Delilah Greer.
Of course she got in.
I stare at her name for a second too long, thumb hovering over the trackpad.
She’s sharp. Probably insanely organized. Definitely full of opinions.
And she'd be an absolute nightmare to work with.
I scroll past.
Then I copy and paste the same message into ten different emails to people who, crucially, aren’t her.
I recognize.
Future Innovators – Partnering Up?
Hey,
Congrats on getting in! Looks like we’re both in the running. I’m looking for a partner, and I think our skill sets could complement each other well.
-Troy
Boom.Done.
Someone’s bound to jump on that offer.
Feeling satisfied, I close my laptop and head downstairs. The smell of coffee and instant ramen hits me before I even step into the living room.
Ethan is sprawled on the couch, controller in hand, completely locked in on whatever game he’s playing.
“Morning, sunshine,” I say, dropping onto the couch next to him.
“Dude, it’s like noon,” he says, not even looking away from the screen.
“Exactly. Morning.”
Ethan snorts but keeps playing, his fingers flying over the buttons.
“Who are you playing with?” I nod at the screen.
“Some guys from my class. And Paige.”
“Paige not bored of you yet?” I teased him.
Ethan pauses the game, then grins so wide it’s actually kind of painful to look at.
“Dude. I think I might be in love with her.”
I roll my eyes. Ethan is a hopeless romantic, often claiming he loves a girl after one freakin’ kiss.
“Of course, you do.”
“I’m serious!” He turns to me, looking ridiculously happy. “I don’t know, man. She’s just… she’s awesome. She’s so smart, and funny, and the other night, she sent me this whole thing about how the physics of black holes relates to gaming strategy, and I think that’s the moment I realized—holy shit,I might actually love this girl.”
I stare at him. Because this isEthan.
The same guy who has fallen head over heels for at least four girls in the past two years, only to get distracted by something shiny and move on. But he actually seems different, he’s been seeing Paige for over a month now and that’s probably the longest anyone’s ever caught his eye.
