“Can we make it there like this?”
Wade grinned. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
He reassembled the motor and we piled back into the van. We crawled along at a snail’s pace, pausing regularly to allow the engine to cool down. Once in town, I parted ways with them and sprang for a cab to the academy. I got the same driver as when I’d arrived at the bus station, but now I was seeing everything through new, and perhaps wiser, eyes.
I was crossing the field toward the dorms when a familiar blond figure beelined toward me from the cafeteria. My shoulders sagged at the sight of Alex making his way to intercept me, and I slowed, resigned to chatting with him for a few moments before heading to the room. He stopped a few feet away, his expression neutral, and glanced at the duffel before meeting my eyes.
“Hey. Missed you in class the last couple of days.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Something came up.”
“Rumor mill says an accident?”
I frowned a little. “Scary. Hit and run. But I’m fine.”
“Where did it happen?”
“Upstate,” I said, hoping my brevity would signal I didn’t want to discuss it.
“Well, it’s good to see that you’re okay,” he said. “Nobody else was hurt?”
“Everyone’s going to live,” I said, checking my watch. “Thanks for asking, Alex. Now I have to get going. See you around.”
“Yeah. Um, okay. I’d like that.”
I exhaled in relief as I continued to the dorms, and then remembered my phone. I switched it on and, when I had a signal, texted Kate.
I’m back at Ridley. Heading to the room. See you guys after class
Next, I thumbed Jared’s cell number. It went directly to voicemail, and I swore as I listened to the automated greeting before leaving a message.
“Jared, it’s me. I…it’s a long story, but…I took off. I’m at school. Before you go nuts over it, I want to talk to you and explain. So please, just call me when you can talk. I’d like to see you in person.” I hesitated. “Maybe if you’re shooting tonight? I could come to the set. Just let me know.”
I hung up, wondering when he’d put his battery back in his phone and get my message. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain the conclusion I’d come to on the drive, but I wasn’t going to let that stand in my way. I’d figure it out, as Kindra had recommended. What was important was that I knew I didn’t want to live without Jared, just as he’d made clear he didn’t want to spend his eternity without me. From that, everything would follow.
How, I still had no idea.
The room was empty, as I expected; at this time my roommates would all still be in class. I unpacked the duffel and stared at all the new clothes on my bed, most still with tags, laid out like trophies while Cyrus greeted my return with loud purrs and incessant leg rubbing. Each item reminded me of Jared, of course, since he’d helped to pick them out, and all I had to do was close my eyes to see the flash of his smile and the twist of his lips into his trademark grin.
I shook off the melancholy as I finished my project, and sat heavily on the bed. Cyrus jumped up and plopped down beside me, as though sensing my mood and wanting to comfort me. I remained like that for a half hour as I worked through what I was willing to give in order to get what I wanted now that I was completely sure about it. The little voice in my head that tormented me with my inadequacies argued to hold back in order to protect myself, and I spent much of my time trying to silence it – I was done letting my fear determine my outcomes.
My phone didn’t ring, no matter how many times I picked it up, and as the hour grew later, I thought about what I was going to tell my roommates. I’d already decided that I would sacrifice my grades and remain with Jared as long as it took for him to deal with the hunters – I would just have to work that much harder to make up for the lost time. I could maybe invent a story of a sick relative or a pressing issue of some sort that would keep me away the rest of the week. If that wasn’t long enough, I’d deal with it then. Maybe take a semester off?
Serena was the first through the door, and when she saw me, she squealed and ran to me with outstretched arms.
“You’re back!”
I returned her hug with a smile. “Yeah. For a little while, anyway.”
Her grin turned into a concerned look. “What? Why? Is everything okay?”
“I have to take care of some stuff, so I’m bailing on the rest of the week. There’s no getting around it,” I said, keeping it vague. I wanted to take no chances of anything I said making it into the gossip mill, even if it was already too late to undo the past.
“Whoa.” She studied my face for a beat. “Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, I suppose. Is there anything I can help with?”
I shook my head. “No. Thanks, though.”
“What about the last four days? You were with Jared the entire time?”
“A lot of it,” I admitted.
Kate and Sarah arrived and they clustered around my bed. “So tell us everything,” Sarah said. “And I mean everything. I want details. Photos. Positions. Numbers. You’re not leaving this room until you give it up.”
“Was it amazing?” Kate asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s everything you can imagine, and more.”
“Where did you go? What did you do?” Sarah demanded.
“We drove around a lot. Stayed at some cool little bed-and-breakfasts. It was a good way to get to know each other.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’ll say. How many times did you…?”
“I’m not going to talk about that kind of stuff. Sorry,
