Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Dex
Sayla blinks up at me, her lashes impossibly long. “Is this a joke?”
“Not a joke.”
“Wait.” Her blue eyes go so wide, she looks like her irises could explode. “You seriously told Wilford to give the grant to the performing arts department? For real?”
I hitch my shoulders. “For real.”
Next thing I know, Sayla’s lunging at me, wrapping her arms around my body in the world’s biggest chair hug. As she clings to me like a spider monkey, all the air whooshes from my lungs, and I can barely breathe.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she gushes in between breaths.
When I finally get some oxygen back, I gasp, “You deserve it.”
“But I thought you said we should wait to see what happens.” She falls back into her seat. “We were going to be patient. Trust the process.” She takes a beat. “I was trusting you. Or at least I was trying to.”
“I know.” I let my eyes go soft, hoping she can see the sincerity there. “I changed my mind.”
She lifts her chin, searching my face like there’s a mystery to solve there. And maybe there is. “Why, though?”
“Because.” I duck my head. “I see you, Sayla Kroft.”
She huffs out a half laugh, looking no less bewildered. “What does that even mean?”
“It means that over the past few days, I’ve had the chance to witness, firsthand and up close, how much you care about other people.
How hard you work, and what the effort’s really about.
When you’re going after something, the fight isn’t about you.
It’s about your department. This school.
Your friends. Even your mom. You are so unbelievably dedicated. And loyal.”
By way of response, she pulls in a gust of air, her mouth in a circle.
“To be clear, I always knew you were beautiful. I mean, I do have eyes.” I let out a chuckle.
“It’s just that coming around to the rest of it took me a while.
” I cock a brow, trying to move this potentially heavy conversation back to light.
“In my defense, though, you spent the past three years showing me only one side of you. The I-can’t-stand-Dexter-Michaels side. ”
A dimple I’ve never seen before sinks into her cheek. “As it turns out, I can stand you,” she says. “I can way more than stand you.”
“Umm … I’m not sure way more than standing is a thing.”
“It is now.” She shakes her head, like she’s still a little dazed. Or a lot dazed. Maybe I’m dazed too. “And the same thing is true on my end,” she says. “I’ve seen a completely new side to you, too.”
“With one big difference.” I scratch my beard. “I never hated you.”
“No.” Her eyes shine up at me. “I guess you didn’t.”
“Anyway, now you can add getting the FRIG to your list of reasons to like Dexter Michaels.”
She guffaws. “I’m sorry to tell you, no such list exists.”
“Yet,” I quip.
“Yet,” she agrees. “So what did you say to Mr. Wilford, anyway?”
“I basically borrowed from what you told Bob, Hildy, and Fern. I paraphrased all the stuff about the performing arts being a home for everybody. A place where kids might even get some money for college. I thought a lot about that, and you’re right.
Athletes get acceptances and scholarships for sports all the time.
Even full rides. And the super high achievers get the academic scholarships.
But choir, theater, band, orchestra—all the arts—those offer real opportunities for a lot of other students. And that meant something to me.”
There’s a stretch of silence as Sayla processes my words. “You really told him all that?” Her jaw shifts, and I start to worry I’ve painted myself as some kind of knight who swooped in on a horse to save her. And we all know how I feel about horses.
“I did,” I say. “But Wilford was already planning to give you the money. I’m sure of it. So don’t think of this as a favor. But more like me speeding up the inevitable.”
“Dex.” Her eyes begin to well up. “Your department still needs the grant, too.”
“We do.”
“And when you’re at Harvest High, you’ll have plenty of funding and support to work with. But what about the athletics at Stony Peak?”
My chest constricts. “We’ll figure something out,” I say. “Even if it takes a year or two. Gray Squirrels don’t quit.” I reach out to catch the teardrop rolling down her cheek. “So this is good news, right? What you want more than anything?”
Sayla nods wordlessly.
“Good.” I give her a stern look. “So no crying, Sailor.”
“Hey!” She bats my hand away, then swipes at her nose. “No nicknames was the first rule of our cabin.”
“Retreat’s over.” I shrug. “We don’t have to pretend to cooperate anymore. So I’m afraid those rules on your clipboard are null and void.”
Her face breaks into a watery smile. “I didn’t agree to that addendum.”
“Nevertheless.” My lips quirk. “Get used to the nicknames, Kroft.”
She hoists a brow while simultaneously sniffling. “You can’t make me.”
“Ha! See? There’s the Sayla I know. Acting all contrary. Just the way I like you,” I add. “But don’t tell anyone.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” Her lips tug into a fresh smile.
“Speaking of which, don’t tell Wilford you know about the grant.”
“But … why?” A crease forms on her forehead. “I want to thank him. Like I thanked you.”
“Not quite the same way, I hope,” I chuckle. “The thing is, the guy made such a big deal about this decision being his. He had us send him proposals. He even sent us on a retreat to get feedback to help him make the choice. So I’m not sure he’d want anyone to know I took away his options.”
“Hmm.” She sinks her teeth into her lip. “That makes sense, I guess.”
“Either way, he’s been planning to make the announcement after the SACSS visitation. And I’m sure he’ll want to deliver the good news to you personally. So me swooping in and telling you first could look like a jerk move. Especially since he doesn’t know we’ve gotten … close lately.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want him to be mad at you,” she says. “Keeping quiet for now is the least I can do after what you’ve done for me.”
“See?” I lift a hand to my chest. “There you go, being all nice and thinking about others.”
“Just don’t change your mind,” she says, with an expression of mock sternness.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ve had enough mental whiplash for one week.”
“Good.” She slips into a grin. “Otherwise, we might have to revisit the I-Can’t-Stand-Dexter-Michaels side of me.”