Page 59 of Break Point

I scroll through my social apps while I give Jaden enough time to locate and try the candy. There are a lot of videos of her at my first game, and I save a few to my phone to look at later. She’s cute in my jersey. I know she’s not a huge fan of being constantly stalked by the public on campus, but most of the posts are gracious. The trolls aren’t as loud as they were in the beginning.

My phone buzzes with an alert, so I close out of my apps to read Jaden’s text. I sit up with a hard laugh when I take in the video she sent of her open mouth filled to the edge of her teeth with purple crystallized sugar shards. She starts chewing after a few seconds, and her lips transform into a soured frown of disgust.

“What are these made of? This is awful. Literally the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. I’m spitting them out.”

I have to replay her video and press my phone to my ear to hear her, and despite the volume in the bus, I can still make out the crackling of the candy in between her words.

My phone buzzes again with another video, so I press play and laugh as she scrapes her finger over her purple-stained tongue. I bring the phone up to my ear when she talks.

“Why won’t it stop? I spit them out, yet it’s still popping. What have you done to me?”

Me: Okay, so they don’t taste amazing. But admit it. You feel better.

Jaden: No. I feel worse. And now I’m a walking onomatopoeia.

Jaden: Okay. Maybe a little better.

Me: See?

A full minute passes without a response, so I flip through some photos of us that I’ve saved, looking for the perfect one to send her way for an extra confidence boost. It strikes me while sifting through them how funny it is that most of the pics of us together doing things are images of her beating me at something. It’s too bad I didn’t snap any photos during Skee-Ball, but also, I sort of love that some things between us aren’t a part of the app promotion. I want more real moments with her.

I land on one of the outtakes from our cornhole round at Slices, but before I send it, my phone buzzes with another message from her.

Jaden: My parents are selling their restaurant. It’s my fault.

So that’s what’s really at the core of her blues tonight. I hate that she thinks it’s her fault. I wonder how she found out.

Me: Did they tell you during their visit?

Jaden: Yeah. Somehow, I still played well after. I know they don’t want to sell. They love that place.

I haven’t met them yet, but from everything Jaden has told me, I’m sure she’s right. I pull up the search I did a few weeks ago on her family’s restaurant and read through the article again that highlighted their struggles. I’m guessing Jaden hasn’t seen this, so I send it to her without pausing to think it through. That’s probably not what she needs, but damn it—my brain just fires, and my body acts. My phone buzzes with her call, so I lean forward and cover my left ear and press the phone to my right.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to send that without context,” I say.

“How did you find that? Oh my God, they’ve been scraping for a while. There are numbers in here, like . . . painful numbers. A hundred thousand in debt!” Her shock comes through in the timbre of her voice.

“I know. I saw it a few weeks ago. I figured you knew, though.” I squeeze my eyes shut. More talking before thinking. Damn it, Bryson!

“A few weeks ago? And you didn’t mention it to me?”

There’s a long pause of painful quiet after her question, and I finally respond with a hoarse “No.”

“Why? Is it because you didn’t want to embarrass me? ‘Poor little Jaden, who needed that check, and then I came to her rescue. Too bad I can’t buy her family’s restaurant for her.’” She’s not being fair, but also, I can hear her sobbing between her words, despite how hard she’s trying to mask it. She’s hurting.

“I didn’t know how. And it’s not like you’re easy to talk to about things like that.” Welp. That’s gonna make it worse.

“Yeah, well, nobody really likes to share how broke they are with people. Especially rich boys who have the world at their fingertips.”

This time, I’m the one who decides it’s best that we let the silence stretch out. I wait until it’s uncomfortable for me, and I’m sure it is for her too. I also take the moment to be thoughtful about my next words. Jaden is a fireball, and it’s one of the things that attracted me to her right out of the gate. She plays the role of tough girl, but really, her emotions are right there across her chest, painted on her face and behind her eyes for the world to see. She’s genuine and direct and so damn vulnerable. She simply needs to know that I love that about her, and that it’s okay to wear whatever feelings she has at the moment with me.

“I love how much you love your parents, Jaden. I’m envious of it, truly. And I know that you want all the things for them that they want for you. But your dreams are not dependent on theirs, and vice versa. You did not cause any of the circumstances that led them here. If anything, my guess is you’re the bright spot that helps them keep going, even as they reassess.”

“Maybe,” she mutters, then sighs.

“I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed. Not for you, but for me. Who runs home and googles their girlfriend’s parents? Uh, this guy, apparently.” I let out a heavy sigh as my head falls all the way forward, resting on the back of the seat in front of me. “I feel like you need to be mad right now, so I’m the person you’re mad at. And you know what? That’s okay. I like you so much that I want to be your punching bag when you need one. I’ll take the job.”

My phone beeps three times in my ear, so I sit up and check the screen and read the Call Failed notice.