Page 96 of Break Points and Face Offs

She turns back to the leaderboard to write Will’s name at the very top.

“Congratulations, Will,” she says.

People start to clap. I join in.

I can feel him watching me, wanting me to give him some sort of sign as to how I’m feeling, but I can’t right now. I don’t even know.

I slip out from behind the desk and see him glance at me while he walks out of the room. A part of me wants to follow him, but I wait for Professor Moreno to be ready for me instead.

“Priestley, well done,” she says.

“Thank you.”

“I hope you know that I marked your work without prejudice.”

“I’m sure you did.”

She smiles. “Will really did have the best essay.”

“I know.”

I spot the miniscule raising of an eyebrow and try not to blush.

She looks down and starts rifling through some papers on the desk.

“I went to the liberty of organizing some internships you might be interested in over the summer.”

I open my mouth to speak but she interrupts me. “I’ve spoken to a few others, too, so you’ll be competing with your fellow students in the interview process.”

“Of course.”

“But I’m sure you’ll do well. You’re a very talented orator, Mr. Rosenthal.” She smirks.

“Thank you, Professor.”

She calls me back before I leave.

“I’d stay in touch with Will O’Reilly,” she says. “He brings out the best in you.”

Will’s waiting for me when I make it out of the building. He’s frowning, his backpack half open and flung over his shoulder like he wasn’t paying attention when he packed it.

“Hey, you okay? What did she say in there?”

“She wanted me to look at some internship opportunities.”

His pinched expression softens. “That’s good, right?”

I nod. Hum my tentative agreement.

He’s watching me like he’s waiting for a bomb to go off.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to lose my shit.”

His shoulders sag a little.

“I am going to sue you, though.”

“What?”