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“Fine, I’ll get Zara to stop with the arson plans then.”
“Arson?” Jesse’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, we’re all doomed.”
* * *
“Raina,” Jesse began, “I like you.” He frowned at the mirror that hung on the back of their dorm door, sticking his tongue out at his reflection. “Raina, I really like you,” he tried again.
Dean appeared in the mirror next to his cousin, his arms crossed. “I don’t think Raina’s turned into a mirror, Jess,” he said dryly.
Jesse scowled at his cousin. This was a serious thing Jesse was doing, practicing how to confess his feelings to Raina. One might argue it was the most important thing Jesse had practiced for all year, and he included every single test and presentation in that.
“Fuck you.”
Dean grinned. “That’s Gracie’s job.”
“Okay, I’m going to find Raina,” Jesse decided. He grabbed a hoodie and pulled it over his head, which had the added effect of blocking out Dean’s smug face. “I bid you valediction, cousin of mine.”
“Don’t say that to Raina if you want any chance with her!” Dean called.
Jesse didn’t turn around, but gave Dean the finger as he exited the room.
“Jesse!” Raina exclaimed happily as he came down the steps and into the common room.
She jumped up from the couch, abandoning Zara amongst notebooks and textbooks. Clearly the two girls had taken advantage of the empty common room to study, although judging by Raina’s eagerness to move, it wasn’t going well.
Jesse smiled, feeling happier already. “Hey, Rai. Want to hang out?”
Zara cut off Raina’s response with a snicker. “Yeah, Raina. Gohang out.”
Raina pulled her cardigan tighter around her, and Jesse caught her glaring at her friend. “Sure, Jesse. Um, should I get my coat or something?”
“We can stay inside, it’s cold.”
“Okay, good.” Raina shot him a relieved smile.
They exited the common room, not holding hands but brushing against the other every few seconds.
“Have you heard from your mother lately?” Jesse asked.
Raina sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. She wants me to start looking at colleges. Oh, and the personal essay has to be written, of course.”
“Have you started?”
Raina shrugged. “A little. I’ve been looking into a few colleges. I really like one of them; it’s a small college in Massachusetts.”
“Dean’s been looking into colleges a bit,” Jesse offered. “But I haven’t started yet. Most people haven’t.”
“If my mom had her way, I would have been looking at colleges before I even got accepted to high school.”
Jesse laughed. His own relationship with his parents was very different from what Raina had with hers. “I don’t think my parents have an opinion. I don’t see them much, but they come back for special occasions. They’re happy to pay for wherever I want to go.”
“You don’t talk about your parents much,” Raina observed.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Jesse shrugged. “They’re usually in some foreign country, and I’ll join them on breaks. We’re all fine with the arrangement. They call me occasionally and we text every few days.”
“Is that what you want?” Raina asked. She paused to lean against a wall, so he stopped as well. “Like, when you have kids?”
Jesse considered this. “No. I want to be there for my kids, to be involved.”
