Page 86 of Scout

He shrugs, smug. “I try.”

“Now I don’t have to stage a full meltdown,” she says, already powering it on to check for battery. “Would’ve been dramatic, too. Lots of tears. Probably some screaming.”

“Tragic loss avoided,” I say. “Barely.”

She swings her sleepover bag onto her shoulder and heads for the door like a woman with a mission. “Millie’s waiting. Cookie dough and questionable life choices await.”

Kendrix holds the door for her. “You two doing facials again?”

“No,” she says, very seriously. “Tonight’s theme is recreating indie movie posters and dissecting the meaning of Taylor Swift’s cardigan trilogy. It’s gonna be emotional.”

I groan. “Just don’t summon anything.”

“No promises.” She leans in, gives me a quick squeeze, then turns to the guys. “Y’all behave. Or don’t. I’m not your mom.”

“Thanks again,” she says to Kendrix on her way out, casual but genuine.

He gives her a little salute. “Anytime, Junebug.”

And then she’s gone, out the door like she’s striding into the next act of her own coming-of-age film.

I watch her go, heart tugging in that bittersweet way it always does when she leaves—even when I know she’s a hallway away with her best friend and fully stocked with snacks.

“She really likes you two,” I say, closing the door behind her. “Like, too fast. I should probably be worried.”

“She’s smart,” Xavier says softly. “Gets that from someone.”

I shake my head, chuckling, and run a hand through my hair. “Alright. So where are we going? And remember—nothing fancy. I mean it.”

They exchange a look. Xavier’s mouth lifts in a small smile. Kendrix grins wider.

“You’ll see,” Kendrix says, his voice full of something that makes my stomach do a slow, nervous flip.

“Why does that sound like code for ‘you’re gonna hate this’?”

“Because you’re dramatic,” Xavier says. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

We don’t even makeit out of the neighborhood before the silence gets heavy.

I’m in the passenger seat, staring out the window, heart doing this weird stutter every time I think too hard about what tonight might mean. Xavier’s driving. Kendrix has taken over DJ duties in the back seat, quietly skipping every other song like none of them feel right.

Finally, I clear my throat. “So… whatisthis, exactly?”

Xavier glances at me. “This?”

“Us,” I say. “After everything. After the courthouse. After lunch. Are we just… hanging out awkwardly, or is this something else?”

Kendrix leans forward between the seats. “I don’t think any of us are here just to hang out awkwardly.”

I huff a laugh, but it comes out shaky. “I need you to say it plain.”

“You matter to us,” Xavier says. “Not just as some middle piece or a phase. We want you.”

“You helped us becomethis,” Kendrix adds. “Whatever we are now—it’s because of you. Not in spite of you.”

They’re quiet for a second.

Then Xavier says, “We love each other, yeah. But we wanted to see where it could go with you, too. That was always real.”