The Night We Said Yes Read Online Free

kitchen was brighter than the rest of the house, and still full of people. There must have been at least twenty in the small space. Most were gathered around the keg in the corner, pumping out foamy beer. I could hear the band in the other room, performing a cover of some pop song I kind of recognized, really screaming out the lyrics. Not great, but not bad either. At least we weren’t late.
    Meg grabbed two cups and went to get us drinks.
    “Hey!” A shout came from across the room. I knew that voice. I turned around and saw Barker pushing his way intothe room. He was wearing an Oingo Boingo thrift store T-shirt and brown corduroy pants. He was half indie, half professor, and it somehow worked on him.
    “Hey Barker,” I said, waving. “We’re not too late, right?”
    “Nope, these guys just started, so there’s time before we go on. Hey, I want you to meet Matt, the new bassist.”
    Barker turned around and grabbed the guy behind him. I self-consciously looked down to check my shirt, and as I adjusted it, I saw his red Converse sneakers. They were similar to ones I owned, which I found funny. He had on dark blue jeans that looked worn, but not in that purposeful way that was sold in stores, but more in the way that meant he actually wore them a lot. His black T-shirt was a bit tight and featured a band I’d never heard of before. And then I saw his face, with his dark brown messy hair and black-rimmed glasses. He was tall, taller than me, and his face lit up when our eyes met. Okay, Meg was right, he was cute.
    “Matt, this is Ella. El, Matt.”
    “Hey,” he said, smiling. It was a cute smile, crooked and shy.
    “Hi,” I said back, officially excited to start the night.



CHAPTER 3
    NOW
    8:30 P . M .
    “Hi,” I manage to respond, still staring; because never in a million years would I have thought Matt would be here, at Evan’s party. Never would I have thought he’d come back. When he left, he took away everything, and every day since then I feel that gaping hole, every day I remember what’s missing. I can feel it now, growing larger as my heart races and my hands shake.
    “Hey? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” Meg says, eyeing him.
    “You guys know each other?” Anthony asks, face darting from mine to Meg’s to Matt’s and then back around again.
    “Hey Meg,” Matt says, running his hand through hishair, avoiding her glare. “How’re you? How’s Jake? Is he . . . here?”
    “No, he’s not here. And you’d know how he was if you ever called him. Or her,” she says, nodding toward me and squeezing my hand at the same time. Her words, though true, are piercing me, digging deep into my body. I don’t know what to say, so instead I put my free arm around my torso, trying to keep myself together in case I really do rip apart at the seams and fall to the ground, where Matt can proceed to step on me and finish what he started.
    “I think I missed something,” Anthony interjects, still bopping his head, trying to keep up. The hopeful look washes away as he realizes his plans for Meg may not materialize after all. And I stay quiet in the middle of it all because I might just vomit.
    “I think he missed something,” Meg answers, pointing to Matt. “Like, half a year of somethings. How could you just leave like that?” she continues, spite in her voice.
    “Meg, please,” I whisper, squeezing her hand. And as quickly as she got fired up, she calms down and shakes her head. It’s my fight, not hers. “You know what, forget it. Come on, Anthony, let’s get out of here.” As her hand slips out of mine, my heart races faster, louder. She doesn’t have to fight my fights, but she also doesn’t need to leave me out here alone. I don’t know if I can do this. “You need to talk to her,” she says back to Matt. “She deserves answers. And Jake does, too.”
    I watch as she leaves in a huff with Anthony, his arm slowly trying to drape over her shoulders. She shrugs him off; he