Page 34 of Whatever It Takes

I stop thinking about Ellie and my mom just to focus on Daisy’s baby again. My lips lift, joy replacing hurt because little Sulli is nothing short of a miracle.

My best friend went through hurdles and roadblocks and mountains just to have her baby girl, and so seeing Sulli is like a dream come to life.

“How is she doing?” I ask.

“Amazing,” Daisy says, eyes lighting up. “She’s a certified mermaid. It’s officially official, shelovesthe water. I’ve never seen anything like it. She gets so excited when we take her to swim lessons. The trouble is pulling herawayfrom the pool.” Daisy crinkles her nose at the thought. “It’s like destroying her favorite teddy bear.”

I smile, loving these stories. Daisy and I are close in age. I’m twenty. She’s just twenty-two, but we’re on different trajectories. I’m starting college, and she’s starting a family. Still, we make an effort to stay close and catch up. This is a friendship I don’t want to lose, no matter how far away I am.

I’ve already lost one that I thought would never end. Maggie—my only friend from Maine—was supposed to be my forever-friend. But she stopped texting me. Stopped answering my calls. All because I refused to give her information about the Calloways and Loren.

You’re related to him, she’d tell me.Why can’t you talk about him to your best friend?

Because it never felt right. Because the closer I got to them, the more I didn’t trust her to not spread it all over the internet.

So maybe I am to blame for that friendship ending. I couldn’t give her trust. And she couldn’t accept the fact that our friendship wouldn’t include discussing Loren and the Calloway sisters.

“How’s Ryke handling it?” I ask Daisy. The last time I saw him, he was having a nervous breakdown trying to get Sulli to stop crying. I’ve never seen someonesoconcerned over a baby’s tears. Like he thought he might have broken her. All she needed was a good burp.

Daisy laughs. “I think he’d let her prune into a wrinkly baby just to avoid making her cry,” she says. “Which is fine. I’m willing to play the not-so-nice cop role for my peanut butter cupcake.” She kisses Sulli’s forehead. The baby barely stirs. “But enough about me, Willow. How’s Wakefield? How are your classes?”

I take a breath. “That’s why I called.”

I explain my dilemma and this party.

Daisy nods slowly. “Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

“That’d be staying in my dorm for the rest of eternity.”

“Then go. Have fun. Don’t overthink it.”

“What if I sit by myself all night and no one talks to me? There’s a good chance I don’t gain the courage to approach anyone.” I can imagine it now. I’m the girl in the corner, eating popcorn and trying to dissolve into the chair.

“Then you’ll have a stupendous, amazing time by yourself,” Daisy cuts into my morbid thought. “You’re an awesome person. All you need to do is believe it, Willow Hale.” She wags her brows.

I touch my ring: a plain silver band with a black square in the middle. It’s a friendship ring from one of my favorite superheroes inThe Fourth Degree, Tilly Stazyor, and Daisy has an identical one.

My phone buzzes and a text pops up on top of the FaceTime screen.

Tess:SOS. Did you guys see the professor’s email? We have to choose our product and email it to him by tonight.

Oh no.

Tess is a part of my group for that Intro to Marketing course. Last class, I briefly met my partners and we made plans to meet up next week to start our project. We have to create a print and online advertising strategy for a product, and it’s worth half our grade.

“What’s wrong?” Daisy asks, seeing the haunted look on my face. Another text pops up.

Salvatore:Emergency meeting. Where can I find you guys?

“I think I have to meet with my group tonight,” I say. So there goes the party. “But maybe…maybe I’ll invite them over here?”

Daisy nods and bites on the end of a Twizzler. “Yes, I like this idea.”

Courage emblazons my bones. I am a Gryffindor for a reason, right? Like Neville Longbottom, I can put myself in situations that seem daunting and out-of-my-element. And I will succeed—if I can try to believe it.

So I text the group:My hall is pretty quiet. You all can meet at my dorm. 301. Bishop Hall.

Tess:Sweet. See you soon.