Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

Author:Kiley Reid [Reid, Kiley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

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Saturday came. The barbecue started at seven. After living in such close quarters to Tyler, Kennedy knew that a text near the start time of an event was the proper way to coordinate getting there. So she busied herself with laundry and an essay. She watched a tutorial on winged eyeliner. In a wet towel, she blow-dried her hair. And after laying out outfit options, she settled on the one she’d thought of first. A fitted denim skirt. White Keds. A violet top with a print of white flowers. Delicate ruffle at the sleeves.

Hey, Shea, it’s Kennedy! Let me know if you’re still down for the barbecue tonight. At six fifty, she typed this into her notes app. After a few rounds of edits, she copied, pasted, and pressed send. When Shea failed to reply immediately, Kennedy told herself to get up. Shea was also a normal college person. She might take a while to respond. Kennedy needed to eat something, as she’d probably be too nervous to eat anything later on. So she took herself and her cute outfit into the kitchen. At the counter she ate a rice cake with peanut butter and salt.

Two minutes later, Peyton came through the front door holding a bin of clean bedding in plastic wrap. She said hi, Kennedy smiled at her, and then she went to the double room. Peyton bent at the knees and opened the door with her elbow. From the darkness within, there was a rustling of sheets. Tyler said, “Don’t worry, Peyton. I’m awake.” Kennedy checked her phone to no avail.

A minute later, Tyler emerged: low pony, lines at her cheeks, sleep mask pushed up onto her hair. There was something about the vulnerability of Tyler’s face that made Kennedy feel like she was the mother of a toddler. Like Tyler was hers. Like Kennedy was supposed to say, Well hi. Look who’s up. Kennedy dusted her hands over the sink and began to put her items away. Tyler stood next to the table and yawned into her arm.

“Are you going out?” she asked.

Kennedy closed a cabinet and said, “Yeah.”

Tyler went up on her toes and placed her elbows above her head. “That’s fun,” she said. Then, to no one she said, “How am I still so sleepy?” She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

Kennedy began to play a game called Don’t Look at Your Phone Until (__). Until Tyler gets out of the bathroom. Until you make your bed. The thought did cross her mind that Shea would fail to text her back, but Kennedy struggled to envision a scenario in which she wouldn’t make it okay. Hey! She pictured Shea typing around eight p.m. So sorry, I randomly ended up seeing a movie. But do you want to meet up on Dickson? Or, even better…I’m so sorry! she could say. I took a weirdly long nap. But would you want to do brunch tomorrow? Kennedy would have loved to.

It was seven twenty-two p.

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