“There’s nothing on campus? I still have orientation to go to in a little while.”
“Fine,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “We’ll go to the lame coffee shop by the library.”
I tilt my head. “Are you a freshman too?”
“Yup! My older brother graduated from here, so I know everything about this place. Why don’t I give you a quick introductory tour and after that, we’ll go to orientation?”
“Sounds good.”
She jumps to her feet, her black combat boots striking the floor with a thud. “Come on, Delilah. Let us fuel up, and then it’s onto plotting our glorious piss-ridden path to infamy!”
My laughter bursts out of me, honest and refreshing. I can’t remember the last time I felt this light and just… happy. Yes, I’m concerned about Ben’s lack of communication, and I miss Gloria and the girls, but I’m on a journey to accomplish what fewpeople with my background do: attend an Ivy League college on a full scholarship.
If that doesn’t make me a badass, I don’t know what would.
Chapter 11
DELILAH
“Dude,” Raven says, nudging me slightly in the back. “Keep walking. It’s just a coffee shop.”
“Erm…” I mumble.
Crystal chandeliers hang lower over the seating areas, their warm glow reflecting off the polish mahogany floorboards. One wall hosts floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with well-known literature and some non-fiction texts. Plush couches and leather armchairs provide cozy nooks for reading or quiet conversation.
The main counter is sleek dark gray marble with gold trim, displaying pyramids of brightly colored macarons and cream-filled pastries under glass domes. An intricate brass espresso machine takes center stage. Given the number of levers and buttons, I doubt I could learn to use it. Molecular compounds are more straightforward.
“This isn’t just a coffee shop,” I whisper to Raven as she bypasses me. “This is… a work of art.”
What I really want to say is this is somewhere I don’t belong. This coffee shop is the nicest place I’ve ever stepped foot in, besides walking across this campus. I thought I could handle people throwing their money in my face, but I wasn’t prepared tofeel inadequate because of a vintage-looking espresso machine, for fuck’s sake.
Raven glances back at me with amusement sparkling in her eyes. “You just wait until I take you to Brewed Awakenings. This place sucks in comparison.”
The employee behind the register purses her lips at Raven and I shrug as if that’ll excuse her rudeness. Note to self: Raven has a bigger mouth than I do.
She orders something that should put her into cardiac arrest. I end up getting a regular latte with caramel. It’s fancy enough for me.
“Do you want to sip and walk or finish up here first and then go exploring?” she asks me.
“Let’s sit for a little bit.”
We settle into a couch located directly in front of the window, surrounded by the comforting aroma of coffee and the gentle murmur of conversation. I try not to moan when I take my first drink, but I’m totally a slut for caffeinated sugar.
Raven stirs a packet of sweetener into her cup. “So, are you ready for the inside info on navigating this pretentious institute of higher learning?”
“Bring it on.”
“If I was you, I’d make nice with the baristas here on campus.”
I scoff. “You haven’t.”
“That’s because I go to the oneoffcampus.” She waves a hand in dismissal. “Trust me, you’ll want the caffeine when pulling all-nighters writing papers on… whatever the fuck psychiatrists care about.”
“What else?”
“Let me see your class schedule. That way I can tell you about the professors and which ones are assholes.”
I pull up on my schedule on my phone, ignoring the pang of disappointment that rises when I find I have no texts from Ben.
