“Impressive,” Sam says with a nod.
“Are you applying to colleges close to home too?” Dev asks her, his expression a little too eager.
She shrugs. “Yeah, a few. Mostly safety schools. I’d like to go out west if I don’t get into Yale.”
Dev slumps a bit in his seat. He’s so clearly into Sage, but I can’t tell if she’s noticed yet.
He turns to me. “What about you, Ellie? Already have college plans?”
I clasp my hands tightly in my lap. “Um, I already finished my applications too.”
It’s not a lie, but it’s also not something I want to brag about. I applied to a community college where I’m basically guaranteed to get in, and I only did that because Mom forced me before I left. I wish I were passionate about something sensible like medicine or business, but the idea of studying that kind of stuff makes me want to puke. I don’t want to waste money to get a degree I don’t care about, particularly when I’m not a fan of school to begin with. I’d rather not think about next year at all.
“Where’d you apply?” Sam asks me. There’s a judgmental tone underlying his words and I’m suddenly wishing he’d chosen to sit somewhere else.
“Um...” My knee is bouncing so fast it’s shaking my chair. Dev sees it.
“No place you could get into, I’m sure,” Dev says to him. “Speaking of overachievers, how’s your research position going, Sage?”
The conversation shifts and I blow out a breath. Did anyone but Dev notice my hesitation? I appreciate him changing the subject, but I also hate that he had to do that. One week in and it’s already clear that one of these things is not like the others.
My phone buzzes the next evening, jerking me out of a stupor. I fold down the page inBeowulfand read the text from Will. There’s a picture of a gorgeous stone cottage.
Know any buyers? Wish I were with you instead.
He hasn’t forgotten about me! Before I can respond, he sends another text.
What are you doing this Saturday? Have you been to Bath?
No, not yet. I’d love to visit though.
I have to type the words twice because my hands tremble and I keep hitting the wrong keys.
Good, then it’s decided. We’ll spend the day there. Now I have something to look forward to.
I squeeze my phone to my chest like it’s Pinky. A trip with Will! Just the two of us, going to a beautiful city in England! I’m shakyat the possibility of it. This is my chance to get to know him better. To convince him to keep seeing me. I just need to figure out how to do that, particularly when the sight of him makes words disintegrate in my mouth.
“LikingBeowulf?” Sage asks over her shoulder.
I squint in confusion before I realize I must have squealed when I got the text from Will. “No, I’m findingBeowulfa bit dry. But Will just invited me to Bath this Saturday.”
She smirks. “Sounds educational.”
“My favorite kind of education,” I say, rubbing my hands together.
I try rereading the same page inBeowulftwo more times before deciding I need a break. I push my books to the side and gingerly pull out my bag of fairy garden supplies I bought with Sage, along with the acorns from Will’s party. I’ve been dying to try a technique where you attach them to wire to make tiny acorn lanterns for the garden. It’s still strange to be making things like that around others, though.
Click. Click. Click.
I turn at the odd noise. “Whoa. You knit?” I ask.
Sage messes with the big ball of violet yarn that’s sitting on her lap. “It’s relaxing once you get the hang of it. The trick is to do simple projects so you don’t have to count stitches.”
I watch her work, a small smile on my lips. All she needs is a rocking chair and a crackling fireplace. Come to think of it, I bet we could find both of those somewhere in Emberton... that would make thecutestpicture if I could get her to pose for it.
I hold up my bag. “I love doing crafty stuff, but knitting looks too complicated to be relaxing. I’d rather stick stuff together with a hot glue gun.”
“Like your fingers?”
