No Hard Feelings

nine

After all, she's in no position to complain about Dexter putting her second.

Sadie's house is closest from the shop. She squints at the setting sun, almost tempted to go back into the shop to hide from the sticky, summer air. Hadley weighs the conditions in her head and eventually decides that she can manage a fifteen-minute walk if it means she can seek refuge from Taylor's teasing.

She's covered in sweat by the time she gets there, beads of it rolling down her neck as she waits for someone to open the door. It's Sadie who opens the door, and she immediately ushers Hadley in when she sees how tired she must have been to walk in this heat. Sadie takes her straight to the kitchen, grabbing a small tub of ice cream from the fridge and Hadley a spoon.

"Can you believe how hot it is?" she asks Hadley. "Good thing I stocked up on some ice cream when I went to the market yesterday. God, you should have seen Colin saw me shopping there."

"I probably don't have to," Hadley replies. "I can already imagine. What did you do to him this time?"

"Oh, you know. The usual," she replies, not bothering to hide the hint of mischief in her smile. "Where's Dexter?"

It's an innocent question, and Hadley can't blame her for asking. She and Dexter tend to come in pairs and asking one of them about the other is like second nature for everyone around them.

"Out with Andy," she says simply, keeping her eyes on the ice cream as she scoops out a spoonful.

"I thought their date was yesterday."

"I think he plans to take her out every night," Hadley replies, struggling to keep her voice flat.

Her friend doesn't say anything for a while, but Hadley can feel her staring. She does her best to ignore it but there when Sadie's pointed silence becomes unbearable, Hadley finally gives in and raises her eyes to her friend's. "What?"

Sadie looks down and nonchalantly digs her spoon into the ice cream. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh, just spit it out."

She doesn't hesitate. Putting her spoon down, Sadie turns to Hadley to regard her with a serious look. "When I joke about you guys getting back together, I'm not really joking. You know that, right?"

"I know," Hadley says, suppressing the urge to fidget in her seat. "But it's never going to happen, Sade."

"Only because you won't let it."

"I have a boyfriend," Hadley tells her, "and I'm happy. And Dexter's had, like, two girlfriends ever since we broke up, and if that's not enough proof that he no longer has feelings for me, then I don't know what is."

"What about your feelings?"

"I have a boyfriend," she repeats firmly.

"That doesn't mean you don't have feelings for Dexter," Sadie snaps.

Hadley freezes, feeling like Sadie had just sent a sucker punch to her stomach, knocking the air out of her and sending her stumbling back from the force, making it harder for her to retaliate.

Sadie's eyes soften when she sees the stricken look on Hadley's face, and when she speaks again, her voice is no longer as sharp as it had been. "Sorry. I know you—hate talking about this. It's just hard not to worry, because—honestly? I've always had this feeling that you've never really stopped liking Dexter."

The statement makes Hadley take a sharp breath. Even though Sadie always acted like she's simply waiting for Hadley to admit this, she never really said the words out loud before.