Page 46 of Take the Bait
“You’re… sad,” Bella chimed in, frowning.
“That’s putting it lightly, Bells. Han, you’rewallowing. What the heck is going on?”
Hanna squirmed on the couch, her discomfort surely obvious to the two people who knew her best in the world.
“I’m thinking about moving home,” she said, deciding on a half-truth. That wasn’t the whole story, but at least it wouldn’t require her to cut her heart out and show it to them.
Bella’s eyes went wide and Madi’s lips pressed together.
“Why?” Bella asked, her voice dripping with concern and confusion.
Hanna laughed. “What do you mean,why?I have no friends and I’m so awkward I don’t know how I’d even make any at this point. I’m lonely.”
“Han,” her sister’s lips twisted into a frown, her eyes filling with concern.
“Okay, I guess we’re playing this good cop, bad cop style,” Madi said, fondly rolling her eyes at Bella. “Han, I’m sorry, but have you eventried?”
“Of course I have!”
“Okay, how?”
Hanna pressed her lips together, thinking. Shehadtried, hadn’t she? Made awkward small talk with some of the teachers at school, been on a few disastrous dates? Gone to a handful of yoga classes and attempted to speak to some of the more bendy women even though she’d fallen on her ass trying to do a headstand? Went to a BINGO night at a local church, then realized it was her and a bunch of competitive 70-year-olds?
Fuck, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t done much to make Orange Beach feel like home. And she supposed it was because she didn’t know how, exactly. She’d always had Madi and Bella, and she felt a little lost without them. They were her safety net.
“That’s what I thought,” Madi said after Hanna’s prolonged pause.
“I mean… Itriedto talk to other teachers at school,” Hanna finally said. “I probably didn’t try hard enough, though. I’m not good at that. You know I’m not!”
“Stop saying that, Han. I’m so tired of you putting yourself down like that.” Bella sighed. “Just because you’re not extroverted doesn’t mean you’re not good at talking to people.”
“It’s not that. I mean, it is. But it’s also…” Hanna bit her lip. “I just feel so awkward all the time! I can’t make sense of all the shit that happens to me. Like, whoever is coming up with this stuff needs to cool it. I had penises drawn all over my face in public, for Christ’s sake.
Bella failed in an attempt to stifle a laugh, and Madi smirked. “Who fucking cares?”
“I do!” Hanna’s cheeks burned.
“Well maybe you should put your energy toward figuring out how to care less what random people think instead of bailing when everything isn’t perfect,” Madi said, more gently this time.
“I know.” Hanna groaned. “Iknow. It’s just… with you guys, I feel safe. You know? Comfortable.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.” Bella chimed in, her quiet voice surprising Madi and Hanna.
“What do you mean?” Hanna said, trying to mask her hurt.
“I love you, Han. Youknowthat. But you’ve always had us to fall back on—and maybe it’s time to get out of your comfort zone a bit.”
“I do get out of my comfort zone! I moved away from you! I tried yoga! I go on dates!”
“And do they ever turn into anything?” Madi asked dryly. “Or do you just delete your dating apps after a bad one and call it a day?”
Hanna opened her mouth and then shut it quickly as Tucker’s face came to mind. She felt her face flush, then diverted her gaze.
“Shit,” Madi whispered, then laughed. “You’re dating someone. Sothat’swhat this is really about. You scaredy cat!”
Hanna glanced back at them, her lips turning up at Bella’s shocked expression. This was why she was dreading facing them. Madi was an even better detective than her when it came to figuring out Hanna’s secrets—even the ones she was keeping from herself.
“Well, there’s no good time to drop this news, but here it goes.” Madi took a deep breath, shared a look with Bella and nodded, a silent conversation passing between them. “We’re moving. To New York.”