Page 8 of The Disasters of Dating (Love Connections #6)

POPPY

Yesterday may have felt like swimming upstream in a storm, but today your current shifts. Clarity replaces confusion, and small moments will glimmer with meaning. Trust that the universe is realigning in your favor. You’re not starting over—you’re surfacing.

I smile as I read through it. Yes! My life should be back on track. Which is a good thing considering today is my final exam of the semester. Can you imagine if it had been yesterday? I guess there is one bright side to that craptastic day.

I close the app and instead open the Cheaper Than Therapy cousin chat. I pull up the picture I’d snapped in the airport bathroom mirror before I changed my clothes and attach it to the text thread.

Worst. Dinner. Ever. I didn’t stick around for dessert.

I rest my phone on my chest while I wait for the responses I’m sure will come. Although maybe not until it’s a more reasonable hour. I grimace. I hadn’t considered the time before pressing send .

But a few seconds later, my phone vibrates.

Chloe-Bear

I’m actually lost for words. What on earth???

Avery is quick on her heels.

Avery

WHAT?!?!? Okay, tell me who needs to die.

I chuckle. I may be the youngest of my cousins, and they may not completely understand me, but I know they always have my back. If a guy ever did what Keaton did on purpose, he would suffer. HARD. But Keaton hadn’t done any of it on purpose, so I decide to keep his name out of it.

Shadie

WHAT. THE. HECK. HAPPENED? Did he do that to you?

Okay. Maybe I need to do some damage control. I don’t want anyone going vigilante on him.

It was a matter of if it could go wrong, it did.

You know, we both bent over to pick up his napkin…

and thus the goose egg. Then an accidental elbow to the eye when reaching for the breadbasket.

The soup down the front was actually him trying to get ice for my eye.

Then when I bent over to get my purse, my hair got caught on his shirt button.

Ten long, sweaty minutes later, I was finally freed.

But I’m pretty sure I now have a bald spot.

I purposely leave out the accidental kiss.

And not just because I know Lucy, Dani, and likely Sadie will go all ‘it’s fate’ on me.

I mean, that is the first reason. But also, I’m not sure how I feel about the whole thing.

If it was an accident, Keaton may not think anything of it.

So, do I want to be the one pining over a random accidental kiss?

Besides, the universe practically shouted its disapproval of us, so why should I get all goopy over a kiss that wasn’t supposed to happen?

I rub my fingers lightly over my lips. Man, if an accidental kiss could be that good, what would his purposeful kisses be like? I shake my head. Don’t go there, Pops!

Chloe-Bear

I mean, if it could go wrong, it did!

Dani

That’s awful, Poppy. Please promise me you’ll never go on a date somewhere that puts real candles on the table!

I laugh. I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess things could have been worse.

Avery

Oh man, that sounds awful, Pops! At least you probably won’t have to see him again, right?

I’m pretty sure he’ll avoid the shop like the plague.

Shadie

For reals? It almost sounds made up! I’m sorry I laughed because that many awful things would only ever happen to you or Chloe.

But I AM sad you’re hurt and your date with the hottie didn’t work out. Love you, sis.

It wasn’t a date. It was an apology dinner. Which didn’t really happen because he ended up paying for dinner.

Berries

Poppy, I think you need to follow in Dani’s footsteps and write a book! That is some serious stranger-than-fiction stuff…it sounds horrible, but don’t give up! He’s probably as embarrassed as you…don’t count out a second date!

I smile. Lucy is the romantic of the group. I’m not sure if there is a situation where she wouldn’t try to find a way for a love connection to happen.

My alarm starts playing Always on My Mind , by the Pet Shop Boys. It was my dad’s favorite group. He loved all eighties music, but the PSB’s were his go-to. And Always on My Mind helps me feel closer to him. I grudgingly cancel the alarm, cutting off the music.

Alright. Off to school. I have my last final today. Have a great day, everyone!

I hurry and shower, choosing to do a French braid that starts just above my left ear and curves around my head, sweeping over my right shoulder.

It’s not my normal smaller braids, but it makes me feel pretty.

And with the large bruise on my forehead and my black eye, I’ll take all the pretty feelings I can get.

I dab a little color correcting moisturizer on my face, gingerly spreading it over the bruises.

I study myself in the mirror and shrug. It isn’t getting any better than this. The bruises are still visible. It’s just not as much like a neon sign drawing all attention to me.

I grab my purse and make sure that my photo ID is inside. As I swing it over my shoulder, I catch my reflection in the mirror. I know this purse isn’t jinxed. I’ve used it enough times to know that. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to use a different one today, would it?

I transfer all of my stuff into my dark brown leather fringe bag. It’s not as big as my denim one, but it will work. Especially since I don’t have to carry around any textbooks today. I sling it over my shoulder and head to the kitchen.

My mom is sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

She’s the only person I know who actually subscribes to a physical paper.

It’s so weird. “Morning, Mom,” I say as I grab the bottle of orange juice and the bottle of apple juice out of the fridge.

I grab a glass out of the dishwasher and fill it half full with one and then fill it the rest of the way with the other.

“Morning, Soda.” My mom lets out a little sigh and lowers her paper. She lets out a gasp. “Poppy Alice Ashcombe, what happened to you?”

I lift a hand to my eye. “Just a rough day at work, that’s all.”

She eyes me closely, but then shakes her head.

As soon as we kids reached adulthood, my mom tried to step back and take a consulting-only role in our lives.

Meaning she tries—but isn’t always successful—in allowing us to make our own decisions and mistakes.

She doesn’t give us her opinion unless we ask for it.

She releases another small sigh. “I know you’re busy with school and work—” She pauses as she is wont to do before she says something negative or naggy.

“I know, Mom. I need to empty the dishwasher and clean my bathroom. I’ll do it when I get home from school.

I don’t work today, so I’ll have some time this afternoon.

” I take a drink of my juice. “I know I’ve been shirking my chores a bit lately.

But today is my last final. Then I’m done for a couple of weeks until fall semester starts. I promise I’ll get caught up.”

Mom smiles at me. “I know you will. You’re one of the most responsible people I know.”

A car horn honks, and I chug the rest of my juice, quickly rinsing out my glass and putting it in the sink. “That’s Paisleigh. I’ve got to run. Have a good day at work.” I give my mom a peck on the cheek and hurry to the front door.

As I slide into the front passenger seat, Paisleigh looks at me with wide eyes. “Should I even ask?”

I roll my eyes. “It will take most of the drive up. What if we save it for the drive back, and we can use this time to quiz each other?”

She eyes me but lifts a shoulder. Paisleigh has been my best friend since preschool.

Which is a real feat, in my opinion. Most elementary school friendships I witnessed or participated in didn’t make it through middle school, let alone high school.

But Paisleigh and me? We didn’t let stupid things like boy drama come between us.

She is probably the person who knows me best in the world.

And best of all, she accepts me for who I am, crystals and all.

She points to my necklace. “That’s pretty. What kind of stone is it?”

I reach up and rub at my crystal. It’s really more white, but it still heals the same. “Thanks. It’s clear quartz. I don’t wear it very much, but after the day I had yesterday, I need the relief from negative energy. Plus, the increased intuition can’t hurt on a test day.”

Paisleigh doesn’t say anything. She just nods and smiles. When I said earlier that she understands me, I didn’t mean she understands or shares my belief in crystals and astrology. But she doesn’t poo-poo them either. She accepts them as part of who I am. It’s one of the many reasons I love her.

“Did you bring one for me? I’ll take a little extra intuition today.

” She bites her bottom lip. “I don’t know why I let you convince me to take this class.

I don’t know when I’ll ever use it, and none of it makes any sense.

” She glances at me quickly before she turns her attention back to the road as she merges onto the freeway.

We are among the majority at the university in our area who are commuters, but I’m probably one of the few who still live with their parent.

I’m sure that psychologists would have a lot to say about it—that I’m too connected to my mom and need to cut the strings.

But they don’t know my backstory, as Dani would say.

After my dad died, the idea of my siblings moving away to college was hard on my mom. My older brother, Brody, moved out of the house after he graduated. But he stayed close to home and went to the University of Utah. It was hard on Mom not seeing him every day.