And I cannotwaitto see the pissed-off look on Sumner’s face when he realizes the trophy’s gone from right under his nose.
9
My Saturday afternoon is spentin the Chelmsford library with Analiese.
I embrace the familiar sounds and shapes and smells after months away. Huge bay windows line either side of the space and allow soft light to filter in. Milky glass sconces mounted on board-and-batten paneling rain down a warm shine over built-in bookshelves. Islands of static shelves hold even more books toward the back, where they’re organized by genre and subject, and sturdy oak tables offer antique banker’s lamps and multiple outlet strips for modern technology. It’s spacious and warm and smells like muted cedar and musty vanilla and a longing sense of comfort.
My dad would take my mom on dates here, back when he was still teaching and she was working at the library one town over. They’d pick out a book for each other—hers something soft and romantic, his selection rooted in theory—and then they’d read in the nooks covered in cushions beneath the bay windows. No food allowed, but my rule-bending father was always sneaking in candy for her. Nothing messy, of course. She’d pretend to be mad, but she never was.
I’m convinced Chelmsford was created to be more inviting than our dorm to get students to study in a new environment.Each room in Hyde only has a small window the width of a postcard, and even though we have a view of the courtyard, our desks are super compact. My laptop takes up the entire surface area, so any textbook I need to reference ends up in my lap.
Across from me, Analiese is studying her laptop screen and chewing on her pinkie nail. It’s a habit she’s had for as long as I’ve known her, and I know better than to interrupt when she’s so focused.
Smoothing over things with Analiese was the first thing I set out to do this morning. Even though she tried not to show it, I could tell I’d hurt her by leaving wish night early. The library is my way of making it up to her. It’s part of her routine, so this feels like righting a steering wheel that’s been jerked away from a straightforward route.
My focus should be on my UPenn application, but I find myself tapping the Instagram logo on my phone. When it opens, I navigate to the search field and typeWilliam Alexander Cromwell.
Thirty-two results.
I squint down a trail of avatars, but none are familiar. Back at the search bar, I addLord William Alexander Cromwell.
Zero results.
Figures. He didn’t have a phone, so I’m not sure what I expected.
“Hey,” Analiese says suddenly, and I close the app like I’ve been caught stalking a crush. “I’m gonna go back to Hyde for my charger. Need anything?”
“No,” I say, then clear my throat. “Thanks, though. If I’m not here, I’ve gone to grab lunch.”
“Cool.” Analiese gets up and gestures to her belongings. “I’ll come back for this.”
She leaves, and a guilty twinge grows within me. I want to tell her what I overheard Ellerby say last night, but I know it would cause her to spiral more than I already am. I don’t have the emotional capacity to handle her panic on top of my own.
The only person I can talk to, I realize, is the person Idon’twant to talk to. And I’m certain the feeling is mutual.
Jared might understand, but then I imagine dropping such heavy news on him while he’s trying to adjust to college life, and I change my mind. I can’t give him another reason to mourn, especially when he’s so far away from family. From here.
So I keep it to myself, letting it become a tight, knotted thing in my chest.
I’ve found a distraction in memorizing my weekly list of vocabulary words for Honors English when a slip of shadow blocks my light. When I look up, Sumner stands over me.
So does William.
He aligns himself next to Sumner with poised stature, all regal grace and confidence. He’s wearing the Ivernia sweatshirt I grabbed for him in the lost and found yesterday, but the faded jeans are new. Unless his luggage arrived this morning, I figure they must belong to Sumner.
Beside him, Sumner’s mouth slips into a disapproving curve.
“Uh,” I begin. “Hi?”
“Hi,” he says, but the word is banal and unfriendly. He turns to William. “Hey, go grab that table over there?”
As William spins in the opposite direction, Sumner crosses his arms. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I glance down. “Vocabulary?”
“Let me rephrase.” He pulls Analiese’s empty chair out and sits in the open space across from me. Today he’s wearing an oversized gray crew neck with theLeague of Legendslogo screen-printed on the front. “Iknowwhat you’re doing.”
My eyes land on William, who’s casually admiring a selection of shelved books, his hands tucked behind his back.
