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Mason and I often laughed about it, along with numerous other things. We argued about which John Cusack movie was the best, we argued about mud cake versus angel food cake, we teased Celeste for her crush on Craig, we danced stupid mock-jigs around the oval to take the notice off Hadley and Tucker off in a heated discussion in the corner.
My school work went well, although the idea that exams were so close was not filling me with rainbows.
My parents were still the wonderful people they always were.
I even felt a little better one afternoon – when Celeste was busy trying to flirt with the boys and playing football and Hadley and I were sitting out – when Hadley decided to bring up the uni thing again.
“So… Primary teaching at Uni SA?” she started.
I nodded. “That’s my first preference.”
“Okay…”
“Babes, what do you actually want to ask?” I chuckled, throwing her a quick look.
She rearranged in her seat. “Sydney or Melbourne?” she hedged.
My heart hitched, but I nodded again. “What about them?”
“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to tell me the real reason you didn’t want to apply there?”
“Fair enough…” I replied slowly.
“If it’s Roman, babes–”
“No!” I said too quickly and too loudly, then I put a hand on her knee so she’d let me finish. “No. It’s not Roman. I just… I’m stressed enough about moving just to Adelaide. I know it’s stupid–”
“It’s not stupid!” she said vehemently. It was the way she’d been trying to express her support and I had to love her even more for it.
“Okay, it’s not stupid. I get it might be hard for you to understand. But, I just… I can’t do it, babes. I’m sorry.”
She threw an arm around me and pulled me close. “No, Piper. I think, if there’s one thing Roman got right, it was no apologies. I don’t have anything against Adelaide and, knowing that’s what’s going to make you comfortable, then that’s fine.”
“But, Hads… If you want to go to–”
“Oh, hell no! We’ve been inseparable since kindergarten. I’m not going anywhere you’re not if I don’t have to. We’ve always planned to go to uni together, live together, cause havoc together. Nothing’s going to change that.”
“Don’t you dare do this just for me.”
She shook her head against mine. “Never. I’m far too shallow.”
I laughed, but it sounded somewhat tense as I tried to keep the tears at bay.
“You okay?” she asked me and I swear the dam almost broke right there.
She sounded so much like Roman had that first night.
“I’m just being an idiot.”
“No, babes. Never.” She squeezed me tight. “You can’t help you fell for him.”
Putting it like that made me feel so pathetic. I knew she didn’t mean it to, and I knew I wasn’t really pathetic. Because, Roman and I…
“It was more than that, Hads…”
“I know. You also can’t help that the great idiot enjoys this self-imposed exile he’s put himself in.”
“Pain is something he understands too well.”
