Which Rosie also wasn’t partaking in, much. She’d been on the same drink all night. In fact, with the added melted ice, it could almost be a vodka cranberry water. As a nurse and first responder, she felt it her duty to retain her faculties in case something happened. Olivia and Nadia poured themselves another drink and sat on the couch with her.
Rosie was really out of her element when it came to the opposite sex. Gram and Grandad had discouraged any dating in high school, and it didn’t help that they’d raised her with an older generation’s values. Boys hadn’t been interested. And in college, she’d been so busy studying she’d had no time to date. Her scholarship had a minimum GPA she had to maintain, or she’d have been kicked out of school. And now working twelve-hour shifts as a nurse left her no time at all to put herself first. She supposed she could try one of those dating apps, but that didn’t feel right. How was she supposed to find a connection over the web?
Rosie’s parents met in high school and fell madly in love, had her as teens and then died in a car crash when she was only a baby. Gram and Grandad sacrificed their retirement and raised their daughter’s child, and subsequently she was warned about boys growing up. A lot. Taught to wait for sex until she was married, she had no experience with men whatsoever, a fact she’d never shared with the squad. The few times she’d come close to guys in college, just as friends, they’d freaked out when they thought of being with a virgin.
When you were bullied for being the class prude in high school, some things you just didn’t share withanyone.
When Rosie sneaked a peek over at the dance floor again, the mysterious stranger had disappeared. Her heart sank, despite her relief. In another setting, like the library, she might have hoped he’d come talk to her, but she knew better. Here she was just a wet blanket.
Packing was hard work. Matt had been at it all day, boxing up his books and his action figures. Looking around the room, he wondered briefly if Olivia would mind if he hung up his posters in her space. He shot her a text to ask. His movie collection was next, but he needed a snack first.
Wandering downstairs, he hunted through the cabinets for something quick to take the edge off and let him keep working. Aha. Some Girl Scout cookies had somehow made their way onto the top shelf; thin mints were his favorite. He had just opened the sleeve when his mother came up from the basement with a load of laundry.
“Should you be eating that?” She peered over her nose at him. He had eight inches on her in height, but she could still make him feel four feet tall. “Have some carrot sticks. You shouldn’t eat chocolate this close to bedtime.”
“I have more to pack, I’m not going to bed anytime soon.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Mom’s eyes shot daggers at him. “That’s not the point. You need to watch what you eat, Matt. You gained weight again last semester, and now you’re moving away from your school gym.”
Not like he spent any time in the school gym anyway. He hated exercising; it felt pointless. Especially after he spent his sophomore year of college going three days a week for an hour and losing nothing but study time.
Having said her piece, Mom hauled the laundry up the stairs. When she was out of sight, Matt popped a cookie into his mouth, but the sweet treat tasted dull now. Guilt gnawed at him until he put the box back where he’d found it.
It had always been like this, but worse since Dad’s heart attack three years ago. She’d been on his dad about his weight since it happened. Somehow she thought that what helped his dad’s heart condition translated into something that would helphisheart condition. But Matt’s cardiologist never said anything about his weight.
Matt had been blessed with the height gene, Olivia with the fast metabolism. No matter what he did, he couldn’t lose weight. And he tended to eat when he was stressed, or upset, or even happy. Every time his mom commented on it, it caused him to spiral, and it did more harm than good. But he couldn’t tellherthat. She never didanything wrong.
Back upstairs, after reading his sister’s text, Matt rolled up his posters and tucked them safely into an old mailing tube he’d kept for this purpose. His movie collection went into a box, and he was as packed as he could get. Everything but his mattress and box springs would fit in the car, and those were getting tied on the roof. He wanted to make this a clean getaway. Nothing left behind. He was sick of living with his parents. With any luck, he’d find a job in Baltimore after graduation, and he would just take over Olivia’s lease. If not … well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.
The next morning, Matt woke up early, threw his toiletries and sheets in a duffel bag and started the process of breaking down his bed. He wanted to get to Baltimore as soon as possible. The process took longer than he anticipated, and he didn’t get on the road until after lunch.
He’d called Olivia to let her know he was on his way; she and her squad were taking the last of her stuff over to Jake’s condo.
The closer the road carried him to his destination, the more nervous Matt became. His stomach had been so queasy, he never touched the snacks he packed. He’d never truly lived on his own before. Dorm life was somewhat independent, but he’d never had to grocery shop for himself, or pay utilities. Well, technically that was being subsidized by his parents as part of his schooling, but it still fell to him to actually pay the company.
Matt kept repeating to himself that he wasn’t alone in this. His sister would be nearby and could help him. She was leaving almost everything behind for him to use so he hadn’t needed to go out and buy dishes or furniture.
His brain switched gears completely when he pulled into the parking lot of Mason Hollow Apartments. Olivia was standing outside waving at his car, with Jake and the entire Geek Girl Squad. Nadia, Jade, Mia, andRosie. It had been years, but that old crush suddenly slammed into him with a vengeance. They were all going to help him move in?
“Hey, Sis.” Olivia ran into his arms at lightning speed and Matt wrapped her up in a hug. “Missed you.” He snuck a glance in Rosie’s direction; she was still as beautiful as ever, dressed in a winter coat with her light brown hair wrapped up in a bandanna.
“I missed you, too!” His sister pulled back to look at him. “I like the beard. Is that new?”
Matt rubbed his hand across his jaw. He’d decided to grow it out to make himself look older. No one would call him “Little Matty” with a beard. At least he hoped they wouldn’t.
“I decided to try it last semester. I think I’m keeping it.”
“I definitely approve. Caleb and Jake are going to help with the mattress, and then we can all carry boxes.”
“Who’s Caleb?”
“That’d be me,” said a guy Matt hadn’t met before. He shook the offered hand. It was attached to a man in a leather jacket, whose other arm was wrapped around Nadia. This must be Jake’s best friend that Olivia had mentioned.
“Nice to meet you.” He turned to the rest of the squad. “Hi everyone.”
“Welcome to Baltimore!” Called Mia. She ran in for a hug.
“Hi, Mia.” He bent down and hugged his sister’s friend gently.
