Page 83 of Wild Like Us

Sulli is wide-eyed, her cheeks bright red. “Um…is that fucking happening or what are we…doing exactly?”

My chest tightens, and I rub my knuckles. “I think we should probably make a clear rule so no one gets hurt.” I take a beat. “No fantasy suites. No sex until you choose one of us.”

Banks nods. “I’m good with that.”

“Yeah, me too,” Sulli eases. “It’s less fucking complicated.”

Wisconsin farmland backdrops our drive. More fresh air whooshes into the car, rustling our hair and some loose gas receipts in the cup holder. Our set-decision should alleviate tension that’s been riding with us like a fourth passenger.

But my flippantbachelorettemetaphor doesn’t mask the seriousness of what’s happening. What we’re embarking upon. A road where I’m in competition with my friend.

And one of us is going to be left heartbroken.

17

BANKS MORETTI

Sweet,sweetMontana.Alas, we’ve finally made it to Yellowstone Country.

Not that we see much in the dead of night. After parking Booger in a safe spot, we click on headlamps and hike to our backcountry campsite. A place much closer to the rock face Sulli plans to free-solo.

We set-up camp.

Working quietly, seamlessly—like the three of us have done this our whole lives together—we help each other pop up the teal tent, roll out the sleeping bags, and recheck our supplies. Through our exhaustion, we zip up the tent and start to pass out.

Three different sleeping bags. Enough room not to test any kind of waters. Too tired to even overthink how I’m not on an easy path to be with Sulli.

A miracle slams down to Earth to make that happen—because that’s all I’ve really been thinking about. How Akara and Sulli kissed. How I’m now competing for her affection against my best friend. Who also has history with Sulli that I don’t have.

He’s known her for what feels likeforever.

How do I even compete with that?

And I knew a scenario where Akara and Sulli getting together could eventually come to pass, but fuck me that it had to happen less than 24-hours after I kissed her. Bad luck.

Bad at love. Throw outRoscoe, that should just be my middle name instead.

If I were smarter, maybe I’d just back off and let Akara jog easily into her heart, so I wouldn’t be here pulling her in another direction. But if chasing after Sullivan Meadows is the foolish thing to do, I’m gonna be the biggest fool this world has ever seen.

I’ve gotten this far. I’m not letting her go now. And whatever happens will happen.

Come what may.

It’s the thought I wake to.

Exiting the tent, I stretch my arms and yawn up at the morning sky. With the break of day, my surroundings aren’t just muddled in darkness.

So I look around while I rotate my sore shoulders. Spruce trees landscape lush, yellow-green grass, rolling into hills and valleys. Wildflowers grow near the bank of a lazy river. Which I heard trickling last night, but I thought it’d look more like a tiny stream.

I go still.

Three deer wander along the bank. Massive antlers crown the largest one. Head hoisting, beady eyes lie serene on me. Like I’m just part of the scenery.

Another animal among animals.

Wildlife is abundant here. Every which way, another woodland creature pops out. Hawks cut through the air. Chipmunks scurry beneath logs. Nothing that’d bother us if we don’t bother them. Though, I know the hierarchy in the animal kingdom, and I’d rather meet the peasants of Yellowstone.

No grizzly bears. No packs of wolves. No buffalo.