Chapter 9

EMILY

***

“His name is Harry,” I said into the phone, ignoring the fact that Nila looked up from her books when I did.

It was not yet time for our weekly phone call but I just had to call Julie and update her on what was going on in my life. It was exciting, after all. I had only ever had one other boyfriend and after things ended the way they did, Julie kept encouraging me to try and like someone else, or, at the very least, to try and not sabotage things when I actually did, but I always did.

I was afraid. But there was something about Harry that made me feel brave. Maybe it was the fact that this was a new environment. Maybe it was the fact that even with Gabriel here, I felt like I could start afresh in some areas because at least here my reputation was not tarnished like the way it was back in Bakersville.

Knowing people your whole life did have some disadvantages. I smiled as Julie squealed into the phone. I was just as excited as she was. I told him about our interaction in class and I was sure Nila was listening in, but I had to trust in the fact that she minded her own business and wouldn’t go around telling people what she had heard. More than that, though, I simply did not care.

“I’m happy for you,” Julie said.

“Nothing’s even happened yet,” I said in response.

“I mean I’m happy that you’ve decided to give someone new a chance. You deserve it,” she said and I smiled.

“I’m happy for me too,” I said in response.

We caught each other up on the other things that were going on in our lives and when the call was over I stayed lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I didn’t have much to do again today, given that I had already caught up on all my schoolwork, but it was a nice day so I decided to go out for a walk. I left Nila in our room and walked aimlessly around campus. Rather, I walked around aimlessly but my goal was to run into Harry somehow.

I’d never been the type of girl to do things like this. I’d never allowed liking someone to overtake my life in such a big way, but this was a chance to reinvent myself and try something new. Besides, I didn’t want my past experiences to affect how I dealt with life and love in general.

I walked around for quite a while before I decided to take a break at a bench. I was taking in the cool afternoon air when I got a text:

Hi Emmy, it’s Louise. Gabriel and I moved over to Cresswell and he’s in school with you. I’m not sure if the both of you have met but I hope you have. Will you be coming home this weekend? I would love to see you.

I let out a deep breath. Avoiding Gabriel was one thing but I couldn’t avoid his mother. She was a sweet woman who was heartbroken when our friendship ended the second time and she was also my mother’s friend. More than that, she was going through a hard time and I didn’t want to make things even harder for her. I decided to text her back, to give her one less thing to worry about.

Hi Louise, I’m so happy to hear from you. Gabriel and I haven’t met yet, but now that I know he’s here, I’ll make a point of looking for him. See you on the weekend!

I sent the text and put my phone back into my pocket. I was just about to get up and resume my walk when someone sat next to me.

“Would you believe it if I told you I was looking for you?” It was Harry.

“It’s not that hard to believe,” I said, smiling. He laughed.

“I couldn’t wait ‘till our next class to see you again,” he said, suddenly turning serious. My heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t care whether my face turned red. I was going to wear my heart on my sleeve, even if just a little.

“I’m glad you found me,” I said, “one week felt like a long time for me, too.” We smiled at each other.

“Did you ever get a proper tour of the school?” he asked and I laughed. He looked at me quizzically.

“Isn’t it a bit too late for that? Even if I didn’t, I’ve already figured my way around,” I said and he nodded in realization.

“Couldn’t you just say no and give me a reason to walk with you?” he asked.

“Okay. Let’s do it again, then. Make it look natural,” I said. He cleared his throat.

“Do you know your way around the school?” he asked.

“Not really, I keep getting lost,” I responded.

“Would you like for me to show you around?” he asked and I had to stifle a laugh.

“I would love it if you did that,” I said and we both got up.

We walked around the school and he actually showed me around, but it didn’t matter that I knew all the spots he showed me. We walked around for a while and ended up at the bench where he found me.

“Thanks for the tour,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” he said, “can I ask you something before you leave?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Could I have your number? So that I don’t have to run around the whole campus looking for you next time?” he asked and I laughed. I nodded. He patted his pockets and looked at me.

“I think I left my phone in my dorm,” he said. I took out mine and handed it over to him. He typed in his number and as he hid I heard a ping from my phone. He smiled.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I didn’t mean to intrude, but your Mom sent you a text saying to go home on the weekend, for dinner,” he said, “she said Gabriel’s coming over.” My smile faded.

“Who’s Gabriel?” Harry asked.

“That would be me,” a voice behind me responded.