Read Rebounding for Free Online

deal with that. Not right now.
    “I also call bearing bad news. Vanessa’s onto you. She dropped by today, drilling me for your whereabouts.”
    I’m not surprised to hear that. Aside from Doll, Vanessa is one of my closest friends. The problem is that she can’t keep a secret. If I tell her I left, the whole school will find out, followed by my entire family.
    “I need to call her,” I agree. “I’m just not sure what to say.”
    “What if I make up a rumor?” Doll suggests. “I could tell everyone you’re dating some hot European prince, and that the two of you are jetting around in his Boeing 747 together seeing the world.”
    I smile, unable to help myself. “Kinda wish that rumor was true.”
    “Seriously,” she says, laughing. “I could tell them you’re off living the glamorous life, and you’re having so much hot sex that you can’t be bothered with something as mundane as college.”
    “You sure have an active imagination for someone who enjoys studying ancient crap.”
    “Thanks for the backhanded compliment. Archaeology is far from boring, by the way.”
    “If you say so. Speaking of, how’s Wes’s dig going?”
    Dahlia’s boyfriend, Wesley Kent, is a renowned treasure hunter, and by the end of the year, people everywhere will know his name. He’s currently recovering the mother lode of shipwrecks, the Flor de la Mar , it’s value being placed somewhere in the billions.
    “Great,” she says, and I can hear the grin in her voice. “Let’s switch to Skype. I want to show you pictures, and I want to see your face when I tell you about it.”
    We hang up, and I rummage through my things, looking for my laptop and Wi-Fi card. Once I finally get everything connected, Doll and I talk for what seems like hours as she shows me photographs of the wreckage, filling me in on all the whirlwind adventures she calls a life. I feel sort of special being in the loop as they’re keeping the discovery hush-hush to prevent pirates from trying to intervene during the recovery process.
    When she tells me Wesley obtained permission to invite her, I can’t keep myself from bouncing in my chair. “That’s so freaking exciting.”
    “I know,” she gushes. “You have no idea how much I want to be there to see everything up close, and to experience it with him.”
    I shake my head, amazed at who my friend is becoming. Just a year ago, she was a girl hiding behind her books and clothes, and within such a short time, she’s transformed into this beautiful, amazing person who isn’t afraid to go out there and experience the world. I’m a little jealous, but more proud than anything. “I’m happy for you, Doll. Seeing you and Wes together—it’s crazy. The two of you have literally changed each other’s lives.”
    “Thanks, Char. That means a lot.”
    “Miss you,” I tell her, meaning it.
    “You could always come back, you know.”
    “Nah. I’m done with that life. I’m ready to reinvent myself.”
    She tilts her head sadly. “I liked the old Charlotte just fine.”
    “That’s sweet of you to say, Doll, but we both know I was a shitty friend. I was never there for you.”
    “Charlotte, you were busy. I understood.”
    “Exactly. I was busy all the time. Think about it; this is the longest conversation we’ve had in years, and we don’t live in the same city anymore. You’ve always been a good friend, Doll. It’s who you are, and it’s why I love you. But me, I have acquaintances. Hundreds of them, but no real friends. The only person I ever devoted my time to was Miles, and look where that got me.”
    “You can’t regret that relationship forever, Char. He loved you, and the two of you shared some beautiful moments.”
    “What I regret is that Miles turned into a cheating scumbag who clearly forgot the meaning of I’ll love you forever .”
    “Ouch.” She winces. “Point taken.”
    “So are you and Gwen buddies again?” The bitterness in my voice is anything but