4. Tiffin Talks Jewel Pond #2
The sixth-formers also know that the college counselor’s recommendation is a key part of their applications, and each of the girls crowding around Mav wants to be the diamond of the season. (Cordelia binged all of Bridgerton over the summer.)
Cordelia thinks longingly of Honey. For all her issues, she was very, very good at her job. She made every kid at Tiffin feel like a diamond.
Dr. Coopersmith emerges from the pond, pushing his goggles to the top of his bald head. “That was delightful,” he says. “And I’ve worked up an appetite. Have you eaten, Cordelia?”
Cordelia places a hand on her midsection. “I positively gorged myself.”
“Where’s Audre this fine afternoon?” Dr. Coopersmith asks. He pulls on a navy polo and wraps a towel around his waist. “Doesn’t she attend the cookout?”
“She does, she does.” Cordelia glances over at the path in the woods, hoping to see Audre making her way. Cordelia is ready to play Cupid! “She had a call that couldn’t wait. I’m sure she’ll be along shortly.”
“I’m going to fix a plate,” Coop says.
Cordelia can’t bear to watch Coop sit alone at his first Move-In Day cookout. “I’m ready for some dessert,” she says.
As soon as they settle at a picnic table, Rhode Rivera joins them. Cordelia tries not to show her irritation; the man is a walking, talking hemorrhoid. He reaches across the table to shake Coop’s hand. “I’m Rhode, the fifth- and sixth-form English teacher.”
“We’ll be working closely together, then,” Coop says. “Did Mrs. Spooner mention you had an eventful summer? Something about getting a short story published?”
“I did,” Rhode says. “It’s called ‘Green Flag / Red Flag.’ It appeared a couple of weeks ago on the website Litboo, which has about eighty thousand subscribers…”
Next, Cordelia thinks, he’ll mention the nomination for Best American Short Stories. Cordelia dives into her mason jar pie. Neither she nor Coop will get a word in edgewise.
“Look at Madison and Willow,” Charley says. “They’re all over Mr. Maverick.”
“Mav,” East says. “The dude wants us to call him Mav.”
“Maybe we should go over there,” Charley says. She nudges Davi, who is lying back in the sun, eyes closed. “Want to go introduce ourselves?”
“We said we weren’t going to be freaks about college,” Davi says. “Remember? We vowed to be chill.” She sighs. “But if I don’t get into Miami, who even am I?”
“So we should go over,” Charley says.
“Hard no for me,” East says. “Obviously.”
“Why obviously?” Liam asks. “Are you, like, already in at Wharton? That’s where your dad went, right?”
Charley stiffens. Clearly, Liam doesn’t know that certain topics are forbidden with East—like college, like his father.
“Undergrad and MBA,” East says. “But I’m not following in his footsteps, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not going to college at all.”
Liam shakes his head. “Bro, what?”
“Once I graduate from here,” East says, “I’m done with school for good.”
Liam squints at the pond. “I guess it’s hard to appreciate this kind of life if you’ve always had it.” He waves at the beach and the buffet, at the woods and the tower of the chapel beyond. “Because to me, this is a movie. But you do you.”
“Thanks,” East says. “I will.”
Liam gets to his feet. “I want to meet Mr. College Guy.”
“I’ll go with you,” Davi says, trailing after him.
Charley and East sit in silence. They’re so in sync, she thinks, except on this one topic.
“Go on,” East says. “I know you want to meet him, Charles.”
Using her nickname defuses the tension a bit, but Charley hates how prickly East gets every time the subject of college comes up.
“I do,” Charley says finally. “I’ll be right back.”
“Nah,” East says. “I’ll talk to you later. I’m going back to my room.”
“East,” Charley says—but he’s already walking away. Is this how it’s going to be all year: her deciding between East and college? God, she hopes not, because she wants both.
Eventually, the Move-In Day cookout winds down.
The third-form boys hurl watermelon rinds into the pond while the fourth-form girls dust sand off the backs of their legs and check their tan lines.
We can’t believe that Madison J. got away with putting not only “Neck on a Yacht” but also “The Percocet and Stripper Joint” on the playlist. Mrs. Wully didn’t seem to notice that Tilly Benbow never made an appearance at the pond, and Ms. Robinson didn’t show up at all.
It’s like the adults are checked out—or maybe, like us, they’re just intent on enjoying the last day of relative freedom before the school year starts.
Davi persuades Liam to shed his Jordans and wade into the pond with her, waist-deep. Liam says he won’t go in any farther because he doesn’t really know how to swim.
Olivia H-T overhears this and thinks how she and Liam are soulmates. She doesn’t swim either; she’s terrified of the water.
Chef Haz packs the remains of the pig and the beans into coolers.
The JBL speaker runs out of battery life, bringing an abrupt end to the music.
Those of us still remaining watch as Mr. Maverick follows Charley back up to the grass, where he helps her fold her blanket, the two of them talking and laughing like they’re already best friends.
That tracks, Royce Stringfellow thinks. Charley is such a suck-up.
Royce calls out to Madison J. and Willow Levy, who are heading back to the dorms, and they wait for him to catch up, which is a good sign. Maybe Willow will forgive him for kiss-cheating after all.
As the sun descends behind the trees, only Cordelia Spooner remains at Jewel Pond.
She can’t help but remember how Honey would swim lengths of the pond in the summer, and go figure skating on its glassy surface in the winter.
Cordelia realizes she’s probably not as “over” the relationship as she thinks she is.
Her phone buzzes with a text. Cordelia puts on her reading glasses. When she looks at the screen, she can’t believe what she’s seeing.
It’s a text from Honey. I know you’re at the cookout. I’ve been thinking of you all day. I miss you, Cord. More than you can possibly imagine.
Is this real, or some kind of prank? Cordelia wonders.
The timing is almost supernatural. At the same time that Cordelia was thinking of Honey, Honey was sending this text.
Cordelia reads it again. Honey would realize Cordelia is at the cookout, obviously, Honey worked at Tiffin for years.
Cordelia supposes it only makes sense that Honey is thinking of her.
But missing her more than she can possibly imagine? This is news.
“Huh,” Cordelia says to no one. She’s tempted to write back…
but she fears this would undo all the progress she made with Dr. Pringle over the summer.
And what would she say? I miss you too, more than you can possibly imagine?
This is the truth, but Cordelia feels a delicious satisfaction: Honey reached out first.
Cordelia not only doesn’t respond, she deletes the text. She won’t waste her time pining for Honey. But as soon as the text is gone, Cordelia wants it back. What did it say, exactly? I’ve been missing you more than you know? No, Cordelia thinks. That’s not quite right. Shit!
Cordelia takes a sustaining breath. She hopes the year ahead provides enough drama to keep her occupied… then she chuckles. Be careful what you wish for, Cordelia, she thinks—and she goes on the hunt for her sandals.