Dad handed Raven the new phone box and she took it upon herself to open the package and peel off all the stickers so that it could be used. It had half a charge from the manufacturer.

“I’m going to call some friends and Austin. Give them an update.”

Dad and Raven went their own ways, but I had a feeling I’d see Raven later in the night.

I got to my room, which had remained untouched. I wanted to grab a quick shower, but it would require some Ziplocs and rubber bands to make sure my wrists stayed dry. I only had those limitations for about twenty-four hours. I changed my clothes and got on my bed. It took me a few beats, but I programmed Austin’s number into my phone and sent him a text, letting him know that this was my new number.

I had a video call almost immediately.

“Hey, kitten. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. I miss you, but I feel good.” I fanned my hair out behind me. He imitated my pose.

“You look tired.” He pouted a little.

“So do you. And your eyes are red.” I touched the side of the phone like it was his face.

“When are you coming back?” He moved the phone so I could see Axel. His long pink tongue hanging out of his mouth made me chuckle.

“That dog could tie off boats with that licker.” I shuffled my legs so I would be under the covers.

Austin gave Axel rubs on his chest.

“So?” He wasn’t letting me forget the question.

“After I get my wrist bandages off. Then I have to head back for schoolwork.” I didn’t like something. Austin was off a bit. Just a tiny bit. If someone hadn’t known him for years, they wouldn’t notice.

But I did.

He changed the subject. “I’m not sure if you’re ready to look, but there are tons of pictures of Bride Day. They’re hilarious and touching. If you feel okay, you can look at them.” He sat up and I could hear him tapping on his computer.

Soon, I had a link in my text messages so I clicked through.

It was amazing. So many hairy, hairy man legs sticking out under the bride’s gowns. Some guys had pillowcases on their heads, but the effort was there. They wanted to support Austin and anyone like Austin.

Gaze’s whole ass basketball team had shown up, and they were fantastic. I clicked through a few more pictures. There was a link to the day’s hashtag.

I tapped on Austin’s social media page and saw he had a stack of pictures of us in our matching outfits front and center.

We spoke about each one as I perused. Then I saw a blurry image of Endgame in the background of one picture. I heard Austin take in a sharp breath.