Page 9

CHAPTER 9

WILLOW

THE GOOD KIND OF DISTRACTION

At the airport, I danced between teasing my brothers enough to make up for a summer apart, and texting Tattoos, who I would finally, finally, finally get to see again.

I yanked the boys close. "We need one more photo."

Embry groaned while Kenan did his best to push away from me. Ah, teenagers. I taught them how to ride bikes and took them to Six Flags the entire summer I worked there, but the moment they hit puberty, they were too cool for their big sister.

Too bad I didn’t care about embarrassing them. I’d miss them too much.

"You’re going to call me at least once a week," I warned them.

"If we remember," Kenan snorted.

"You’ll remember or I’ll fly to Boston to tattoo it on your forehead."

"Give them some space, Willie Low," my dad laughed.

Wiry was the best description for Dr. Marcus Pruitt. Tall and lean with a pair of thin and lean glasses with patchy hair and patchy eyebrows. With a sweater vest to boot. Honestly, he looked like a poetry professor. He even looked like a poetry professor before he decided to cut his touring schedules for a consistent paycheck.

He squeezed my shoulders. "I remember when you were like that."

"I don’t recall."

"Uh-huh."

"I was the perfect child. Anything else is hearsay."

That got a laugh out of him, and it felt so good to hear. After the divorce, my dad had been in a huge slump. But we were finally in a good place, and I just wanted that to keep going.

"I love you, Dad," I whispered.

"Love you too, Willie Low." He smiled. "Your mom can’t wait to hear about Tattoos?—"

" What? "

I stared at him, mouth agape. There was no way he said what I thought he said. He knew all the sanitized information about Tattoos because my dad was the one I could talk to about those kinds of things. He was the dreamer, the romantic. My mom…was not.

"You didn’t tell her," I whispered.

"Was I…not supposed to?"

"You’re joking."

"Uh…no?"

"She’s going to want to meet him!"

"I would also like to meet him."

"This isn’t a fun ‘meet the parents’ scenario. Tattoos goes to Marrs! And there, Dan—" I stopped myself. " Lawson is like their messiah. They act like he built the school one brick at a time because he won some football trophy. What if Tattoos is one of his fanboys?"

"Wouldn't it be better to ask now?"

Except I really, really liked Tattoos. A lot more than I would’ve ever guessed from getting into his car in Dallas.

"Dad, I don’t know anyone there," I admitted. "He’s like my good distraction from…everything else."

My mom’s new marriage. My broken-up band. Transferring to a brand-new college. The big secret Tattoos still didn’t know but I was bound and determined to tell him.

Tattoos was the one thing I could look forward to.

I didn’t want that to end.

"It’s like the open mics and the shows, right?" I said, nudging his shoulder. "Mom wouldn’t understand."

He sighed. "Alright."

There were a lot more hugs exchanged at their gate, and I watched them embark with a heavy heart. It would be months before I’d see my boys again.

My phone buzzed and a new smile lifted my lips.

Tattoos

Theres a bet going on in my group chat if youre real lol

Me

As a voice in your head, I need you to know, I’m very real :P

Tattoos

Awesome I was getting worried