Mia does a double take when she sees my face. “Waverly.” She butchers my name, but I have to give her credit for getting kind of close.
“Waylynn,” Bates corrects her for me.
“Oh shit, Waverly is a haunted asylum.” She taps the side of her head with her pointer finger. My stomach bottoms out. Why would she bring up something like that?
Oswald steps up to my side and wraps his arm around me again. I appreciate his nearness, but the only thing I can think about is what Mia knows about me and what she’s going to say next. I watch her eyes scan Memphis.
“Gravlin, right?” She acts like she’s unsure, but we both know she’s not.
“Yes,” he answers.
“You’re a TA for Hilbrand, right?”
Memphis
I’m beingsloppy and taking risks I shouldn’t have. Slipping off campus for lunch is one thing, but I’m carrying Waylynn’s fucking backpack for Christ’s sake. She’s my student.
I despise small talk, but I answer the girl who knows Waylynn in the simplest way I can, hoping it doesn’t invite more conversation. “Yes.”
“We should get going,” Oswald states, speaking directly after me. He knows me well enough to pick up on my mood.
“Get your friend home. We’ll meet you at the car,” I tell my brother and distance myself from Waylynn even more. “Don’t leave this lying around.” I hand her bag to my brother without even glancing in her direction, then walk away from them.
Everything about it feels wrong.
FIRSTS
Waylynn
It hurtsa little when Memphis acts like I don’t exist. I tell myself it probably has more to do with Mia asking if he was a TA than it does me, but I still don’t like it.
“Later,” Oswald says and pulls me along beside him, heading in the same direction Bates and Memphis went.
“You know that girl?” he asks once we’re out of earshot of the group.
“Not really. She was one of the student speakers at orientation.”
“She remembers you from orientation?” He sounds doubtful.
“I think it was another reason,” I hedge, but I know there’s no point, he’s going to ask more questions.
“Was it your beautiful face? Man, I’ve got to keep a closer eye on you,” he teases.
“No.” I tug on his fingers hanging over my chest. “She witnessed me shoving my nose in your brother’s back and wanted to know what he smelled like.”
Oswald stops while still clinging to me, so I stop too. “Come again?”
“At orientation, I wasn’t watching where I was going, and I ran right into Memphis’ back. I thought I broke my nose.” I wiggle said nose.
“No, I know that part. He told me you copped a feel too. I’m a little jealous, but we’ll get there. She asked you what he smelled like?” His mouth is hanging open in horror. That’s what he thinks is the worst part of the story?
“How does one ask that question? Wait, what did you tell her?” He’s strangely fascinated.
“The truth, and she just asked.” I shrug. “She caught me leaving the south quad after the tour ended, asked if he smelled good, and invited me to eat with her, but then she bailed when her pizza was ready.”
“Please tell me you told her he had BO.” Oswald tries not to laugh but ends up snickering.
“No,” I scoff. “I said he smelled really good, and she told me his name was Gravlin. I thought I was going to die when he was introduced in class as our TA. What are the chances?” I lift my hand, still unable to believe how small the world is, and Oswald grabs my fingers so we’re holding hands again. “I was banking on him not having seen me before I hid with the other students, but I must not have been fast enough.”
