Page 31 of Head Under Water

“Thanks,” she says. “Here for the conference?”

I nod.

“What’s your last name?”

“Sullivan. Opal Sullivan. I’m here from Havenport.”

She flips through the stack of papers in front of her, skimming her finger down the list until she finds me.

“Ah, here you are.” She draws a little mark next to my name, then reaches into the plastic bin beside her and pulls out a tote bag. It’s beige with black handles, very fitting for a regional statistics conference.

As boring as possible.

I drag out the lanyard with my name on it and drape it around my neck. “Thank you.”

Through the double doors behind the table, the center bustles with people, all sporting plastic badges identical to mine. There’s a large stage in the front of the main room, the floor filled with rows of chairs.

I pause near the last row, resting my bag in a seat to check the folder for my schedule.

Gene has me going to one lecture today and two tomorrow. They all sound terrible.

“There she is.” Will’s voice shreds my nerves like mozzarella.

I glance over my shoulder and grab my bag. “Hello, Will.”

He’s standing a little too close when I turn and I nearly run into his chest, but he doesn’t step back. He just lowers his voice. “What’s he got you going to today?”

“Machine Learning vs. Classical Statistics. You?”

He looks at his schedule. “Careers in Statistics and Data Sciences. It’s a panel.”

I nod slowly, looking around the room. “Mine doesn’t start for a few hours, so I may go up to my room and take a nap or catch up on homework or something.”

He studies me, his gaze tracking the tight line of my shoulders and up my neck, narrowing when he catches my eyes again. “You’re on a paid vacation, and you want to do homework?”

“This is not a vacation. And it’s definitely not paid. I have work to do if I don’t want to fall behind.”

“Suit yourself,” he says with a soft, dramatic sigh.

“Why? What are you planning to do?”

“Explore.”

“Explore?”

“Call me Dora, baby.” His hands go to his sides like a magician revealing a trick. “We’re in a new place. I’m going to make the most of it. Homework can wait. I’ll be here for my panel, but the rest of the time? You won’t find me in this lame hotel, that’s for sure.”

I adjust the straps of my tote bag on my shoulder, refusing to reward him with even a smirk. “Well, fly, little birdie. I can’t wait to hear about your adventures. Just be aware that if you miss your panel, I’m not covering for you.”

“I’d never expect you to,” he says, his voice flat. His eyes don’t leave mine. “Have fun studying.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

AGE 19

Later, when my session is over, I stop by the restaurant in the hotel to get dinner. Midway through the lecture, I realized how hungry I was, and then it was practically all I could think of.

I order a burger and fries to go and carry the food to my room, the smell taunting me.