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“You’re joking!” I sidestep a pile of slushy snow and continue on our path to the main building.
“I wish I was.” Rosie tugs her burgundy scarf closer to her. “I gave him the benefit of the doubt, you know, because I was already there. But then, he proceeded to order himself two shots of tequila, and then had the audacity to say he forgot his wallet.”
I gasp and shoot her a look. “You have the worst luck with guys.”
“You’re telling me.”
“I’m sorry, Rose.” And I really mean it. Rosie is a catch. She’s intelligent, has a great sense of humor, she’s driven, and need I mention, gorgeous. She may be my longtime friend, but anyone would be a fool not to recognize how much she has to offer.
“Not your fault.” She opens the door to our classroom and holds it for me to enter. “I’m meeting another guy tonight; fingers crossed it goes better. From his profile, he seems decent, but I’ve been fooled before.”
“I’m rooting for you.” I give her a smile and walk over to the table we’ve claimed as our own since school has started.
“Specifically doing a coffee date. Not giving him an opportunity to get drunk. I swear, this shit is like trial and error.” She settles into her seat. “You’re lucky you found what you did with JJ.”
I sigh, my heart fluttering at the thought of Johnny. I am fortunate to have him in my life. But our journey has been nothing easy. We’ve had to fight tooth and nail, risking it all on numerous occasions to keep ourselves and our love alive. Our bond is strong and unbreakable, but the things we’ve had to overcome, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.
“Class, the results are in.” Professor Adkins strolls into the room, holding a stack of envelopes in his hand. “To get yours, you must turn in your assignment that was due today.”
A few students in the corner groan, clearly letting the rest of us know that they haven’t finished their paper yet.
“Those of you who are actually doing the work I assign, you can grab yours and head to the computer lab down the hall to access the records.” The professor looks right at me. “Those of you who submitted more than one, make sure you pay the extra fee prior to pick up.”
A fifty-dollar charge that I used out of my own funds. Johnny wouldn’t have batted an eye about the amount, but I didn’t want to involve him anymore in this lie than I already had.
Rosie and I make our way to the front of the room, our papers in hand, ready to exchange for the packages containing details about us that we’re unaware of. Even Rosie doesn’t know much about her ancestry outside of her grandparents on her mom’s side.
“Ms. Cooper.” Adkins nods and gives me two envelopes.
I swallow down the uncertainty that rises from the forbidden weight resting in my grasp. In a matter of moments, I’ll know more about Johnny’s past than he does, and I’m not sure if that will be a good or a bad thing. I hope like hell there’s some kind of silver lining that will come from me going behind his back. He has me, but I don’t want him to be alone in this world. No one deserves that. Well, Griffin or Franklin do—they both deserve to spend an eternity alone.
“You okay?” Rosie asks me.
I walk toward the door. “Yeah.” I nod to her own envelope. “You’re not worried?”
She shrugs and briefly glances at it. “Not really. Be cool to be related to someone famous though. Maybe royalty or something. I’m pretty sure I’m a mutt. I doubt there will be any big surprises.”
I probably am, too, but it’s not my results that have me flustered. It’s Johnny’s.
Now, with the way things are, there are so many possibilities. But this information will solidify if Johnny has anyone else in his family tree still alive. And I’m not sure if I can handle knowing the truth if it’s bad news. I’m already keeping too much from him, how can I withhold that, too? I’ll have to come clean, about this, and about everything, if we stand any chance of making it through these dark days.
We’ve already overcome so much, we can get through this, too, right?
I follow Rosie into the room and claim the computer next to her. The screen glares back at me, that cursor button blinking and waiting for me to make my move.
“Here, let me.” Rosie reaches over me and types in the domain and hits enter. Her blonde hair wafts strawberries as it passes my face. She pokes at the page she pulled out of her envelope. “Looks like you just enter your code into there.” Rosie points at the screen. “Whose are you going to do first?”
I avert my gaze, glaring at the two packages in front of me. “Um.”
Rosie punches in her details and waits for her results to load. They’re there within seconds. Her past and present right there for her to consume.
I slide my finger under the paper to break the seal, revealing a set of log-in instructions. Without allowing myself the chance to back out, I key the information into the browser quickly. I hover over the submit button as the severity of the situation comes around full force. Holding my breath, I push it anyway.
All too fast and too slow, the page loads, showing me more than I could have bargained for.
My heart pounds wildly as my eyes scan everything in front of me.
Genetic Ancestry.
