“You going to break this up and come to movie night with us?”
“Hang on one sec, only a couple minutes left on the clock, and the Condors have a power play.” Jenna holds up a finger.
I’m impressed they’re dragging themselves away from the small screen to join us on our trip to the bigger screen. But it has become something of a tradition, and some of our teammates who live elsewhere are going to meet us there.
Beth takes a long drag of her drink before turning to me. “Should I call us a ride?”
“Nah, I’ve got eight am class tomorrow. I’m not drinking.” Jenna doesn’t peel her eyes off the action as she speaks.
My phone buzzes in my hand with a call. That could only be one of a few people. Spammers or my family because no one else ever actually calls me.
My stomach twists with anxiety as I debate picking it up. It’s going to be something bad, right? Someone’s been in an accident or sick? A variety of scenarios race through my head, and even though I know how unlikely each one is, I can’t chase them away.
It stops and starts again while I was grappling with my thoughts, so I step away to answer it, heart racing.
“What’s wrong?”
“What? Nothing. Well, other than my payment that’s due on Friday. Have you got it for me?”
Celeste. Right. I’m not sure why she felt the need to call me about this. A text would have been sufficient and way less anxiety-inducing.
“I’ll get it together. I always do.”
“I know. I’m so sorry to bother you with this. But Mom found out how much it was and was talking about taking out a loan to pay the fee.”
“Celeste, how’d she find out?”
“I may have left the letter lying out on the table. I’m not sure. Bri came over and I showed her. I was so excited. But don’t worry. I told Mom I had a scholarship for it.”
Relief is fighting with the worry. I’m relieved our parents don’t have to deal with this. Ever since Mom got sick, they’ve been tight on cash. And I’ve been doing so well online I’ve been able to cover the shortfalls. But it’s a constant battle to keep things going for both of us.
“Good. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this covered.” I’ll reach out to a couple of my influencer friends. We can work in some collaborations, and maybe I’ll do an extra couple of lives this week. That’s always good for boosting my numbers and bringing in some funds. Putting it on my credit card is manageable when I know the funds are coming in to pay it off.
“Thanks, sis. You’re the bestest.”
A cheer blasts through the house, probably taking a bit of my hearing with it, then Krista comes trudging in, swearing under her breath.
“Okay, little sis. I gotta go. Talk soon. I’ll send you a text when I’ve got that paid.”
“Great. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Celeste says bye and hangs up. I lift the cup to my mouth, and a burst of tart cranberry hits my tongue as I tilt it back to drainthe rest of it. I won’t drink anything else tonight. That will be enough, since Beth makes them strong.
A pleasant warmth has spread through my body by the time we’re piling out of Jenna’s car, and we line up on the stone stairs in a shivery huddle. The stately old building looms above us. It’s giving strong castle vibes. A stone stairway leads up to two large wooden doors set in the grey stone façade. At least the line isn’t too long. We bought our tickets in advance, but sometimes the hall gets pretty packed for these things, and it’s hard to find seats for all of us.
It’s moving pretty fast, and we’re almost at the door when a deep voice calls out to us. The line has grown rapidly. Sab, and the rest of the girls from the team, are near the end.
“Save us seats!” she yells, waving.
“You should have been here sooner,” says Maisie.
“We will.” I add, shaking my head at my bestie.
The smiling guy taking our tickets is dressed in a windbreaker scattered with blocks of neon color. We flash our phones at him, and a blast of heat provides immediate relief from the chill of the air outside as we step through the big open door. The scent of buttery popcorn replaces the usual funk of the building. It’s got the stale scent of something that was built hundreds of years ago.
“Who wants popcorn?” Krista asks.
