Lovely.
I’m mid-hang up when the eavesdropper places her hand over her heart.
“I am so sorry,” she blurts out. “I did not mean to overhear your conversation. I just walked out here from meeting with my academic advisor”—she points behind her to the same doors I exited from—“and couldn’t help but laugh at the dig about your stepbrother.”
I give her a half-smile. “It’s okay. I’m glad I could amuse someone.”
“I’m Sawyer,” she introduces herself, holding out her hand.
I shake it gently. “I’m Scarlett.”
She glances at my schedule. “So you’re a transfer too?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Where are you coming from?”
“A small college in a Podunk town.” She laughs sarcastically. “You?”
“Uh…” I’m hesitant to tell her the truth because when people find out I went to Yale, they automatically assume I’m a genius. I’m not. I’m just an excellent student who likes to excel in all aspects of life. “Yale.”
“Yale,” she repeats. “You’re far away from home, then?”
I shake my head. “Technically, this is home, so I’ve just moved back.”
To live with my stepbrother, apparently.
“Oh, darn.” She sighs. “I was hoping there was at least one other person here that was approachable, who could be clueless with me. I don’t even know where the coffee stand is.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t know where anything is. It’s been a few years since I’ve lived in Shadow Valley, and I’ve never even been on this campus before.” I glance around for a coffee stand and come up empty handed. I turn back toward Sawyer. “If you want, we can go find coffee together. My first class doesn’t start until tomorrow, so I’m free.”
Hope illuminates in her blue eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah, of course,” I say with more enthusiasm than I’ve had in a week.
Sawyer and I start walking down the stone steps. “Plus, my dad thinks I need my stepbrother’s help to make friends at Shadow Valley. I’d love nothing more than to prove him wrong.”
Sawyer grins. “I can definitely help you with that.”
We make our way through the center of campus, trading stories about our old schools. It makes me ache for the school I used to love. The familiarity of it. Myfriends. But no. One stupid decision ruined everything.
I swear, we circle the whole interior of the campus and come up blank.
“Maybe the dining hall has coffee,” she says. “I could eat something, anyway.”
I nod fast, my cheeks heating. “Told you I didn’t know my way around.”
“We could ask someone.” She tucks a lock of her red hair behind her ear. “Be extroverted and shit.”
“Pass.”
She laughs. “I’m glad I found you, Scarlett.”
Ditto.
The student center, at least, is easy to locate. A quick peek at my watch reveals we’re right in time for a late breakfast. The worker looks at both of us like we’re idiots when we don’t know what to hand her to get in, then she sighs heavily when Sawyer and I go digging for our student IDs.
At least I got that yesterday.Sheesh.
On the way in, we pass a corkboard covered in flyers.
