Grace
September 13th
Iglance at my phone, seeing the time, and roll my eyes with regret. I’m supposed to meet with Jocelyn for a “girls’ night” soon. I haven’t seen Milly at all, and our last conversation was when we spoke in class with written notes. I feel a tightening building in my stomach that I haven’t seen her. I try to remind myself she is probably still resting. I just wish she would leave me another note.
I lift my head and look at the door, my stomach sinking slightly. I place my phone on the charger and open my bedroom door. Jocelyn is in the kitchen pouring snacks into different bowls. She has an upbeat song playing softly in the background.
She glances up at the sound of the door closing behind me and smiles warmly. “I’m so happy we are able to do this! I really feel like we haven’t had the chance to get to know one another.”
She has a charming demeanor, but I don’t buy it. She crumples the empty bag of popcorn and tosses it into the trash before grabbing the M&M’s and pouring them over the popcorn. I raise an eyebrow slightly, and she winks at me with her big brown eyes. “Trust me, it’s delicious.”
I step toward her slowly as my heart starts to race at the drastic change from last night. She’s being oddlywarmwith me.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I offer as I sit on the bar chair.
I lean my arms on the island as I fidget with my rings. There is an awkward lull in conversation that Jocelyn fills with questions. “So, uh, tell me, Grace… How has the transfer to this school been? I’m sure it’s been alittle daunting?”
She continues to place different small bowls around the island; surely this is too much for only the two of us.
“Are we expecting company?” I abruptly ask. Her smile drops slightly as her hands stop. She blushes as she moves her blonde hair over one shoulder, its long strands plated smoothly into a long braid that grazes her hip.Weird.
“I–I just wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I wanted to make sure there were options. I know I haven’t been the best roommate these last few weeks with not helping you out or showing you around–”
I rub the back of my neck, feeling awkward. “It’s okay,” I interrupt her ramble. “I haven’t been particularly social. I tend to keep to myself. Don’t worry, this is great.”
She smiles timidly at me, tucking a piece of her face-framing strands of hair behind her ear. She turns to the fridge and opens it while asking, “Wine preference?”
“Moscato, if you have it?”
She smiles and pulls out a white and red. “I wasn’t sure, so I snagged both.”
I chuckle softly as she pours us both a glass—her a red and me a white. “So, how are things going? Has the transfer to Hollowbrook been a hard transition?”
I want to tell her it’s been the worst thing that’s happened to me, but also quite possibly the best thing simultaneously. It has brought life back into my soul. But then I’d have to explain that seeing death quite literally gave me a purpose. That would surely be a great casual conversation piece. Or better yet, explain to her that I might be getting sacrificed within the next few weeks. That’s a smooth transferring process, right? I chuckle, and she gives me a questioning look.
“It’s going alright, I suppose. It’s just taken some time to adjust, which I’m sure is normal for anyone, but the classes are enjoyable. I’m just eager to settle into how things run around here. It’s definitely a differentenvironment than what I’m used to.”
I leave the statement open, hoping that Jocelyn will give a piece of information that could help me uncover more about what’s happening under everyone’s noses.
She takes a sip of her red wine and nods along to what I’ve said. “You’ll catch up in no time. You seem to be doing great, and I’ve heard you’re an incredible student.”
I raise my eyebrow at that, and she bashfully waves her hand in front of herself. “Well, Priest Brown has talked about you a tiny bit. He was eager to have you join the campus, especially with your father joining the staff. I volunteer in the chapel after class, and he talked eagerly about both of you joining the community.”
I lean forward, grabbing my wine and taking a generous sip. “Yeah, uhm, my father was—is—excited to be here.”
She circles the table to sit on the barstool next to me and spins the chair to face me. The movement places her knees against the front of mine. “And you? Are you excited to be here?”
I glance down at our close proximity and try to scoot back further on the chair. “Sure,” I say falsely. “I miss the old school, though. I’ve yet to see my best friend, Bea, since being here. School has just been taking over my life lately.” I frown to myself, wondering how she is. I promise myself I’ll call her tomorrow.
She puts the bowl of chocolate and popcorn between us. “Here, try it. Let me know your thoughts.” I look at her warily as I stick my hand in and take a bite.
The taste is sweet and savory, pulling a soft smile across my face instinctively. “Okay, alright. You’re right. It’s actually really good.”
She laughs and playfully pushes my shoulder. “I told you so!”
We settle into surprisingly easy conversation, spending the next hour laughing about different childhood stories, favorite movies and music, and even the classes we hate taking on campus. I find myself getting lost in the normalcy of the situation, actually enjoying her company. Until we hear a click, and my bedroom door opens by itself.
I fling my head over my shoulder to see it opening very slowly, knowing without question that Milly must be in there. I swallow and look back at Jocelyn, who furrows her brow at the odd sight. How did I get so caught up in this moment?
