He stands, and there’s this small, relieved smile on his face.
“For the record,” he says, “I don’t think he’d care.”
*****************
I’ve just grabbed the last can of Sprite and shoved it into my bag when my phone buzzes on the desk. My stomach lurches at the thought of Katy calling because of Justin but I grab it and it’s my mom’s face flashing on the screen instead.
She always picks the worst time to call. Video call, though? That’s reserved for the actual worst moments. And somehow she always finds them.
I decline it, then immediately call back before she convinces herself I’m dodging her.
Usually, I spend Christmas with my family and it follows the same script every year: stiff dinners with my grandparents who, for reasons I’ve never fully understood, decided I was supposed t
