“I can do that. Can you meet me at the mall tomorrow at one?”
“Yep.”
“Cool. See you then.”
“Thanks, Kylie,” I say.
“Sure. Anytime.”
We hang up, and I grin. It’s time for me to become the confident woman I know I am. And also, time for me to woman up and win the job and the man of my dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Clark
I stare at my phone again. I sent Megan a text three hours ago and I’ve heard nothing. I groan and grab two more ibuprofen. I should not have downed so many beers last night. The smell of coffee has me grinning. The fancy coffee maker was our one splurge for the apartment last year.
I roll over and chug the glass of water sitting on my bedside table.
I need to study but I want to talk with Megan first, maybe even ask her to come to the library roof with me.
Evan is leaning against our counter with a cup of coffee when I walk into the kitchen. I shake my head at the words on his mug, “There’s only one thing bigger than my personality.”
He looks over at me. “Morning. Did you hear about the craziness at the SOR house last night?”
I nod. “I was there,” I mutter as I grab a mug and start pouring the liquid nectar of life into it.
“Shit. Really? Stella texted me but said she was too busy cleaning up to talk. I’m going to head over there in a little bit.”
I grunt as I drink.
“What’s wrong with you?”
I’m about to answer when an equally disheveled Grif walks in the room.
“Damn, what did I miss last night? Did you guys go to a rave and not invite me ’cause that would have been way more epic than the lame party I went to?”
Grif doesn’t answer. I wordlessly hand him a mug and he pours the remainder of the pot of coffee into it.
After taking three long drinks, he turns to Evan. “You missed blowing up shit. We seriously schooled some children last night.”
Evan laughs. “Fuck, you guys had a game night? Damn it. I should have come home earlier.”
“Bros before hoes,” Grif mutters.
“OK, next weekend, we should totally have a stay-in night,” Evan suggests.
“Can’t. I gotta go work on the house some more,” I say.
“This sucks. We can’t let this semester end without doing something epic,” Evan scoffs.
I can’t disagree with the guy. Going out without one last hurrah seems uneventful and out of character for us.
“Maybe we can have a long weekend at the beach before the end of the semester,” I state.
“Girls or no girls?” Evan asks.
I look over at Grif. He shrugs. “I could find a lady friend.”
I debate it. “Have we decided on the summer trip yet?”
Every summer since freshman year, we take a road trip somewhere. We’ve been planning this one for three years now. We are between driving to San Diego or going camping near Devil’s Tower.
“I thought we were going camping?” Grif states.
“Yeah, definitely camping,” Evan agrees.
“Well, as long as we get a two-week guys’ trip, then I’m good with ladies at the beach,” I say.
Grif and Evan nod their agreement.
I set down my mug. “I better go kiss and make up with mine, then.”
They both look at me.
“Gonna share with the class?” Grif asks.
“We may have gotten in a ‘tiff’ over her being a stubborn pain in my ass.”
“Oh, that’s not good,” Evan says.
“Tell me about it. I let it slip in the sibling chat and got fucking schooled by my sisters. You guys do not want to be on the receiving end of the Moore women’s wrath.”
Evan chuckles. “Your sisters scare me, dude. Seriously, they could kick any of our asses.”
I nod. “They have kicked my ass, every time I misbehaved as a kid. Kylie would sit on my chest and Di and Lanie would tickle torture me. They are brutal. They also liked to pick the bathroom lock and pour buckets of cold water on my head while I was in the shower.”
“Damn, that’s fucked up,” Grif agrees.
“No shit. They were way worse than Kent ever was.”
“No wonder you have no fear,” Evan points out as he sets his mug in the sink.
My phone pings and I look down, hoping to see a response from Megan. But instead, I see a FaceTime from my mom.
“Is that Momma Moore?” Grif asks.
I roll my eyes and accept the call.
“Hey, sweetie!” she says way too loudly.
“Hi, Mom. How are you guys? Where are you at?” I ask in rapid-fire.
“We are at Zion and it is beautiful! Last night we had three deer just walk right up to the cabin. It was so amazing. How are you? How are school and the internship?”
“Good. Everything is good. I think we might go to the beach in a few weeks.”
“Oh? That’ll be fun. Are Grif and Evan there?”
I’m suddenly smooshed as my roommates crowd on either side of me and start talking to my mom.
I stand there and semi-patiently wait for them to finish.
“Oh, Clarkie, I’m making a…what’s it called, dear?” she says, turning and looking to her left.
“An Instagram account,” Dad says.
“Oh, right. I made us one of those so we can post pictures. Kylie and Nana suggested it. Uh…hold on…how do I get back to it so I can send it to Clark?”
“You just click out of FaceTime,” I hear Nana Betty say. I grin.
“But, then the video won’t work.”
“Just swipe right,” Gran Tilly adds.
“No, no, that’s Tinder,” Nana says.
“What’s that?” my mom asks.
“No, it’s Grinder. Kent’s friend Nate told me about it,” Gran states.
I press my lips together but Evan and Grif lose it.
“Grinder is the dating app for…never mind,” I say, deciding it’s not worth it to explain any of this to them.
“We should have made a TikTok account. Or what’s that other one…Snapchat. We can snap you, Clark,” Nana says.
“OK, you all need to lay off becoming social media influencers. Mom, just tell me what your profile name is, and I’ll add you when we get off the phone.”
“What’s a profile name?” Mom asks.
I slap my forehead. “What is your IG account name?”
“IG? We didn’t make a TikTok.”
“No. Oh, for the love of God.” Before I can say anything else, my phone pings, and I see a notification pop up that “MobileMooreMadness is now following you.”
I laugh. “Did Dad come up with the name?”
“Yes. He did. Oh, you sent it. Dad just sent it.”
“Mom, I know. That’s why I asked about the name.”
“Oh, OK. Well, I just wanted to call and check in and see how you were doing.”
“We are great. I’ll go like all your photos.”
“I miss you, Clarkie,” Mom says in her mushy mother's voice.
I groan. “I miss you, too, Mom.”
“Clark, have Kent call me. I need to get some tickets before the season ends. Millie and Roger want to go to a game,” Gran Tilly yells.