Tethered Hearts | ✓ | Books 1 & 2

Episode 02| The 4-1-1

It was a pretty good deal. A secret for a secret.

Since I entered college, I've grown closer with Nicolas. Brooklyn and I have drifted apart, unintentionally. I was a little afraid that it would get worse. Brooklyn was one my oldest friends and I would hate to have something rip us apart.

  •••

By three o'clock, we were done with all of the shopping for the day and we decided to grab something to eat at the food court. Brooklyn bought the sheer blouse and a pale white skirt, matching her shoes. She'd be in all white for the party. I, on the other hand, bought high-waist jeans to go with one of my crop-tops I had at home.

Brooklyn said I was "playing it safe" over and over again, until Nicolas promptly told her to shut-up. Nicolas was the only one who could talk to her like that since they grew up together.

"You're lucky I love you," Brooklyn said while sending him daggers with her eyes. Her hard frown suddenly softened when a small cluster of people walked past our table. I followed her mesmerized gaze and found Conner Blackwell and his friends, walking up to a table across ours.

"Hey Conner," Brooklyn breathed.

Conner looked at who had spoken, but he turned back to his friends just as quickly and continued to laugh at whatever story they were sharing. His arm wrapped around a girl's shoulder and he pulled her in close.

I gazed at the girl for a moment, wondering if I'd ever seen her before. She had dusky brown skin, long black silky hair that went far past her tail bone. If I had to guess, I would say she was of South Asian descent.

"Who's that?" I whispered.

Brooklyn gulped. "I don't know, but she's glared at me really hard just then." She instantly dropped her eyes to the table, digging her long nails into the plastic coiled around the edges.

Disappointment graced Brooklyn's face when they sat down at a table. For the next couple of minutes, she stared at them as they ate their food. She couldn't take it for long though. Eventually, she got up from the table and excuse herself to the restroom.

I nudged Nicolas. "How long should I wait before going after her?"

"She walked into the unisex restroom. I think she'd want me to go." He threw his napkin down on the table and went in the same direction his cousin had gone.

If you didn't already know the 4-1-1 on Conner Blackwell and his family, I'll tell you. I went to school with him from Kindergarten to 8th grade. His father was friends with my dad before my mom kicked him out. They were good pals for the most part. After my dad left, Conner's dad moved his family from Los Angeles to San Francisco around the same time. I didn't see Conner again until freshman orientation at Lincoln University.

When I ran into him on Move-In day incoming Freshman, Conner and one of his friends were kind enough to help me bring in a few things into my dorm room. My mom wasn't able to make it, so I was left alone to tend to my luggage and room decor until they arrived.

In the past, his mom had tried to reunite the two families when they moved back to L.A. but my mom kept rescheduling it and pushing it off. She preferred to think my dad was never involved in our lives because of Rio's accident. Any reminder of my father was completely off limits.

Conner and I weren't necessarily friends while growing up, but our parents did like to force us to hang out. They would do whatever business work they had in the living room and they'd usher us into the backyard, telling us to "get to know each other." It was painfully awkward, to say the least.