For a long moment, the only sound was the wind and a distant tractor on the next farm over. Then Brianna leaned her head against Jessi’s shoulder, and Jessi felt her exhale—slow, shaky, real.
“Probably not,” Jessi agreed. “But here I am anyway.”
“I got the letter,” Brianna said.
Jessi found Brianna on the roof of the old Thompson barn, legs dangling over the edge like she had nothing to lose.
Jessi didn’t say that’s not how it works . She knew Brianna knew. Instead, she reached over and took Brianna’s hand—cold, slightly trembling, nails bitten raw. jessi brianna
Jessi sat down beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. “The one from your dad?”
Brianna pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them. “I want to not care. I want to wake up one morning and not feel like I’m already three steps behind everyone else.” For a long moment, the only sound was
Brianna stared at their joined hands. “You can’t fix me, Jess.”