“I’m ordering pizza. Cheat day to celebrate.” Drew flicks open an app on his phone and seconds later the pizza is ordered.
I raise my eyebrows and shove my books into my bag. “What are we celebrating, exactly?”
“Mia called today. She wants to talk about us getting back together. I think this time it might really work out. Vi, she misses me.”
I can’t hold back the disappointed look that crosses my face. Drew deserves more than this. And she’s played this game with him so many times over the past few years that it’s almost sickening. Hearing her name makes my jaw clench because I know my brother is nothing more than her backup plan when she’s bored. I just wish he could see it.
He stands and walks to the kitchen, coming back with a beer in hand. Yep, he’s way too happy, and I want to be happy for him, but I can’t find it within myself to do so.
Am I being hypocritical?
I force out a smile, not wanting to upset him. If this is what he truly wants, I’ll find it within my heart to accept his decision, and I hope he would do the same thing for me. Accepting is not the same as liking, I remind myself.
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “You’ve got that strange look on your face again.”
Drew isn’t an idiot. He’s a cop and has a sixth sense for this stuff. But every time someone mentions Mia, I just think, ‘yeah, she’s a Slytherin.’ Hell, she might even be Voldemort, but that’s yet to be determined. I close my eyes tight and open them, trying to get a grip.
“You’re still here?” Travis says, plopping down in the chair beside me. “You were in such a hurry to leave after you fed me that shitty toast that I didn’t think you’d stick around.”
I turn and look at him, grateful for his saving grace. He looks more rested and not as exhausted as he did earlier, which makes me want to smile. The plate with the barely eaten toast is still on the table. Drew glances over at it and laughs before he sits on the couch next to me. I have to play this game, whether I want to or not. Just for now, I tell myself.
“Shut up, Travis. You should be glad I scraped the mold off for you.”
“At least you’re not eating kitty litter sandwiches,” Drew says with a big smile. “I swear Vi fed me one when we were kids.”
Now I genuinely am laughing. It was Pop Rocks and peanut butter—a secret recipe.
Travis notices how annoyingly happy Drew is, and questions it, just as I had. “What’s up with you?”
Drew looks at me, and I know I’m interrupting their dude talk, so I take the cue and walk back to the table. I’m half tempted to pull my books back out of my bag, but I don’t. Instead, I get on my phone and pretend to be searching for something. I’m far enough to be away but close enough to still listen.
“Mia called again. We’re going to talk about everything and figure out how to make it work because she said she couldn't get over us.”
Glancing over, I notice Travis’s reaction doesn’t change. “That’s great, dude.”
At this very moment, I wish I could use Legilimency and read his mind, just like Voldemort did to Harry.
A million questions stream through my mind, and it takes everything for me to hold them back. Does Travis approve of this? What’s his opinion about her and Drew? I make a mental note to ask him later. It can’t only be me who thinks this is a bad idea. And she knows if she keeps running back to Drew, he will never have time to get over her. Ugh. Every day I dislike her a little bit more.
“I might drive up and see her on my next day off. She said she has a lot to discuss with me,” Drew says, chugging his beer. “She mentioned a double date with her friend Kasey in a few weeks and asked if you’d like to join us.”
I feel my cheeks go pink, and I try to pretend what Drew just said is irrelevant to me.
“No, dude. I’m good. No woman should have to deal with me looking like this.”
My heart breaks a little because I know the cuts and bruises bother him. But I do an imaginary victory dance regardless. I clear my throat, letting them know this talk is over, and Drew sits back, still smiling. I shake my head and plop down next to him on the couch. I’m just a little pissed that Drew is trying to hook Travis up, or rather Mia is. I don’t know what she’s playing at, but she needs to back off, or she might find herself on the other side of the Avada Kedavra killing curse.
I try to ignore Travis, but he’s smiling because he knows Drew got to me.
“Panties still in a knot?” Travis asks nonchalantly.
“Aunt Flo, dude, I’m telling you,” Drew says to Travis, pointing directly at me.
“I’m not about to start my period, idiots. Seriously!”
Travis laughs, and Drew joins in. I try to ignore them both.
The pizza comes, and we eat. The rain finally stops, and by 7:00 p.m., I’m yawning like an old lady. I give Drew a side hug before I leave. He was so sprawled out on cloud nine, he didn’t even notice I didn’t have or do my laundry. Maybe Mia will be the perfect distraction for him.
“Bye, V,” Travis says with a smirk on his lips. I want to run to him and kiss him goodbye, but instead, I shake my head before I close the door. My heart is beating so fast as I drive home that I have to remind myself to breathe. Mia is trying to get Drew back. Travis is going to tell him about us. My life could easily transition into a soap opera.
When I arrive at my dorm, Ashley is making coffee cup cake in the microwave. Dorm life sucks sometimes. I couldn’t help but make a face because it always smells so disgusting because she puts protein powder in there, too.
“I get by with what I can. Oh hey, there’s some mail on the counter for you. I picked it up from the office this morning after class.” She puts a spoonful of mush in her mouth and smiles.
I drop my books and laugh at how loud it is as the thud echoes from the high ceilings. Nonchalantly, I walk to the counter and start going through the piles of junk mail that are stacked up over break, until I come across a cream-colored envelope with a red seal. The front is addressed to Ms. Viola Fisher with a generic P.O. Box as the return address.
My heart begins to race as I peel the envelope open and read as fast as I can. When I read the words, “You’ve been selected for an internship with Union International,” my heart stops. One of the largest corporations in the United States wants to give me, the book-loving Harry Potter nerd with little to no experience, a chance. Attached to the back of the letter is three pages of paperwork that must be submitted soon. The internship would start two weeks after graduation, and I would be required to move to Boston and live there for six months. I drop the letter on the counter, unsure of how to feel because I’m riding a roller coaster of emotions. This is another thing to add to my list of worries, which seems to be getting longer by the minute.
Travis was right; opportunities do sometimes come when least expected. I never in a million years imagined that I’d be chosen out of the thousands who apply each year. I submitted an application on a whim, and now, as I stare down at the ivory paper with the precision-printed message, I realize I must make one the hardest decisions of my life. My entire future depends on it.
Chapter 8
Travis