Page 87 of Trust Again

“I have to tell you something.”

Allie and Scott looked up.

We were on the floor of my room, cramming for an upcoming exam.

Opening up to Dad had triggered something in me. It felt like the bindings around me had finally loosened. I could breathe again. The uneasy feeling I had every time the subject of Nate came up was gone. Finally, Dad understood me.

Now it was my friends’ turn. It was incredibly hard for me to take this step, but they deserved to know about my writing. Sawyer and Spencer already knew anyway. And their reactions had been better than I could have wished.

“You can’t open with that and then look off into the distance,” Scott broke into my trance, with an expectant look.

“Sorry.” I’d started to feel warm, and my stomach was growling. Nerves.

“Going by your expression, it’s something bad,” Allie said, sliding closer to me on the floor. She put a hand on my leg. “You can tell us anything, Dawn. You know that, right?”

“Of course. But that doesn’t make it easier. I… just don’t know how to start. Probably the best thing to do is to show you.”

I grabbed Watson and flipped up the screen.

“Don’t tell us you made porn,” Allie said.

“I don’t know if I’d be more proud or turned off,” Scott said.

“Maybe it’s just naked photos,” Allie mused.

These goofballs.

I entered “D. Lily” in the search bar and waited briefly for the results. The covers of my books appeared, and I lifted the laptop so my friends could see them.

“Recommended reading?” Scott asked.

“Only if you want to. You don’t have to, of course, if it’s not your thing.”

Allie pulled the laptop a bit closer and scrolled down. Frowning in concentration, she skimmed a few blurbs.

“D. Lily was born in Oregon and has been writing since her childhood. Her first love was literature and she’s seldom without a book in hand. She has a weakness for boy bands, sexy romance novels, and fried food.” My friend looked up at me. “You love boy bands.”

“Indeed I do.”

“And fried food,” Scott said.

I nodded.

“And your bookshelf is chock full of romance novels.” Allie angled her chin toward the shelf next to my desk.

Again, I nodded slowly. My heart was in my throat.

“D. Lily… is you.” Allie’s face was glowing. “Oh my God, Dawn!” She tipped over, burying her face in the side of my leg.

Okay. That wasn’t so bad.

“That is so cool, really, Dawn,” Scott said, stunned. He lifted Watson onto his lap and leaned back against my bed. “They’ve all got good reviews.”

Allie sat up. “God, why didn’t I think of that before?”

“There’s even one that’s about two guys!” Scott lifted up the laptop and turned it so Allie and I could see the cover ofDeep Within.

“That was my first all-male project.” I laughed cautiously.