The Final Chance by Cait Marie
Dylan
“You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, I think we’ve all established that already,” Dylan said, tossing the baseball up in the air again. He swiveled back and forth in Gavin’s desk chair as he caught the ball over and over. “What was I supposed to do?”
“Not sleep with her cousin,” Lila said from her spot on Gavin’s bed.
Guilt flooded him, and he refused to look at his friends. She and Gavin started their classes at Maslair that week, and Lila looked so at peace. They deserved their happy ending. But while he was thrilled for them, it also sent pangs of jealousy and loneliness rippling through him.
When he finally glanced up, she was glaring at him. Before either could say anything, the door opened. Gavin strolled in, unaware of the tension as he sat the bag of Chinese takeout on the end of the bed. He divvied up the containers before sitting beside his girlfriend and leaning over to kiss her cheek. Her sweet smile back at him twisted Dylan’s stomach.
Beth Ann had looked at him like that. Before he ruined everything.
“So, what were we talking about that made Dylan tense up?” Gavin asked, apparently not as oblivious as he seemed.
“Just how stupid your best friend is.” Lila popped a piece of orange chicken in her mouth.
Gavin coughed, trying to cover up a burst of laughter.
Dylan stabbed at a piece of his own chicken, but he couldn’t bring himself to eat it. That night kept playing on a reel in his mind. Standing out in the cold as the rest of the party continued without them. The girl he’d wanted for so long standing at his side, as if she knew something was eating away at him. She was the only one who’d noticed he’d disappeared from the celebration.
“Are you going to tell us what really happened?” Lila asked, her tone softening.
She knew there was more to the story. Somehow, she could read him better than his own best friend now.
“I kissed Beth Ann,” he started.
“I know that part,” she said. “I mean what happened to make you go off with Sarah when you’ve been pining after Beth Ann for so long?”
“I have not been pining.” He pushed the rice around on his plate.
When he met her gaze, she raised a brow.
As he sat his food on the desk beside him, Dylan sighed. “Fine.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I kissed Bethy, but then I remembered nothing could happen because she lives in freaking New York. We went back into the party and had a good time. But that impending distance just kept hanging over us, and she acted like it didn’t exist.”
“Dylan…” Lila said. “What did you do?”
“You know what I did.” He crossed his arms, fidgeting with the end of one sleeve. “I found Sarah and decided to ruin my life.”
Gavin stayed quiet. He knew the truth of what happened, but he didn’t know why. Dylan hadn’t told him. “Beth Ann was leaving a couple days later, and I needed her to… I don’t know.”
With a frustrated groan, he stood and shoved a hand through his hair. He paced back and forth across the small dorm room.
Gavin reached out to grab his arm and stop his movements. “What?”
“I needed her to hate me,” Dylan whispered, looking at his feet. “I thought it would be easier for both of us when she left.”
The mattress creaked as Lila shifted and moved over Gavin to get off the bed. Once on her feet, she wrapped her arms around Dylan’s middle. He welcomed the embrace and held her close with one arm as his other hand pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. Hurting Beth Ann was the last thing he’d wanted to do, but he knew it was necessary.
“Why are you two both so stubborn?” Lila asked as she leaned away. She sat on the edge of the bed. Gavin slid a hand around her waist to pull her close before kissing her shoulder.
Dylan shook his head with a chuckle. He moved to take his seat again. “You’re one to talk.”
Ignoring him, she said, “You both care about each other. You both want the same thing, yet neither of you will talk about it.” When he started to argue, she cut him off. “With each other.”
“What difference does it make? She lives in New York.” He grabbed his food and took a bite. “What am I supposed to do, drop everything and…”
His words trailed off, and he froze with his next bite halfway to his mouth.
“Dylan?” Gavin asked.
He looked up at his friends, forgetting about the food as an idea began to form. He knew exactly what he needed to do. And this time, he wasn’t going to mess it all up.
* * *
Dylan twisted his fingers together,waiting for the onslaught of questions.
“Absolutely not,” his dad said. “No, you’re not doing this.”
“You can’t just leave, you have school,” his mom added.
Dylan swallowed. Time to rip off the Band-Aid. “I already withdrew from all my classes for the semester. It’s too late.”
His mom gasped. His father’s face turned red as he pushed to his feet, bracing himself with both fists on the table. He looked down at Dylan sitting across from them. “You what?”
“I have to go.” Dylan glanced to his mom, hoping she’d be more sympathetic. “Beth Ann’s not replying to any of my texts or calls. I need to make things right.”
Behind him, he heard the soft sound of the stairs creaking—no doubt one of his younger siblings sneaking down to find out what was going on. Their parents generally didn’t get angry. Yelling was not common in their home, and the longer his dad stood fuming before him, the louder Dylan knew he’d get.
Standing with hands out in front of him, Dylan tried a different approach. “You have to understand; she’s one of my closest friends. I can’t let her just cut me out and move on as if I never existed. I… just for a few days. Please.”
“A few days?” his dad asked.
Dylan nodded, hope filling his chest.
But his dad shook his head. “You dropped out of school for a trip that would only last a few days?”
Wincing, Dylan said, “I didn’t drop out. I just put college on hold for a bit. Which, to be honest, is probably for the best anyway. I wasn’t enjoying the criminal justice courses. I don’t think I want to do that anymore. Plus, I couldn’t focus with this situation—”
He bit down on his lip to stop from rambling. The fury in his dad’s eyes was something he’d never seen before. Not aimed at him at least. Usually that look was reserved for those he was trying to prosecute.
“Sweetheart,” his mom started, but his dad interrupted.
“No.”
“Dad—”
“I said no.” His dad straightened, crossing his arms over the stiff blue dress shirt he hadn’t changed out of yet. “You are not going. And if you’re not going to school, you’re getting a job.”
“I am going to see her.”
“With whose money?” his dad asked. “I’m sure as hell not paying for it.”
Dylan blinked, trying to calm his racing heart so they wouldn’t call his bluff. “I have some savings.”
It wasn’t a complete lie—he’d saved a bit back but not enough for airfare and a hotel. He moved away from the table, pushing in his chair.
“I’m eighteen; I don’t need your permission,” Dylan said, mirroring his dad’s stance as he crossed his own arms. “I’m going no matter what you say.”
He turned to head toward the stairs.
“If you leave, I’m cutting you off completely.”
Dylan hesitated with one foot on the bottom step. He looked up at his sister leaning against the wall, out of sight from the kitchen. Pity filled her eyes. With a deep breath, Dylan began climbing the stairs, ignoring the huffing behind him.
He passed Callie without a word, slammed his door shut behind him, and stomped across his bedroom. Yanked his closet open, he shoved things aside to find luggage. It didn’t matter what his parents said, he was going to New York.
A soft knock sounded at his door, but he ignored it. He turned as it opened, ready to yell at whichever parent barged in, but he stilled at the sight of his brother pulling a suitcase into the room.
“Thought you might need this,” Carter said, shutting the door behind him.
Letting out a breath, Dylan said, “So, Cal wasn’t the only one eavesdropping.”
Carter shrugged with a grin.
Dylan crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”
Carter patted his back and then stepped away. He moved to sit on the bed as Dylan began throwing clothes in the bag. “You’re really doing this—going to New York after some girl?”
Dylan straightened from his crouch to face him. “She’s not just some girl, but yes. I have to.”
Carter gave him a smile, but Dylan knew his younger brother didn’t understand. Not really.
“One day, you’re going to find someone,” Dylan said.
“I have a girlfriend,” Carter argued halfheartedly.
Dylan shook his head. “Well, one day, you’ll find a girl who doesn’t irritate you with every word she says.”
“It’s not that bad…”
Dylan raised a brow.
With a sigh, Carter rolled his eyes. “Fine, it’s that bad. But she’s cute and fun when she’s not a fire-breathing demon.”
“There’s a better girl out there for you,” Dylan said laughing, moving to sit beside him. Carter was only two years younger, but sometimes Dylan couldn’t help talking to him like the wise, older sibling he tried to be. “And when you find her, you’ll understand. Because you’ll want to do whatever it takes to keep her in your life.”
A knock sounded a second before the door cracked open.
“Is Carter in—“ Callie’s question trailed off as she spotted her twin. She came in the rest of the way with her best friend—their neighbor—right on her heels.
Reagan stood awkwardly as Callie closed the door, flopped onto the end of the bed, and said, “Look who I found climbing through my window.”
With their houses close together, they’d built a treehouse on the property line as kids. It was more of a rickety platform hanging for dear life to the tree, but it lined up almost perfectly to Reagan’s room across the way. Dylan couldn’t believe they were still using it to get back and forth.
“Hey, Reag,” Carter said, getting to his feet. He pulled her into a hug that seemed to relax the girl. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just didn’t want to be home alone.” She nodded and stepped back. Looking to Dylan she said, “Sorry for intruding.”
Callie bounced up, sitting on her knees. “Oh, he doesn’t care.”
Dylan laughed and playfully shoved his sister. “No, by all means, let’s make this going-away party bigger.”
Callie’s smile fell, and she wrapped both of her arms around his neck as she laid her head against his shoulder. “I’m going to miss you.”
He held her tight. He’d always been close with his siblings, but Callie was like a miniature version of him growing up. When they were kids, she followed him around everywhere. And he secretly loved it.
“I’m going to miss you too, Callie-Ballie.”
She chuckled at the nickname he’d given her when she was a toddler. He kissed the side of her head.
“I can’t believe you’re going after Beth Ann,” she said, pulling away.
“It’s so romantic,” Raegan added from across the room.
Carter playfully rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Dylan smiled. Maybe the girl his brother needed was closer than he thought.
Dylan shook off thoughts and got to his feet. He’d successfully played matchmaker with Gavin and Lila the previous summer, but he needed to get his own love life under control before meddling with others’.
Grabbing the suitcase, he began packing clothes inside.
“So, what’s the plan?” Carter directed Reagan to sit on the bed, then he dragged the desk chair around to take a seat himself.
“Find Beth Ann and find out why she’s not responding.”
“But like… how? Callie asked. “Do you have enough money for a flight? What about a hotel?”
Of course she’d think of the very obstacles making him nervous.
“I have enough for the flight, but hotels are expensive there…” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. A thought crossed his mind, and his mouth tugged up on one side. “Unless Beth Ann lets me stay with her.”
Callie snorted. “Yeah right. She’s not even talking to you right now.”
He sighed and sat back on his feet, hating that she was right. He needed somewhere to stay in case she threw him out on his butt. There had to be some way he could— “Gavin.”
“What?” Carter asked.
With an idea forming, he pulled out his phone to text his best friend. “Gavin’s dad gave him a credit card. If he helps with the hotel room, I can pay him back eventually.”
Although, he knew Gavin would never let him. Gavin was angry at his father. He didn’t want his money—he wanted him home—but he had no qualms about spending it for others. It was how he made Lila’s bucket list happen last summer. Dylan shot off a text and smiled when he got an immediate response.
He glanced up at his siblings and neighbor. “Looks like I’m going to New York.”