The Best of Fools (Jane Austen Book 2) (31 page)

"We're heading to Granny's in fifteen minutes," Mom said as Dad and Eddie focused on the end of their Monopoly battle. "Want to come?"

"Oh, I can't right now," I said. "But I did want to tell you guys something before I leave."

"No worries," Eddie said while counting fake money. "Mom already has your room ready for you."

"Edward!" Mom's hands went to her hips. "Don't be so insensitive."

"We figured you'd need a place to stay until you found a good job." Dad picked up a card, then stopped to look at me. "There's no shame in it, Jane. Things didn't work out, that's all."

"I can hear disappointment in your voice, Dad."

He sat up straighter and inhaled. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in your decisions, but I'm not disappointed in you."

"You blew a ton of money," Eddie said. "Fast."

"Thanks, Ed. I'm sure you'll be so much wiser when you get yours."

He counted his fake money aloud, then said, "Probably right."

I sighed. "I still want to make the shop work. We have a lot of clothes made already and I thought maybe I could sell them online until I save money for a place."

"That's a great idea." Mom smiled.

"I know I should of thought of that from the start."

"It's a good lesson though," Dad said. "Now you know what not to do."

"Yeah, I do."

"You never were the quitting type," Mom said as she stood. "You boys ready to go?" Then she hugged me. "You'll work things out. I've always believed in you, Janie."

I'm sure glad someone did.

Zoe and I packed up the last of our stuff while Autumn did the same at her house. Two days left. Then she'd be gone.

Brooke offered to let Zoe stay with her for a while and maybe we could find another place together when I saved some money. And Donovan, Dad, and Eddie offered to take my stuff to a storage unit, load it in and everything, so I could spend the night at Autumn's house before she left. Very kind of them and I was thankful for the help.

"This was short-lived," Zoe said as she taped a box of kitchen supplies.

"Too short-lived." I looked around at the stacks of boxes all over the place. "I really liked this place, too."

"Will Donny be here soon?"

"Probably. We should put the small stuff in our cars. Save the big stuff for the moving truck."

I'm not sure what felt worse. The first day I moved out. Or moving back in to my parent's house within the same season. I loved them, but it wasn't appealing.

Zoe and I jogged in and out, filling our cars with boxes upon boxes. At some point some guy ran by and she jumped.

"Did you get a restraining order?" I said. "You really should."

"I'm afraid to."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I have no family on my side."

"You have me."

"I could never be related to you. No offense."

I shook my head. "Wrong thing to say, but that's okay. You do realize that you are actually related to an extremely abusive brother, right?"

"That's different. He's blood. I can't help it."

I almost said something, but what's the point?

"This must be them," I said as a moving truck pulled into the parking lot.

Dad parked and jumped out of the driver's seat, then Eddie and they walked over to me while staring at Zoe.

"Where's Donny?" Zoe whined.

"He is in love with Han, you know." I waved Dad and Ed over. "He's not interested in getting back with you."

"He will. When something is meant to be it finds a way."

"Zoe..." I stopped myself and started again, "He's taken. If you love him, you'll respect that."

"Your brother is hot. Wow."

I ignored that as Dad and Eddie approached. Did I really want to move in with her again?

"So." Dad squinted his eyes to avoid the sun. "Eddie and I will get the bigger stuff. Donovan and Mike should be here soon."

"His dad's coming too?"

"Yes, I think his girlfriend wanted to help out too." He searched my eyes for a response they wouldn't provide. "They should be here soon."

Dad and Eddie loaded a few pieces of furniture while Zoe and I packed our cars as much as they could handle. Donovan, his dad—who I also called Dad—and Han showed up and began to help.

Han cleaned the apartment with Zoe and me as the men emptied the apartment. Every time Donovan came in Han's face sparkled when his eyes met hers.

He came in again and made his way to her. Zoe watched in disgust as his hand gently touched her back, but then quickly smiled as Eddie walked by. I tried not to watch Donovan's hands on Han, but I couldn't help myself. The way she grinned when he touched her. And the way he liked it, his smile matching hers in shyness.

There's only one person I looked at like that. Only one who made me weak when his hand grazed my back.

And it wasn't Donovan.

Autumn picked me up from my parent's house. Which was now my house again. She had her car all ready for a new adventure, stuffed to the limit. My stuff was all in storage and Dad even said he'd take the rest out of my car tonight and put it in my room.

"Your parents are the nicest parents in the world," Autumn said as we entered her house. "Wish mine were like that."

"Your parents are nice." I followed her inside. "Just bizarre."

"You can say that again. Can't wait to have my own dorm room."

"Not sharing it with someone?"

"Well, yeah." She tapped the stuffed bird on the entryway table. "Just mean away from all the dead animals."

Her parents filled the house with stuffed animals. Everything from real, dead snakes to real, dead elephant heads. They spent tons of money on these weird "decorations" and even raised their own birds and ducks to later stuff them when they died. Don't ask.

"Why, hello, Jane," Mr. and Mrs. Beverly said in unison.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Mrs. Bev said.

"No, thanks. I'm good."

They bowed as we walked by them. Autumn shook her head. I laughed. They weren't totally creepy. More like Weird Al type of people. Intentionally strange. You could hear them cracking up laughing whenever you left the room. Like now.

"And they wonder why I've never brought a boy home," she said.

"Can I be here when that finally happens?" She shut her bedroom door and I flopped on to the bed. "Exhaustion strikes."

"Our last night together and we're probably gonna spend it sleeping," she said.

What she
didn'
t know was that we had a surprise going away party planned for her tomorrow. Donovan and Han took care of the details for me, since I couldn't be there to get everything ready. They found a place in the city and I was supposed to walk by tomorrow and nonchalantly decide to go into the building. I hadn't quite figured out how to make it happen, but I would.

My phone beeped.

"Who's that?" Autumn looked at her own phone.

"Looks like Ella. This woman I met at Dee's tattoo place. She wants to know if I can teach her some sewing tips in exchange for violin lessons."

"How many things do you have on your bucket list now?"

"Forgot about it, honestly. Alistair and I were going to help each other check off the first five, then make five more."

"Have you tried to find him again?"

"I've looked." Looked, meaning I'd wake up in the middle of the night hearing his voice say my name. Only to realize it was a dream. Then I'd spend a half hour looking for a sign of him on the grand ole Internet. I just missed my friend, that's all.

"Have you said goodbye to your cheerleader buddies yet?" I said, knowing she'd see them tomorrow at the party.

"Yeah. I got all that out of the way so I could be with you this last night. Plus, I need a break from people before I go."

"Oh. Why?"

"Just too much."

She was in for a real surprise then. Hopefully it didn't ruin her plans too much.

"Sure you don't wanna come to school with me now that Donovan isn't going to be around as much?"

"Don't say that."

"Well, he's not."

"No. I mean the 'school' word."

She smiled. "Can't hurt to have a degree even for cool people like you. Maybe a business degree so you don't fail again."

I slapped her arm. "Funny thing is Zoe would say something like that and be totally serious."

"She's funny. I can't believe she doesn't realize how rude she is sometimes."

"She's oblivious. Reminds me of Eddie. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse."

"So ... since I'm the one leaving, you need to do what I want to do tonight."

"Please spare me the chick flick nonsense."

"I just want you to watch this one movie."

"You say that every time."

"I know, but it's different this time."

"How so?"

"Because you're different."

"Fine, fine," I said, and within thirty minutes she had nachos and cheese and root beer sitting in front of us. We propped ourselves up on our elbows as we lay next to each other, huddled under blankets with the iPad against the wall in front of us.

She made me watch a Korean film. Oddly enough. It was about a girl with a facial scar who locked herself in her room and created different online personas to vicariously live through. And a guy who lost everything and tried to kill himself, only to end up alive on a patch of land surrounded by water—with a fear of drowning. The two accept each other from a distance and eventually their love forces them to overcome their fears. Quirky, intriguing, and emotional.

Autumn wiped her eyes at the end. "I can't believe you didn't shed one tear."

"I don't cry at movies. Except
Amistad
. That one gets me going."

"Don't you want love like that?"

"Like
Amistad
?"

"Shut up." She laughed. "You know what I mean."

"All I kept thinking about was Donovan and Han."

"Oh! I'm so dumb. I forgot!"

"No." I ate another chip. "I'm happy for him. I really am. Just saying it's hard for me to put myself in those shoes, so I picture my friends instead."

"What would you do in that situation?"

"Huh?"

"If you thought you lost the love of your life, only to find him at the last minute?"

I thought for a few minutes.

"Would you cry?"

"Mmm ...I think I'd laugh."

"You'd laugh? Not even one tear would fall?"

"Maybe I'd laugh so hard I'd cry."

"Fair enough."

That damn movie messed with me all night. I tried to sleep, but I kept getting sweaty and anxious as I pictured Autumn leaving and starting her life. And me. Sitting at home with my parents and Eddie while failing at my dreams. I didn't toss and turn all night. I stared at her ceiling. For hours. I processed everything from my birth to my recent mistakes. Every major life event and every minor one too. It's true, I overthink things.

The sun finally poured into the room and Autumn stirred.

"I have two goals," I said before she opened her eyes.

"Am I supposed to have a serious conversation with you at the crack of dawn?"

"One, I'm going to make this Batman-inspired fashion line work, I don't care what the hell I have to do."

"Okay. I never doubted that one."

"Yeah, but I did."

"And what's number two?"

"I'm going on a date."

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then leaned closer and analyzed my face. "Where's Jane and what have you done with her?"

"Maybe cell phone guy. Maybe even tonight."

"Wait. What? Are you serious?"

I nodded. I spent my life avoiding guys because I didn't
need
them. I didn't
need
the breakups. I didn't
need
the extra drama. I didn't
need
to force myself to get all worked up over someone if it wouldn't last. I didn't
need
, but that didn't mean I couldn't
want
. Besides, maybe it would be fun. Maybe it could even
relieve
stress. Maybe I just wanted a kiss.

Not need.

Want.

I wanted a kiss. That's it. No strings attached. No relationships. No drama.

A simple, fun kiss.

"On that note," Autumn said, "I'm getting in the shower. Smells like Mom cooked cereal for breakfast if you want some while you wait."