She puts down her trowel and looks at me. “Have you ever considered doing something more serious with this hobby of yours?”
“Fairy gardening?”
“Gardening in general. I don’t know what ambitions you have for the future, but you clearly like it here. It’s worth looking into gardening programs or internships when you get back home. Just to see what opportunities you might have.”
“Oh...” I shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought that much about it.”
“Well, you should.”
I nod and add it to the endless to-do list in my mind. Explore career paths. I’ll get right on that.
When I shuffle into my dorm room, I’m surprised to find Dev and Sage alone together. I avert my eyes, all the humiliation from before whooshing back.
“Oh... hey.” I step back into the hall. “I’m just—”
“What are you doing? Come in.” Sage waves me forward. “Wewere just talking about you.”
“There seems to be a lot of that going around today.”
“Sam is a self-involved jerk,” Dev says. “Now get in here and shut the door so we can start talking about him.”
I sit on the edge of Sage’s bed since Dev and Sage have taken both chairs and fiddle with my phone. “I don’t want to talk about it. There’s nothing to say and I don’t want to sit here while you guys patronize me with compliments.”
“I wasn’t going to do that,” Dev says.
“You weren’t?”
“No. I know you’re struggling with the classes. There’s no point pretending otherwise.”
My shoulders relax. I appreciate that he’s not going to act condescending.
“But—” He points at me. “You struggling and Sam being a jerk are not mutually exclusive. He’s one of the biggest complainers I’ve ever met. He loves to blame his problems on other people. If I know him, he was only saying that stuff so he has a ready-made excuse if you guys get a bad grade on the presentation.”
“Totally.” Sage nods. “Before every test he tells us how he didn’t get much sleep, or he had to help his mom with something, or he’s sick, as if that can excuse him for any bad grades he gets. It’s incredibly tedious.”
Tingling warmth creeps through me as they speak. I want to pull them into an enormous bear hug. “That does sound a little desperate.” I give a weak smile.
“Very.”
I sigh. “I know I’m the odd one out here. And the rest of you know it too. I’ve just been so scared that everyone was judging me and then to hear him say that...”
“Screw everyone else,” Dev says.
I purse my lips. “You know what I’d like to do? I want to finish that entire goddamn presentation by myself and shove it down his throat.”
Dev and Sage exchange excited looks.
“Hell yes!” Dev pumps his arm in the air.
“And that’s going to takea lotof studying.” I stand and walk to my desk. “I’ll grab my stuff and go to the library. I don’t want to interrupt you two anymore.”
Sage shuts her laptop and pushes back her chair. “Actually, I think I need a break. I’m going to get a shower.”
“I—” I glance between them nervously.
She grabs her bathroom stuff and heads for the door. “I’ll be back in a while.” She closes the door and leaves us in the silent room.
“Sorry for the interruption.” I twiddle my thumbs. “At least you two had a little time alone?”
