through. It was your name, Drew. With a little red heart next to it.” He let out a humorless, broken chuckle. “I thought maybe it was just her having a silly little crush. But I guess I was wrong.”

“I'm really sorry, Cooper. I've been meaning to tell you, I swear.”

“How long?” He demands, stepping closer.

I barely manage a whisper, “Since her birthday.”

“So six months?” He laughs out loud, a sound of pure shock. “Six months of you sneaking around behind my back with my little sister. Betraying me.”

“It’s not like that with her, Cooper. It’s real.” I say apologetically, desperately wanting him to understand.

“You're leaving!” He yells, the sound echoing off the kitchen walls. “You're leaving for college, Drew! She’s only a sophomore.”

“I know,” I say, my voice cracking with the heavy weight of emotion.

“You know how sensitive she is. You know about her anxiety! You’re going to end up destroying her!”

“I’m really trying not to.”

“You leaving will kill her, Drew.” His voice cracks as he tries to catch his breath. “You should end things now before it's too late.”

“She means too much to me to do that.”

“That's exactly why you need to do it!” he snaps.

A long, suffocating silence stretches between us, heavy with years of friendship that are suddenly hanging by a thread.

“I can't,” I state firmly.

His eyes snap up to mine as shock takes over his expression. He takes a single step toward me. “Then it better be worth it. Because if you do break her heart, I swear to God, Drew, I will never speak to you again.”

He stares me down, hurt and betrayal written all over his face. Without another word, he turns around and walks straight out my front door, slamming it behind him.

My heart starts crashing violently against my ribs, a dull pain settling deep into my chest. I turn around to head back to the kitchen and freeze, catching sight of my mom standing in the doorway.

I let out a shaky sigh. “How much did you hear?”

“All of it,” she says softly, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes filled with a mix of concern and sympathy.

“I really care about her, Mom.”

“I know you do,” she says gently, walking over to squeeze my arm. “I see the way you look at her. Just… be careful, Drew.”