“Gracie! Hi!” I say, catching up to her.
She doesn’t look happy to see me. Yeah, this girl doesn’t trust me.
“Aleeza, hey.”
“Such great timing to bump into you! I was hoping to talk to you about something. Are you going next door for breakfast?”
Gracie clearly doesn’t want to have a meal with me. Rightfully so—I’m awkward and being way too pushy, and she thinks I’m one of Jay’s stalkers. I need an angle here ... How would Nancy Drew get a suspect to speak to her? Should I trick her into talking about Jay?
But ... Gracie isn’t a suspect. And I’m trying to get her to trust me, not only because of this Jay project but also because I’m going to live next door to her for the next two months. “Professor Sarah said I should talk to you about my media project. I’ve had to restart it because ... well, for the same reason I had to move in here. Also”—I hope I’m not rambling—“it would be nice to have someone to talk to in East House. I don’t know anyone here.”
I can see the moment Gracie’s compassion convinces her to throw me a small friendship bone. Her shoulders relax as we get to the bottom of the stairs. “Yeah, okay. Let’s talk over breakfast.”
This is the first time I’m actuallyeatingin the dining hall in City Tower instead of grabbing food to-go. The old hall is cramped with beaten-up wood tables and chairs, and walls that clearly used to be white but are now a graying beige with teal moldings. I get a buttered cinnamon bagel and a tea. Gracie gets a breakfast burrito and a smoothie. We sit near the window, where at least the view is less depressing since the sun is finally shining after so many days of nonstop flurries. The snow outside looks pretty, actually. On these clear, bright winter days, Mom and I used to go to this conservation park near Alderville for a winter hike or snowshoeing. Walking through the busy downtown Toronto streets wouldn’t be the same. All my loneliness is making me homesick. Maybe I should go home to Alderville next weekend.
“Why is this dining hall always empty?” I ask while stirring my tea.
“People only eat here if they have nowhere better to go.” Gracie shakes her bottled smoothie. She’s in pants today—wide-legged black ones—with a turquoise button-up and a cream cardigan. And of course, her red lipstick. Her dark hair is in a ponytail, with her bangs and some front pieces framing her face. Gracie is pretty, but more than that, she has a kind face—when she’s not annoyed with someone. And she always seems annoyed at me.
I take a bite of my bagel. It’s actually quite tasty.
“So ... what did you want to ask?” Gracie asks, getting right to it. Okay. No small talk, then.
I take a deep breath. “My media project. Since I’m living in Jay’s old room, I’m doing an investigative podcast on his disappearance.”
Gracie looks at me with no expression on her face.
“Because,” I continue, “you know. I have a personal connection with him. Sarah said it will make me invested but not biased, since I didn’t actually know him. I know you wrote an article in the school paper about him. Sarah said I should talk to you about it. You know ... to figure out where to start. Maybe I could even interview you for my podcast.”
“I knew it.” Gracie shakes her head. She stands, picking up her tray. “I don’t know why you vultures won’t leave him alone. He’s gone ... Haven’t you all done enough?”
“Wait,” I say, putting my hand out. “I’m not stalking Jay. I honestly didn’t know him. Please hear me out.”
She blinks at me, then sits back down, expression still annoyed.
I exhale. “I need a new media project. I had to restart, and it’s late.”
“Why do you need to restart a month into the term?”
I sigh. I haven’t really told anyone details of how my old friend ditched me. Except Jay, of course. I tell Gracie all about Mia, Lance, and Taylor. Her expression sours when I mention her new skincare YouTube channel.
“Wow. She changed the entire focus of your show without asking you? Even though it was for your school project? How long did you know this girl?”
“Since we were seven. We came here together from our hometown.”
“Where’s the hometown?”
“Alderville. It’s on the Bay of Quinte. In Prince Edward County.”
“Never heard of it. Sounds like good riddance, though. I hate it when a person’s entire identity becomes about the person they’re dating. She may have been your best friend, but you weren’t hers.”
I blink. Miawasmy best friend. But ... was it possible it had never been mutual? This isn’t the first time she pushed me aside for a boy. And she knew I needed a good media project for my portfolio. Something that would demonstrate my passions. But she didn’t care about that. All she cared about was YouTube views. And Lance.
“Is she in journalism too?”
“No, retail management.”
Gracie shrugs. “I suppose the skincare thing makes a little bit of sense for her then. Why are you pivoting to a podcast instead of a web series?”
