JENNIE

"Jennie Ruby Jane! Get down here, will you?" Mama hollered the morning of the peach festival. I'd been helping at her house by baking cupcakes all morning. The whole town was in a rush to get it set up, and I'd just finished putting on the red sundress Mama had picked out for me.

We hadn't truly spoken about anything, and the truth was, I was glad. I was certain if we did talk, it would just result in another disagreement, and I was tired of having those conversations with her.

Soon enough, I'd be back in Atlanta teaching. Therefore, I didn't see a point in arguing with her.

As I walked downstairs, Mama tilted her head toward me. "Oh," she muttered. "Is that how it looks on?"

"Mama, don't start," I warned, feeling all my insecurities bubbling up.

"No, no, it's fine. You look fine."

Then Yeri walked into the room, and Mama gasped, her hands flying over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, darling, you look stunning!" she remarked about Yeri's white sundress.

The sundress was identical to mine, just a different color.

Yeri beamed so brightly and twirled. "Isn't it fun? Oh my gosh, I'm so excited for today and for the fireworks display tonight. I think we are going to raise so much money for charity."

"With that beautiful smile of yours, you'll get everyone to hand over their money for the cause. Did you choose which one you wanted to donate to?"

Every peach festival, the church held a big barbecue and carnival, and all the money raised went to a charity. Seeing how Yeri was in charge of organizing the event, she got to choose where the money from the event would go.

"Yes," she replied, looking in my direction. "I want to donate to the MISS Foundation," she said.

My heart skipped a beat. "Yeri," I whispered, and she gave me the most gentle smile.

"I just think it's important, you know? The work they do; their values and support—it save lives."

I tried to blink away my tears, and I nodded. I knew from personal experience how much they could save a life.

The MISS Foundation helped families who'd suffered from the unbearable loss of a child. When I had my first miscarriage, they were who I turned to. When I had my seventh, they were who kept me from drowning.

I'd once mentioned the foundation to Yeri years ago; I hadn't had a clue she remembered.

But, of course, she did. She was, after all, the one who restored my faith in humanity each day.

I walked over to her and gave her the tightest squeeze. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Always," she replied, squeezing me even more. "The dress looks better on you, by the way."

Oh, sister, you and your lies.

The carnival began, and everyone in town was there—except for the Manoban's, of course. I had asked Lisa if she would attend, and she'd said she would rather eat five hundred cans of anchovies than be surrounded by all the folks of charming ole Chester.

I couldn't blame her. If it wasn't for me being Chester royalty, I would've avoided it, too.

It was probably a good thing she wasn't there because the number of times her name was upon someone's tongue was infuriating. Lisa never talked about anyone in town. Heck, I was almost certain she didn't even know most of their names, but they were true fanatics about tossing her around.

Every time someone said something ugly about her, the hair on my arms stood up. Every time someone called her a monster, I wanted to stand up to them. She wasn't a monster at all, not the real Lisa. She was so gentle and kind. She saved me when I felt so alone.

When Susie Harps remarked that the town would be perfect if we didn't let white trash stay, I was seconds away from leaping at her and pulling out her extensions. "I'm just saying, it would be best if her father just went ahead and drank herself to death. Then maybe Lisa would off herself next," she said in such a despicable tone.

How could those words ever leave someone's mouth?

How could someone be so shockingly evil? Wishing death on someone? Really?

My arm reached out and if not for a hand landing on my forearm, she would've been on the ground.

"Whoa there, slugger," Alex whispered. As I turned around, I saw his smiling face, and he shook his head. "It's not worth it."

"Did you hear what she just said?"

"Yes, but still, it's not worth it," he told me. "The more you react to their comments, the more power they have over you. Just walk away. Come on, let's get some cotton candy." He placed his arm around my shoulders, still smiling, but I felt sick to my stomach.

"They wished her dead," I barked.

"Yeah, well, that's their karma to deal with. If you pulled out that girl's hair, that would be your karma, but look! Now your karma is clean, and you get cotton candy. I call that a win-win." He bought me a cotton candy, and I shook my head at him in disbelief.

"How do you always stay so positive? With everything and everyone?"

"Oh, that's easy—I smoke a lot of marijuana." He smirked. "I've been meaning to talk to you about Lisa, actually. I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"Giving her darkness a chance. As you know, she's a good person once you peel back those layers, and it means the world to me that you took the time to do that."

"It's not just a one-way thing, Alex. She's done the same thing for me. Whenever I feel like falling apart, she's there to catch me."

"That's the type of friend Lisa is—loyal and always there for you."

My heart skipped a beat. "You think I'm her friend?"

Alex snickered and cocked an eyebrow. "You think you're not? Rumor has it she sends you texts."

"Yeah…"

"Not to sound dramatic or anything," he said, leaning in, "but the asshole doesn't even text me back. You might be her new favorite person. If it was anyone else, I'd probably be pissed, but since it's you"—he shrugged—"I'll allow it."

"So what does she do for the festival days? Does she hang out with her dad?"

"Nah. Normally she sits on top of the shop and drinks while watching the fireworks."

"Alone?"

"Yeah. I've tried to join her, but she won't have it. Alone is something she's used to, I think, and she has a hard time breaking that pattern."

Well, maybe it was time to have someone try to break it for her.


"What are you doing here?" Lisa asked as I made my way onto the roof of the auto shop, holding a bag in my hand.

"What does it look like? I'm bringing you barbecue." I handed her the food, and she gave me a somber look.

"Thank you. You can leave it and go."

"Orrr…" I smiled brightly, sitting beside her. "I could stay."

"Orrr," she responded, frowning sharply, "you can go."

"Even though I brought you food? That just seems rude. I won't talk, I swear. I just want a nice place to watch the fireworks."

"Did Alex tell you I was here?"

"He might have mentioned it."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, he did. How was the carnival?" she asked.

I smirked. "Do you really care about the ins and outs of Chester events?"

"Not at all, but it seems like a big deal to you, so I thought I'd ask."

Swoon.

Wait, did I just swoon?

When was the last time I swooned?

"It was good. They raised a lot of money for a great cause." I told her about the MISS Foundation and what it meant to me, how they'd helped me through my miscarriages.

"Seven?" she questioned.

I nodded slowly. "Seven. I spoke with Momo about it a few weeks back. She's lost a few of her own, too, and she has little hearts on her wrist with angel wings in memory of their lives. I thought about doing that, too, but my family's a bit against tattoos. It's not classy, as my mama would say."

"Your body, your choice," Lisa said, making me smile a little. "I think it's a good idea to have a reminder of them."

"Yeah…maybe. I'm just a bit tired of disappointing my mom."

"Sometimes, you have to disappoint people to better yourself," she told me.

"Maybe," I said, still uncertain.

"You'll get there," she told me. "To the point where you don't care what other people think."

"That sounds like a great place to be."

"Trust me, it is." She turned toward me, locking those beautiful hazel eyes with mine. "You would make a great mother."

Oh, Lisa…

"Ah, come on, princess. I thought we were past the crying thing," she joked, brushing her thumb beneath my eyes.

"Sorry, I…that was a really nice thing to say, Lisa. Thank you."

"Just the truth."

We sat in silence, and it wasn't long before the big show began. If there was one thing Chester was extremely good at—other than gossip—it was putting on a fireworks display.

"This peach festival was the last chunk of time I spent with my mom," Lisa told me, staring out at the sky as it lit up. "We sat up here eating Bomb Pops and Cheetos Puffs, watching the display. We were quiet, and I just remember feeling whole, like for the first time in a long time, everything would be all right. I mean, sure she passed away shortly after that, but at that moment, the world was still. At that moment, I was happy."

"Those are the things you have to hold—the moments."

She gave me a half smile. "This is a good moment," she said, her voice low as she turned back out toward the fireworks.

Yes, it was.

"So, Lisa, are we like…friends?"

She groaned, rolling her eyes in the most dramatic way. "Come on. Don't do that, Jennie."

"Do what?"

"Be corny."

"How is that corny?"

"Because you don't ask people if they are your friend. They just…are."

"Oh." I nodded slowly, staring out into the night. "So, we just…are?"

"Yeah." She nudged my shoulder with her. "We just are."

I wouldn't tell her how good it felt—just being with her.

As she looked out, her voice dropped low. "Listen, I know I'm not easy all the time. I'm a bit cold and hard to read, so thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Being my friend. I never knew I needed you, but I did—I do." She tilted he head my way and gave me a small smile, the kind that always made my heart skip. Lisa Manoban didn't smile a lot, so whenever she did, it felt like a secret gift she was only giving to me. "The only friend I've ever had was Kai, you know? Then came you."

"You want to know a secret?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"I think you're the most graceful person in this town."

She laughed. "Bullshit."

"No, I mean it—not the you they make you out to be, but the real you, the one who gives her all to care for her father, the one who holds a girl who's having a panic attack, the one who doesn't fight back when the world is fighting you. You have the most grace I've ever seen."

"Princess?"

"Yes, Oscar?"

"You make it really hard."

"For what?"

"For me to hate the whole world."