As soon as I left his office, I rummaged for my phone and scanned my contacts until I found the person I needed to call. He picked up after the second ring.
“Reece? Hey, it’s Georgia. Did you really mean it when you said I could use your old apartment this summer?”
MOM WASN’T THRILLED.
I’d known that she wouldn’t be, but she actually required more convincing than I expected.
“Maybe I should call this Dr. Chase,” she suggested, “And find out more about the particulars of—”
“Mom, no. What for?” With a deep breath, I softened my voice, “I’m twenty years old and in college. I don’t think he’s accustomed to getting phone calls from parents. This is legit, I promise. I’ll be working with grad students. I’m really lucky to get this chance.”
She sighed, and I knew she was relenting.
“I’m sure I can expect a fabulous recommendation from him for future jobs. And this experience will look great on my resume,” I added, knowing how Mom thought. “Your friend at the bank will be very impressed.”
“Fine.”
A huge smile curved my lips and I danced in place.
“What about housing?” she continued. “Do you even have a place—”
“A friend of mine is moving out of his apartment and is letting me stay there over the summer.”
“Is it a nice place? In a good part of town?”
“Mom. It’s five minutes from campus. It’s great.” Not a lie. Mulvaney’s is right around the corner from campus. I just omitted the part about it being located on top of a bar.
“All right. Georgia. I can see you want this. We were just looking forward to having you home for the summer. We miss you.” At that, guilt stabbed at me. My mother, my family . . . they just loved me. Mom especially. She cared about me. I shouldn’t resent her for it. My mom wasn’t like Pepper’s—a drug addict who’d abandoned her only child. Or Emerson’s mother who was, depending on the day, either cruel or indifferent to her daughter. My mom cared too much. That was her crime.
“Find out the timeline. Maybe you can schedule a trip home before school starts in the fall.”
I nodded, happiness bubbling up inside me. “I will. I’ll let you know.”
I stayed on the phone for a few more minutes, in such a great mood that I even tolerated her sharing all the latest Harris news with me. Apparently Mom had breakfast with his mother at the club last weekend. I didn’t even interrupt when she voiced—again—the inevitability of our getting back together.
Ending the call, I propped my hands on my hips and surveyed my dorm. Suddenly packing wasn’t such a dismal prospect.
THE LAST WEEK AND a half of classes flew by. My final paper was turned in. My last exam taken. All my boxes were packed—and not just mine, but my roommates’, too. We were all moving out. Moving out and moving on.
I sat on Pepper’s bed next to Em, watching as Reece lifted the final box and marched out into the hall with it.
Pepper sank down on the mattress beside us. The mattress was stripped of sheets and made a faint crackling sound with the addition of her weight. The room was completely bare. Naked brick walls stared down at us.
“This is it,” Pepper declared with a forced smile.
My eyes ached a little, burning with the threat of tears, as I stared at her. I reached out to caress the loosely braided auburn hair that hung over her shoulder.