“I was thinking about that tonight, about how everyone does dumb shit they wish they could take back. Look at me and the situation with my parents. The thing is, knowing we all do it is comforting in a way. Someday I’m going to do something stupid. I may not even know it at the time I’m doing it. I might think it’s the best thing for me or for someone I love, but I’ll hurt them the most in the process. The point is, I’m going to screw up and I’m hoping when I do, you’re still going to be around. I don’t need time away from you because I’m trying to decide if I want to be with you, I need it because I do. And that means I need to accept what happened and forgive you so we can move on. My feelings for you haven’t changed. That’s not how this works.”

I have so many things I want to say, but I keep them in for now. I don’t want anything I say to be perceived as my trying to win back her forgiveness or speed up her timeline for forgiving me. I owe her that. I bring my lips to her forehead. “Thank you.”

She holds up the note. “More truths?”

“Oh, uh, no. I may or may not have re-written the lyrics to ‘Ice Ice Baby’.” I clear my throat. “All right stop, please forgive me, and listen, Payne is back with a brand new…”

I stop after the first few humiliating words and give her a sheepish smile, but when she returns it—I’m not the least bit embarrassed about the lengths I’ll go to prove how much she means to me.

The rest of the week is torture, but I do my best to give Chloe space. We see each other in class and text a little, but I’m basically sitting on my hands and rocking back and forth to keep myself from pushing too hard. I’m losing my mind.

My phone rings and I dive for it, only deflating a bit when I see it’s Heath and not Chloe.

“What’s up, little bro?” I answer.

“You’re never gonna guess who just called me.”

“Ariana Grande? She finally get all your fan mail?”

“Fuck off.”

I hear Mom scold him in the background and I chuckle. “Busted.”

“Coach Meyers called. The head coach of the Valley U hockey team.”

I sit up straighter. “Really?”

“So, you didn’t do this?”

“No, man, I swear.”

He repeats that info back to Mom, and I can tell they’re both excited. I didn’t know he was even considering coming here.

“When are you coming out?”