Chapter Twenty-Two
FIVE YEARS AGO
WASHINGTON COLLEGE
Biology lab ended, and Mandy shoved her textbook into her bag. Her lab partner acted as though she had something to say. Unusual. Mandy pushed her chair in. “See you next week.”
“Wait.” Halle scooped her notebook into her arm. “Do you want to get lunch?”
The classroom emptied. Mandy lifted her backpack onto her shoulder, ready to return to her dorm and keep a low profile. “Why?”
Halle laughed. “Jeez. I don’t know. Because you’re hungry.”
“Why are you asking me?” Mandy didn’t trust anyone in her freshman classes, and her lab partner, thankfully, hadn’t come off as someone who wanted to chat.
“Because you’re my lab partner, and I’m hungry. Plus, I know, like, two people here. So I thought I’d see about a third person.” Halle rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep looking.”
Dylan glanced in the classroom and caught Mandy’s eye.
He lifted his chin as if to ask if everything was okay, and then saw the other girl.
He gave an approving nod. Everyone in her classes had passed the Secret Service sniff test, and Dylan had been encouraging her to make friends.
He promised high school was never like college.
“No, we should get lunch,” Mandy said, agreeing reluctantly. “Don’t mind me. I’m working on my people skills.”
Halle snorted. “Aren’t we all?”
Dylan fell into line behind them and stayed out of the way when they reached the Student Center.
Even though she’d forced herself to join Halle for lunch, Mandy realized that she hadn’t forced herself to laugh or have fun.
It was as if Halle didn’t care who she was.
Mandy had never appreciated someone’s disinterest so much before.
By the time they’d polished off the chicken nuggets and side salads, Mandy didn’t want the conversation to end.
A guy approached their table. She focused on her tray and a balled napkin.
He was cute, but she didn’t want a random saying hello like he knew her from wild stories in newspapers and on trash TV.
But he greeted Halle instead.
Mandy blushed, feeling foolish, then realized they didn’t just know each other—they were close. “I’ll catch you later.”
“Wait,” Halle said. “Lemme introduce you to my friend. Then you’ll know almost as many people on campus as me.”
“I’m that transparent, huh?” Her palms sweated as she tried to laugh. “Hi.”
The boy stepped from Halle. His smile shifted in a way that she couldn’t describe, as though from comfortable to purposeful. In any event, it made her weak in the knees. “I’m Mandy.”
“William Taylor Morris. My friends call me Billy.”
Unnerved by the way he looked at her, Mandy picked up her tray. “What should I call you?”
“Whatever you want.” He lifted the tray from her hand and then took Halle’s. “My vote’s for Billy.”