“Really? Nice.”
Robin gives me a look. “If my sister would have told me about you, I could have made you one, too.”
Kylen chuckles. “Don’t blame your sister. We only became friends a week ago. But I would definitely love a stuffed dog.”
Robin beams.
The day goes on, with my parents meeting all of my teachers to hear about my progress, and they also hear more about what next year will be like. College is just around the corner and my parents want to make sure I have as many options as possible.
Then it’s time for lunch.
Robin grabs my hand and yanks me toward the dining hall. “Let’s eat! I’ve been waiting for this delicious, rich food all week.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Raven
To say the dining hall is packed to the brim would be an understatement. Everyone here, students and families alike, must be super starving because I swear every single individual within the school grounds is in this room. If not for my friends sitting at one of the tables with their families, I doubt my family and I would have a place to sit.
Robin continues yanking on my hand, pulling me all the way to the buffet tables, which thankfully, still have plenty of food available. We both want to eat everything, but of course that’s not possible. So we settle on each of us choosing as much as we can, and then we’ll share it with each other. My parents are excited as well, but since they’re on the older side, they have to be a little more careful than my sister and me.
Then we join my friends and their families and dig into our food. The meal is full of conversations, funny stories, and our parents hounding us about our schoolwork and grades. Since most of us are scholarship students, they want to make sure we’re not slacking off.
“School’s great and all,” Carly says. “But the best part about attending HBA is that I get to be with these beautiful people all day.” Carly throws her arms around me and Addie, who are sitting next to her. “I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t in my life. It’s almost like fate brought us all together, since I doubt we would ever be friends if not for the school.”
“You think we could have met in college?” Addie asks.
As Carly thinks of a response, I say, “Odds are probably not. Though anything is possible.”
“Does that mean we’re all planning on going to the same college?” Sophie asks with wide eyes.
The parents don’t seem too thrilled by that idea, since it would limit our options.
“Even if we don’t, we’ll still be best friends forever,” I assure everyone. “Nothing can break us apart. Our bond is like cement.”
All three of my friends agree.
Noticing that Robin has gone a little quiet, I knock my shoulder into hers. “So? Which is your favorite food?”
She blinks as she snaps out of whatever thought she was lost in. “What? Oh, everything is yummy. Do you really get to eat this stuff every day? So jealous.”
“The chefs went all out today,” Carly tells her. “But yeah, it’s basically like this every day. It’s surprising we didn’t gain like a hundred pounds.”
“Believe me, PE refuses to allow us to put on the extra weight,” I say, which has us laughing.
“It warms my heart when I see how happy our kids are,” Sophie’s mom says. “Since you kids are away at school, it’s hard for us to know how you’re really feeling. It’s hard enough when a kid goes to a local school, but when you’re hundreds of miles away? It’s almost torture. But I see that you girls are doing really well. That calms my heart.”
“I feel the same,” Mom says. “Every time I visit here, I’m amazed by how happy the girls are. And they’re on top of their grades, too. What else can a parent want?”
I’m so happy when my parents are happy because now I don’t have to worry about them pulling me out of the school. Not that they ever brought that up, but there’s always the worry that I’ll be separated from my friends. I don’t want to think about what will happen by college, though.
“What kind of desserts do they have?” Robin asks me.
“All kinds. Want to go to the dessert table?”
“That’s okay. I’ll go myself.” She slips out of her chair and dashes to the buffet table.
“Your sister gets more adorable and smarter every time I see her,” Sophie tells me. “But I can’t help but feel like something’s bothering her.”
