Breaking the Rules (The Dating Playbook #2)

by Mariah Dietz

“You’re not going to tell me what’s going on, are you?” “With what?” His eyebrows check me, the silent, you know what, clear and intentional. Even with his mask back up, I’ve started to know him and see past the mask by the way he answers, and the way he doesn’t, which is sometimes even louder. I know by the hardness of his jaw, the flex of his fingers, the tilt of his head, the tone of his voice—I’m learning all of his details and each of their meanings. But he has no idea how broad his question is. I could easily list the things bothering me, including Maggie being gone, school becoming increasingly challenging, how I feel lost attempting to navigate my future. I could finally tell someone, admit that my dad is having an affair and has exposed distant and cold sides of himself that seem neither familiar nor warranted. Or admit that my mom is going to be crushed when she learns the truth, and how I feel obligated to be the one to tell her, and increasingly terrified as I continue dragging this mammoth of a lie. Or I could tell him how worried I am about Paxton, who has seemingly checked out of reality. Perhaps, I reveal how I’m risking my potential job offer with the aquarium as well as my future as a cetologist by continuing to fear the ocean. Then, I stare at him, realizing how his ignoring me has cast more doubt on myself than I ever thought possible, and how ashamed I am to admit the fact. I shake my head. “Not tonight. Tonight, I just want to pretend.” “Pretend what?...