But naturally, Alex saved himself from any post-class confrontation by going to the bathroom before the bell rang and then simply not coming back. I assumed he’d returned to grab his backpack later.
“I know Alex is the obvious choice,” Anthony said as we neared his house, “but he’s taking a lot of hits. People need to stop punching him in congratulations. He bruises easily.”
I smiled a bit.Oh, Anthony.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Alex is now safe and sound in his room.”
Because after I’d given Tag a short and sweet good-night hug, Alex had been all too eager to follow him inside their dorm.
“I know.” Anthony straightened his shoulders. “He asked me to FaceTime during the Bruins-Rangers game later.”
“Ooh…” I elbowed him. “Spicy.”
Anthony went scarlet.
I laughed, then he laughed too before we said goodbye.Josh’s car was in the driveway when I reached the cottage. “We’re in here!” my mom called from the kitchen once I shut the front door behind me, and even though whatever Josh was cooking smelled incredible, my stomach churned. Were we going to talk about my disciplinary hearing?
My mom was attempting to dice bell peppers while Josh monitored multiple pots on the stove. It looked likea lotof food. “What’s all this?” I asked.
“Dinner,” Josh answered, moving to stir something that had started sizzling.
“For a hundred?” I joked. “Are we expecting the whole neighborhood tonight?” I noticed the Tupperware on the countertop, along with the empty YETI cooler on the floor. Josh was not only making dinner for us but also dinner for Tag. I shouldn’t have been surprised; Josh had always treated Tag like a younger brother. He took care of him.
“Of course,” my mom said after I asked. “Would you want to eat delivered dining hall food?” She looked up from the cutting board and flashed me a half smirk.
Which somehow sent me over the edge.
“Well, it’syourfault he has to,” I said, more sharply than I’d meant.
My mother raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“It’s your fault,” I repeated. My heart hammered. “House arrest, Mom? In the whole history of Ames, has a house arresteverhappened? Did you really need to—”
“Yes, Lily, I did,” she interrupted as Josh diplomatically taste-tested what looked like Bolognese sauce. “Ididneed to be that harsh.” She put down her knife, having truly butchered the poor pepper. “Penny was going to kick his ass off campus, and no one around that conference table had any objections.”
“Except us,” Josh jumped in.
My mom nodded. “His parents were hopeless too. They argue for a living, and they didn’t eventryto put up a fight, not even for their son.” She sighed. “Everyone was in agreement, so I needed to play another bad cop in order to be the good one.” She gave me a long look. “Does ‘aut viam inveniam aut facium’ ring a bell?”
Her words slowed my heart to a near stop.
Aut viam inveniam aut facium.
I shall either find a way or make one, I thought, closing my eyes to see the words inked on Tag’s bicep. There had been no straightforward way to save him from expulsion, so my mom had made one. A merciless one, but still—a way.
“Please say you’re not mad at him anymore,” I whispered, eyes prickling. “Please say his punishment is enough.” My voice wavered. “You can’t be angry with him.”
My mom picked up her knife to continue brutalizing her vegetables. “Does it look like I am?” she said. “I’m making him at least a week’s worth of dinners.”
Josh pulled a pan of mac and cheese out of the oven, one that Tag would drizzle ketchup all over. “Oh, you are, are you?” he asked dryly. “We must’ve gotten our wires crossed.” Heset the pan on a cooling rack, then gestured to it. “Because I thoughtIwas cooking him dinner.”
In the cozy kitchen, my mom turned and planted a kiss on the back of Josh’s neck. He smiled and blindly reached back to crook an arm around her waist. “No, I’m notangrywith him anymore,” she told me. “I’m stillupsetwith him, but I no longer want to set him on fire.” She dropped her voice. “Because he never ceases…”
Josh and I exchanged puzzled looks, but when my mom spoke again, my pulse spiked.
“I want to frame it.” Her frustration melted into a reluctant but bemused smile. “I want toframethat email. One of my students showed it to me.”
“Mom,” I started, ready to come clean at the same time as Josh said, “Leda, care to share with the class?”
