heard Brad Dunne is single. Tell Bailey to nonchalantly stalk him until he asks her out,’” Jason read out loud.
“How is it that
no one
can tell he is gay?” Bailey said jokingly. “And how exactly does one nonchalantly stalk someone?”
“
So
not the point,” Jason pointed out. “Brad finally broke up with his girlfriend. The same Brad you’ve been pining over for the last, I don’t know, four years.”
Bailey groaned loudly. “I actually knew him in middle school too.”
“Great. So your entire life you have pined over one guy, and now he’s single.” Jason clapped his hands. “Now is the time for a covert mission! We can follow him around, and you can just ‘bump’ into him in places.” Jason was getting excited, his voice was picking up. “We can invite him on a ‘group thing’ to the drive-in and then get him drunk so you can take advantage of him.”
“Ew.”
Bailey scrunched up her nose in disgust at Jason. “I’m a freaking lady. I would never—”
“And we can—” Jason said.
“No. We’re not doing anything like that. It’s not like I have all summer to just screw around,” Bailey reminded him. “Just because we’re leaving behind West Seattle High, doesn’t mean we’re leaving behind my very real and semisevere sleeping disorder.” Any time Jason tried to suggest Bailey get into a normal relationship, she would remind him of her double life. She believed she would never be allowed to have a normal life or have a boyfriend.
“Just because you have a sleeping disorder doesn’t mean you can’t have a life,” he said softly, and rubbed her shoulder. “We’re on a road trip, something you thought wasn’t possible. You can live your life.”
Bailey looked over at him appreciatively; she was truly grateful for him in that moment. “I love you, best friend.”
“Love you more, B,” Jason said back.
Bailey opened her eyes and found herself back in her bathroom, seemingly a million miles away from that trip with Jason. She stood up fromthe toilet and looked in the mirror. There were circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t been sleeping at all, and her hair was knotted from sleeping on it wet. She grabbed the brush on the sink and started working out the knots as she hummed “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Her head tilted as the brushing hit the more complex areas of her matted hair. Bailey avoided eye contact with herself during the brushing. She couldn’t help but hate the way she looked. In her dream world, she was pretty, and she wasn’t so grossly skinny. She had color to her skin. Here, in her real life, she believed she was ugly. Too skinny, too white, too exhausted. She never had time to eat, or tan, or work out.
She shuddered from the memory of singing that song on the hotel room floor with Sam, Halene, and Daniel. She needed to get a grip of herself. She couldn’t tether herself to reality.
She walked back in her room, plopped on her bed, and continued to brush through her hair. She glanced at her TV and remembered the DVD was still in the player, so she grabbed the remote and started the movie again, skipping past a couple scenes to get to the part she had fallen asleep to.
She turned her attention to the TV, and her mind clicked in to the well-known portion of the movie. She mouthed the words as the actor on the screen spoke. “You know I don’t drink, Walt. At least not during the day.” The character George grinned at Walter. Bailey’s words became audible as she spoke in unison with him. “Now are we going to take this case or are you going to let it slip through our fingers?” The movie picture framed the two actors in a close-up, bringing drama to the scene.
“George,” Walter and Bailey groaned together.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Give me a glass of scotch and let’s go over the facts.”
“I thought you didn’t drink during the day.” Walter squinted his eyes at the other actor.
“Well, I don’t, not unless it’s almost
“How is it that
no one
can tell he is gay?” Bailey said jokingly. “And how exactly does one nonchalantly stalk someone?”
“
So
not the point,” Jason pointed out. “Brad finally broke up with his girlfriend. The same Brad you’ve been pining over for the last, I don’t know, four years.”
Bailey groaned loudly. “I actually knew him in middle school too.”
“Great. So your entire life you have pined over one guy, and now he’s single.” Jason clapped his hands. “Now is the time for a covert mission! We can follow him around, and you can just ‘bump’ into him in places.” Jason was getting excited, his voice was picking up. “We can invite him on a ‘group thing’ to the drive-in and then get him drunk so you can take advantage of him.”
“Ew.”
Bailey scrunched up her nose in disgust at Jason. “I’m a freaking lady. I would never—”
“And we can—” Jason said.
“No. We’re not doing anything like that. It’s not like I have all summer to just screw around,” Bailey reminded him. “Just because we’re leaving behind West Seattle High, doesn’t mean we’re leaving behind my very real and semisevere sleeping disorder.” Any time Jason tried to suggest Bailey get into a normal relationship, she would remind him of her double life. She believed she would never be allowed to have a normal life or have a boyfriend.
“Just because you have a sleeping disorder doesn’t mean you can’t have a life,” he said softly, and rubbed her shoulder. “We’re on a road trip, something you thought wasn’t possible. You can live your life.”
Bailey looked over at him appreciatively; she was truly grateful for him in that moment. “I love you, best friend.”
“Love you more, B,” Jason said back.
Bailey opened her eyes and found herself back in her bathroom, seemingly a million miles away from that trip with Jason. She stood up fromthe toilet and looked in the mirror. There were circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t been sleeping at all, and her hair was knotted from sleeping on it wet. She grabbed the brush on the sink and started working out the knots as she hummed “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Her head tilted as the brushing hit the more complex areas of her matted hair. Bailey avoided eye contact with herself during the brushing. She couldn’t help but hate the way she looked. In her dream world, she was pretty, and she wasn’t so grossly skinny. She had color to her skin. Here, in her real life, she believed she was ugly. Too skinny, too white, too exhausted. She never had time to eat, or tan, or work out.
She shuddered from the memory of singing that song on the hotel room floor with Sam, Halene, and Daniel. She needed to get a grip of herself. She couldn’t tether herself to reality.
She walked back in her room, plopped on her bed, and continued to brush through her hair. She glanced at her TV and remembered the DVD was still in the player, so she grabbed the remote and started the movie again, skipping past a couple scenes to get to the part she had fallen asleep to.
She turned her attention to the TV, and her mind clicked in to the well-known portion of the movie. She mouthed the words as the actor on the screen spoke. “You know I don’t drink, Walt. At least not during the day.” The character George grinned at Walter. Bailey’s words became audible as she spoke in unison with him. “Now are we going to take this case or are you going to let it slip through our fingers?” The movie picture framed the two actors in a close-up, bringing drama to the scene.
“George,” Walter and Bailey groaned together.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Give me a glass of scotch and let’s go over the facts.”
“I thought you didn’t drink during the day.” Walter squinted his eyes at the other actor.
“Well, I don’t, not unless it’s almost
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