Page 31 of Library or Lattes?

And before he could finish his sentence, I kissed him, and the electricity that had surged through my body when he touched my arm? It was nothing compared to this voltage. My whole body was alive with nerve endings just desperate to be touched. Our tongues collided and his hands were in my hair, teasing at strands, while my hand rested on his jaw, feeling it move rhythmically with mine.

We were breathless when we broke apart.

“We should …” I started.

“Plan the fundraiser?” he asked.

“I was going to say … do that again.”

5 Library

I REALLY NEEDED TO FOCUS on the program in London.

I separated my notebook into sections, one for each subject, as I made my way through a reading list the course website said could be helpful. It was hard not to get distracted by all my dreams. First London, then the whole world.

And the more I read, the more I saw Oak Falls in another light. Like, I still could see how cute it was, how quaint and Insta-perfect, but I was suddenly more aware of what it was missing. Where were our museums and art galleries, our film festivals and art-house cinemas? Where were our street-food markets and clashing cultures? Where was the anonymity? Harvest Festivals and high school productions were all well and good. But what if Theo, in all his disdain for this place, had a point?

One morning, before school and after my run, I took my thinking to the next level. I’d always worn the same clothes, really. Jeans, sweatpants, flannels. But did I need a new vibe for the person I was becoming? A vibe like Theo’s. That was what I was after.

I’d promised myself I wouldn’t think about him this week, but I couldn’t help it. And right now was different because I was thinking about clothes—even if his comment about the “plaid epidemic” was giving me extra motivation.

I pulled everything out of my wardrobe to find the black shift dress I’d worn to Aunt Lisa’s funeral, the black turtleneck I’d worn underneath. Well, that was appropriate.

I tried it on, pulling on some black tights and chunky boots to complete the outfit. I imagined myself walking around London in these clothes, looking just as European as Theo did now. I shook his face from my mind and walked closer to the mirror, staring at my skin. Freckles. Not too much I could do about them without some serious foundation. But my lips? My lips I could work with.

I usually didn’t wear much makeup, just some mascara and lip gloss. But now I found the red lipstick that I’d bought for the Halloween I’d dressed up as Harley Quinn. I put it on carefully and stepped back, checking out the finished look.

Sophisticated. I loved it! I even stopped off at the Little Acorn on the way to school to order a plain espresso, just like they do in Europe. I scrunched up my face at the taste before adding three sugars.

When I got to school, Lennie, Krista, and Avery were waiting for me outside.

“Willa? Is that you?” Avery’s mouth was wide open in shock.

A thrill ran through me. They’d noticed. I wasn’t Oak Falls Willa in her jeans and plaid. I was cosmopolitan.

But I played it cool. “Yeah, of course, what do you mean?” I said.

“What do I mean?” Avery looked at everyone in turn. “Guys, tell me you see a completely different person here and it’s not just me.” Avery waited for Krista and Lennie to confirm.

“I mean, yeah, I guess? I like it, though, you look amazing, Willa.” Lennie smiled supportively, and I gave her a red-lipped smile in return, trying not to worry that I’d overdone it.

“What’s the deal, Willa? Are you hot for someone?” Krista nudged me with her hip.

“What? No. Just trying something new …”

And then it all came out. “Okay, here’s the deal. My aunt kind of left me some money and I’m going to apply to do this travel journalism course in London. The exam is in six weeks and I dunno … I looked at myself this morning and realized I looked like I’d never left home. How am I supposed to fit in over there if I don’t look the part?”

I tried to make it all sound breezy, like I wasn’t inwardly freaking out about every detail. If I said it out loud, it would be real, and I’d have to go through with it. Because this was what I wanted. It was.

I thought they’d laugh along with me, or just agree, but they all just kind of went quiet.

“What do you mean, look the part?” Lennie asked carefully.

“I mean that library guy, Theo, he said Oak Falls had a plaid epidemic. And you know, he’s kind of right. I looked at my wardrobe and it’s all small-town-America flannel and jeans and—”

Krista, in her own plaid shirt, cut me off. “Wait, so you’re saying we look … basic?”

“What’s wrong with small-town America?” Avery sounded genuinely hurt.