#Chapter 115: Second-Best

I didn’t want to wait to apologize to Dylan so while everyone else was eating, I stepped to the side to shoot off a quick text. Dylan. I’m sorry. I’d like to talk if you would be willing. Knowing how I had hurt him earlier, I didn’t expect a reply, much less an agreeable one. So when my phone started buzzing with a phone call, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Maria quickly ushered me into her room to talk. She recognized this time, I guessed, that I needed more actual privacy than the bathroom could provide. Though I still had no doubt that those girls were all listening by the door. Accepting the call, I brought the phone to my ear. “Dylan?” “Are you with him now?” Dylan asked. His words were slightly slurred, like he’d been drinking. “Is he there with you?” “No,” I said. “I’m at Maria’s.” He laughed a little, bitterly. This was a darker side of him. His usual upbeat banter was entirely gone. This was all my fault. I’d hurt him, and now he was drinking. I had to fi