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She was looking better. Still weak, but that was to be expected only a week and a half after surgery to remove part of her left lung. It was her first day home, and her voice was still horse, and she was short of breath often, but the doctor assured my dad and I that it was early enough, and localized enough that they managed to get all the cancerous cells out. I could only hope that was the case.
My mom smacked the pillow, adjusting it so it was more comfortable, and glanced over at me. It was then that I realized my laptop screen was on display, so I quickly shut it, not wanting her to ask questions.
“It's okay. I’ve got to admit, doing my classes online has been great. I don’t have to talk to anyone, and I can just focus on the content of the class.” I tried to hide my smirk, knowing full well that would tick my mom off.
“Aster,” she drawled out. “I thought we went over this. That's not how you should talk about your peers.”
“You sure? Because I don’t think any of them have anything nice to say about me. Getting accused of being a cheat has that effect.”
“I doubt anyone that knows you believes that rumor. You barely like people. Who’s going to believe you’d be willing to take on stepmom duties to a professor’s kids?” She mused, coughing, because it was all a little too much for her.
“Oh, I know.” In reality, the students in a class with me knew the claims about Professor Murphy and I were insane, but I doubted any of them dwelled on it, anyway. They were all too busy trying to be the best than to worry about one of their competitors being taken out of the race.
“Have you heard from the school yet?”
It was the third time my mom had asked in the span of a few hours, and sometimes it felt like she was more nervous about the decision than I was. We’d talked through everything that happened, and she was adamant that I didn’t cheat, going so far as to suggest that we take Covey U to court if they consider holding up this suspension by putting it in my transcript or docking me academically. I wasn’t sure I was ready to go down the legal route, but I couldn’t deny that I was pissed off over the way they handled the situation, even if I felt like my actions were flirting with the wrong side of right.
“Not yet, but I technically shouldn’t expect them for another couple of days.”
It was torture waiting, mainly because it felt like the longer it went on, the more information the school would find to use against me. Tanner was optimistic that this wasn’t going to end with anything other than an apology from the school, but I had a lot less faith in that outcome.
“And what about those other options that I know you’ve been looking up?”
I bit down on my tongue, annoyed that she saw my laptop screen because I hadn’t told her–or anyone–for that matter, that I was thinking of transferring to Charlotte U to finish my degree. It was nowhere near as prestigious, but it meant that I’d be closer to home if mom needed me.
“So, you saw my screen then?” She nodded.
“I don’t want you transferring to Charlotte U.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s too close to us.”
I choked out a sarcastic breath. “Sorry? It’s too close?”
“Yeah. You didn’t even apply to Charlotte U the first time around because you wanted to go to the best of the best. Charlotte U is good, but you’re destined for greatness.”
“Really?” I gave her a sarcastic look. “Because right now, I feel like I’m destined for minimum wage for the rest of my life to pay off a college degree I didn’t finish.”
“When did you get so dramatic?”
“Thea’s been rubbing off on me, I guess,” I mumbled, but my mom heard it, and she smiled.
“Ah, yes. Thea. Your best friend that you’ll deny is your best friend until I stop mentioning her.”
I inwardly laughed, thinking about the last message I got from Thea. It was cryptic as hell, but I was almost certain she thought I’d be able to crack the code because she thought I was a genius. She gave me too much credit.
“I’d definitely say she was a friend.”
“Hallelujah. My work as a mother is done.”
“Let’s just make one thing clear, your work as my mother will never be done.”
A small, tight smile pressed against her lips. “Maybe not, but I’m glad you’ve got people looking out for you now.”
“Yeah,” I drawled out, thinking about how much I’d miss Tanner and Thea if I left.
“Honestly, as much as Covey U has ticked me off over the way they’ve handled this. I still hope they see sense and things work out for me there.”
