“And you’ve become close? You and Jane? Would you say you’re friends as well as roommates?”
I slowed on the stairs. “Yes, I’d say Jane is my best friend here. We’re both close with our suitemate Sydney, but Jane and I are…tighter.”
I knew Jane and Syd were spending more nights together when I was with Lucas, but that wasn’t too often with him working third shifts. He had Friday and Saturday nights off every week, working Sundays through Thursday nights, but he didn’t like imposing on Mrs. Jankowski his nights off, so he stayed home with Andy.
Sometimes I’d come over, but we were still careful to not be too couple-y around Andy. And we never had sex when Andy was in the apartment.
But there was some major fully clothed humping that went on.
“Just how much influence do you have on Jane?” my father asked, pulling me back from my fond remembrances of being beneath Lucas on his couch.
“Not much. Jane’s kind of her own person.”
“Hmmm. Well then, she has more backbone than either of her parents.”
“I would guess that’s probably true.” I couldn’t see Jane messing around once she was married, or becoming involved with a married man either.
But seducing her Intro to Creative Writing prof? Um, hell yeah.
“Well, listen, a word or two from you about her standing in her sister’s wedding would—”
“Whoa, Dad, let me stop you right there. I don’t have much sway over Jane. There is no way she is going to stand in that wedding. Her heels are dug in on that, and once Jane digs in her heels…”
“Still, Lily, it wouldn’t hurt for you to mention it.”
This. This was why I was at Bribury and not Maryland. This was why I was Jane Winters’ roommate.
It wasn’t all just keeping tabs on Jane and trying to make sure no naked pictures of her ended up on myporn.com.
It was for moments like this when I would be asked to leverage my friendship with Jane for whatever reason my father—and hers—found imperative.
“Dad, no,” I said, the words together like that feeling strange on my tongue. I didn’t often combine them to form a sentence.
“Just think about it. It’s one day out of her life, and it would be important.”
I couldn’t figure out why, and neither could Jane, but I wasn’t going to ask my father. If I did, and he told me, I’d have to share that with Jane, and then she’d know I’d been talking about her with my father.
Even though she guessed I did.
“Dad, first of all, it wouldn’t do any good. And second, I think she would dig in even further if I asked her to think about it.” He started to say something, but I spoke over him (which was also new). “Plus then I’d lose all credibility with her.” Which was important to me, but I knew that would be the kicker for my father.
“Right. Right. Okay, if you don’t think you could sway her, best to just not even bring it up.” Always the tactician, my father.
“Good, I won’t.” I again started down the last flight of stairs, feeling bad that Lucas had been waiting outside for me, even though I’d texted him that I’d be right down.
“Okay, I’ve got to go,” I said.
“Did I hear your mother ask you about a boy? Are you seeing someone, Lily?”
“Yes. Well, I have a date tonight.”
“Would I know this boy’s parents?”
You might think that was a stupid question, but the odds were my fatherdidknow the parents of half the boys at Bribury.
He just didn’t know Lucas wasn’t a Bribury boy.
“I doubt it. He’s—oh, he’s waiting for me downstairs,” I said, like I’d just gotten the text from Lucas. “I really have to go, Dad.”
