Page 4 of Fundamentals of Chemistry

“Well, his lease is up at the end of August, and we thought—he and I thought—that instead of renewing it, he could just move in. Here. Officially.”

I squeezed Silvia’s hand and beamed. “That’s amazing news! I’m so happy for you!”

Silvia’s posture relaxed a little, but the tension in her shoulders remained. “You know how things have been going with us—it’s getting kind of serious. And we want to try out living together for a bit before taking the next big step. You know?”

I smirked. “Are you kicking me out so you can shack up with your boyfriend and have wild jungle sex all over the apartment?”

She gasped in mock indignation, raising a hand to primly cover her open mouth.

“Just make sure you close the curtains in the living room,” I continued, “or the guy across the alley will get a free show.”

Silvia burst out laughing, causing me to collapse into laughter with her. We pulled each other into another hug.

“I’m so happy for you,” I whispered into Silvia’s silky bob. “You’ve been together for two years!”

Silvia sniffed wetly against my shoulder. “Thanks, babes. I was so worried you’d be upset. You know I’d never replace you. But you already found a place—an amazing place. Everybody gets what they want.”

A tiny pang of jealousy flashed across my brain at her happiness. Their relationship—the possibility of forever—felt somehow bigger than my new job, wonderful as it was. I stuffed down the ugly emotion and tried to be supportive. “I’m so happy you found your guy.”

“He might be my guy, but you’re still my person. I love you, babes.”

It was unfair for me to move on and expect everything to stay the same when I walked out the door, but there was still a sense of loss knowing I wouldn’t be able to return to the apartment. My only option was to pass my trial teaching period with flying colors so that I could stay at Newbury permanently.

Our place wasn’t perfect—it was insanely tiny considering how much we paid for less square footage than the walk-in closet I enjoyed growing up. But it was bright and safe and a short walk to the chemistry labs at Columbia. Silvia and I called it home for nearly five years. We had painstakingly outfitted the shared space with eclectic decor, nesting like a pair of tropical birds, until it reflected our vibrant personalities.

In many ways it was my only real home since leaving Newbury. Between the gap year that had stretched from one to five, ultimatums from my parents, and the subsequent struggle to find my feet, there had been a lot of instability and uncertainty.

Until I found Silvia. Or maybe we found each other.

But our lives, which had intertwined for so long, were splitting in a nuclear decay—each a complete atom, but no longer the same element.

I took another sip of champagne and nudged Silvia’s knee with my toe. “I’m gonna miss you, lady.”

“No, no, no!” she cried, flapping her hand and bouncing in her seat. “You can’t be mopey after one glass!”

“I’m not mopey—”

“I’m going to call and text every day!”

“You better,” I said, trying not to sound mopey.

“It’ll be like you never left. You’ll see.”

I tilted my head to the side and gave her a dubious look. We both knew she was lying or, at least, exaggerating.

“We can be sad about you leaving tomorrow. Tonight, we’re celebrating. Double champagne news!” She thrust her glass in my direction, liquid sloshing dangerously toward the rim.

Fixing my smile back into place, I clinked glasses with her before tossing my head back and finishing in three long swallows.

Chapter 2

Move-in Day

Two days later, I was back on Newbury Academy grounds for the first time in over a decade. As my Lyft wound down the tree-lined drive, the anticipation that tingled in my bones evolved into radiant joy. The familiar smell of chestnut trees and fresh-cut grass filled my nose, and I was fourteen, falling in love with this place all over again.

The administration building beaconed to me like a long-lost friend. Inside, I extended my hand toward an unfamiliar woman on the other side of the reception counter.

“Melanie Burke, chemistry,” I all but sang. “The email said I should come here for my housing assignment and ID.”