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LEIA
The last day of freshman year is upon us.
That sounds rather dramatic, but clearly I’m a dramatic girl. I’ve been pining for summer for a few months now. I need to take a load off. Freshman year kicked myass. Sophomore year is slowly approaching, and that thought excites me.
“Leia, may I see you for a minute?” my creative writing professor asks after class. Shit. She must’ve read my short story. I’m not exactly a wordsmith as of yet. I’m not even a Jane Austen by a longshot. But I thought my story wasalrightfor what I’m currently working with.
Clearing my throat, I walk up to the podium as she puts papers away in her tote. “Yes, Professor Moseby?”
She quickly looks up, smiling as she adjusts her glasses.
“Yes, I just wanted to speak to you about your story,” she says. I hold my breath, waiting for her to continue. This cannot be good. “Your writing is really improving. The short story you submitted was very insightful.”
I let out a sigh of relief as she smiles bigger. “Thank you, Professor. It really means a lot for you to say that. I’m not exactly the best writer, but I wrote from the heart.”
“And you did,” she affirms.Cue the squeals. “In fact, I wanted to speak to you about an opportunity,” she continues.
“I’m all ears.”
“Every summer, I hold a writing apprenticeship,” she informs. “As you know, I work at Harlington Publishing during the summer as chief editor in the editorial department. If you’d like, the opportunity’s yours.”
I immediately freeze. A writing apprenticeship forHarlington Publishing?
“Isn’t Harlington in Manhattan?” She gives me a nod. “Oh wow, I-I-am I good enough for a big opportunity like that?”
She gives me an amused grin. “You certainly write better than 75 percent of the students in this class,” she says.I’ll take that. “Your prose is very compelling. I think you’ll succeed just fine this summer.”
“The apprenticeship is this summer, you said?”
“In two weeks, exactly.” Well...that’s soon. “All you need to do is let me know by the end of this week if you’d like to take the opportunity. I leave for New York in two weeks.”
With that, she gives me another smile before leaving the lecture hall.
I’m going to have a job this summer.If I accept it, that is. I wasn’t expecting to be working an apprenticeship for a big publishing house like Harlington. A summer in New York City? That initselfis nerve-wracking. I’m not even sure I’m good enough for an opportunity like that.There you go again, doubting yourself.This is mentally draining. I need to get out of myhead.
I turned in my last assignment today, and the last day of school is tomorrow. Sighing in relief, I throw my notebooks in the trashcan in the university quad...well, all except my creative writing notebook. I usually like to keep notebooks for future studying. But nothing I learned this year in other classes is of value.
“There she is, looking as beautiful as ever,” a deep voice says, startling me.
I turn to find Hunter smiling at me. “Oh, uh, h-hi...Hunter,” I say, awkwardly. I wasn’t expecting to see him...well, ever again.
He gives me a small smile before stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Leia. Nice to see you as always,” he says in a smooth voice.
“Yeah...” I give him a small smile that he returns. We stand there for another awkward ten seconds.Kill. Me. Now.
Suddenly, he sighs before talking. “This is just fucking weird, isn’t it?” he jokes. At least we can admit that.
“Definitely,” I say, earning a laugh from him. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“I’ve been looking for you, actually,” he admits. He’s been looking for me? “We’re leaving college tomorrow, Leia. And my friend looks like shit,” he chokes out.
My heart stops again at the tone of his voice. “Hunter—”
“Whatever Nick Swanson told you was total bullshit, Leia. And you fucking know it.”
The accusatory tone in his voice annoys me. Everyone expects me to know everything.
“I only know what I’m told, Hunter. And I was told—”
