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I’d started getting responses to my internship applications, and they all said the same thing: no.
In the lounge, Allison, Nate, and Kyla hunched over the center table, laptops open. I dropped a sack of mini Hershey bars on the table with a thud.
“I brought snacks,” I announced. “Go crazy.”
Kyla lunged for the bag, ripping it.
“Why not homemade?” Nate demanded.
I sat in the free chair. “Let’s get started. We’ve got two days to finish this thing.”
Nate and Kyla were crinkling wrappers. “Krackel bars,” Kyla moaned, “are thebest.”
Allison looked at me, not saying anything.
“What?”I took out my computer.
She leaned over. “Is something wrong?”
I closed my eyes. “No. Okay, yeah, but just, you know, finals. It’s a stressful week.”
“I thought you gave up snack duty. I mean, talk about ingratitude.”
“These are good, Christina,” Nate said, his cheeks full like a chipmunk’s, “but your cookies are even better. See? I’m grateful. I just paid you two compliments.”
“You’re welcome,” I muttered. Allison rolled her eyes and pulled up our powerpoint slides.
After two hours, we called it quits. As I headed down the stairs alone, a cloud of aftershave filled the air.
An elbow jostled mine. The shirtsleeve was crisp against my bare arm. A body brushed past, and my skin crawled. Those were Dexter’s lean back and shoulders in front of me, and the shirt was one I’d bought him in the fall — lavender, because purple flattered him. It concealed the peacock tattoo on his back. I remembered stroking those inked lines and shivered with revulsion. Sydney had probably done the same, hours later.
I prayed he was going on ahead, that the nudge was an accident, but he stopped and swiveled to face me. He was back to looking like a future executive: hair gelled, shirt buttoned, belt buckle polished. The lights in the stairwell were faint, but they all reflected off him. Every surface gleamed.
Pride pushed me forward. I tried to walk past him, but Dexter fell into step beside me.
“What, no hug?” He smiled big. “What are you doing this summer?”
“I’m still working out my plans.” I stared straight ahead.
“That’s a shame. The best internships are all filled by now. I lined mine up a month ago.” He stopped on the middle step. “Of course, you’ve got your own ways to earn a buck.”
“Are you finished?” I snapped. “’Cause I am.”
He put a hand on my back, leaning close, and I jerked away. “It’s nice that no one knows yet,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “Our little secret. Maybe your parents would appreciate a call.”
“You wouldn’t tell them.”
“No? They were so grateful when I brought them up to speed after you dumped me.”
My ears rang. “They’d never believe you.”
Dexter’s eyes flicked over me. “You’re looking pretty cute today, but maybe you shouldn’t show so much skin. People might get the wrong idea about you.”
Fury burst through me. “Be careful.”
“You think I’m afraid of that lowlife you’re banging? I’m not.”
“You should be.”
