Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“She really likes you.” Hailey had a smile for both of us as she watched.
At long last, I straightened up, noting the blond hairs all over my clothes. That was another thing I remembered from having a golden.
Hailey walked back into the living room. “I guess we should be going.”
“Yep.” I took a long final look at the serene and airy space. “Are you headed back to the house? If so, we can go together.”
She stopped by the door. “Don’t you have class?”
“Not until this afternoon.”
“You go ahead then. You probably want to get lunch before your class.”
I gave her my most charming smile. “I can wait.”
She didn’t smile back. Her gaze flicked downward, and I spotted the tote bag on the ground. A tote bag I’d recently seen her carrying. “I have to do a few more things here, so you might as well go ahead,” she urged.
“I’ll wait,” I repeated.
A flash of frustration crossed her face, and then she nodded. With another quick glancing at the tote bag, she turned toward the door.
“Don’t forget your bag,” I said, lifting it up.
Her face paled as she looked back at me. “That’s not—”
“It’s kind of heavy. What’s in there, a laptop? Maybe a textbook or two?”
I could practically hear her frantic thoughts as she considered what to say.
But then I cut in. I didn’t know why she’d lied to me, but I didn’t want her to do it again. “Here’s the thing.”
Her eyes widened slightly, like she was bracing for bad news.
“I saw you come out of Miller Hall before,” I said, keeping my voice even. “With a crowd of students. Very much as if a class had just let out.”
Her mouth opened, but only one word came out: “I—” She stopped and bit her bottom lip. “You followed me here?”
“I was headed in the same direction,” I corrected. “Then I stopped to get some coffee, and when I came out, much to my surprise, I saw you tearing down the street.”
Her shoulders slumped.
“Before you say anything else,” I continued, giving her a small smile to ease the tension, “please keep in mind that I’m studying architecture, and I’m fairly certain you weren’t just wandering around Miller for the aesthetics.”
“No,” she sighed, deflating a little. “I wasn’t.”
“You’re a student.”
“Yes.” She turned away, her movements restless as she paced toward the sofa. Her agitation showed that this room wasn’t currently feeling like her safe space, and I was sorry for that. But I also really wanted to know what was going on with her. She’d told us so little about herself, and it was obvious that she was facing some struggles this summer. Why else would she have moved into a frat house?
She stopped near the window, looking out as if the view might offer her clarity. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just didn’t want you guys to know.”
I moved to the other window, but I looked at her, not the view. “Okay, but can I ask why?”
Hailey looked up at me sharply, her expression intense. “Because I’m not supposed to be in this position.” The words tumbled out like she’d been holding them in too long. “None of the other students here work multiple jobs. Or any jobs. They don’t walk dogs or man a cash register or deliver late-night food orders.”
Her words made me feel both guilty and entitled. I’d done internships, but I certainly hadn’t needed to work while attending classes. “Have you done all of those things?”
“Yes. Until I had to sell my car.”
I studied her, trying to understand. She said she didn’t want anyone else to know, but what she was doing was admirable, not shameful. She wasn’t just hardworking—she was relentless. But there was also pain in her words, and I didn’t want to overlook that. “You did all those things during your first year here?” I assumed she’d be a sophomore in the fall.
“Yes.” She dropped my gaze, and I hated seeing her shrink into herself like that. Hailey was strong, but whatever she’d been through had clearly left scars.
I spoke gently. “It’s not a shameful thing, Hailey. It shows how dedicated you are to your studies if you made it through your first year while doing all that.”
She shook her head, her expression unreadable, like she didn’t believe me. I wanted to reassure her, but I also sensed that she wasn’t ready to hear it. “I didn’t want anyone else to know,” she said finally, “because it would mark me as different.”
“Is that so bad?” I didn’t want to dismiss her feelings, but I also wanted to challenge her a little. Different didn’t mean lesser.
“Yes! In a place like this, yes.” Her eyes drifted to Sunny, who was curled up in her dog bed, scratching an itch with her back paw. “The students here don’t like people who are different. And they can already tell. My clothes, my behavior, my accent—I already don’t fit in. Why give them one more reason to be sure of that?”