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“Get the project done and never talk to her again.”
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“No,” Nicole agreed distractedly, scanning something on her phone. “I have to go live in a couple of minutes.”
“On TikTok?”
“Yup. My last video got over five hundred thousand views, and I promised that if it did, I’d go live with a special surprise.”
“What’s the surprise?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t have one.” She stared into space thoughtfully, before perking up. “Hey, do you want to go live with me?”
“I don’t have TikTok,” Jesse said, confused.
“No, no. Like go on camera with me.”
“No thank you. You know I don’t really like being filmed. It’s…weird, talking to yourself while people are watching.”
Nicole stood up and stretched. “Well, I wouldn’t be talking to myself if you were with me. I guess I’ll announce a giveaway or something.”
* * *
“Yes, Ema, I’m eating properly,” Raina said, using the Hebrew word formother. She paced back and forth across the dorm, her stress levels rising with every second she stayed on the call. “Yes, I cook every week. I’ll be cooking for Shabbat tomorrow. Yes, they help me.” Zara snickered from her position at the desk, and Raina shot her a glare. “I’m sorry, mom, I have to go now. I have homework to do. Love you, bye.” Raina hung up, throwing her phone onto her bed. “Thank God that’s over.”
Zara laughed. “How long was that? Thirty minutes? Forty?”
“Forty-five,” Raina corrected. “And this is the third time this week. It’s like my mom doesn’t realize I have a life or something!”
“Hey, her oldest daughter is away at boarding school,” Gracie pointed out as she emerged from the bathroom. “Cut her some slack. She’s got to get used to not having you around all the time.”
“It’sJanuary. She’s had since September.”
Picking her phone up again, Raina turned the screen on to find three messages from her mom, all about college applications. Ignoring them, she glanced at the time, her eyes widening.
“Oh no, I’m late!” she exclaimed, clicking her phone off and grabbing a sweatshirt off her bed. She hurriedly shoved an arm into one of the sleeves, attempting to tie her shoe at the same time.
Thirty seconds later, Raina practically ran out of the door, both shoes on and sweatshirt halfway zipped.
“Bye!” she called over her shoulder, barely hearing Zara’s and Gracie’s response as she dashed down the stairs, laptop clutched tightly in her hands.
Five minutes later, Raina hurried into the library, gently placing her laptop down before sliding into the seat opposite Jesse. It was a large library but chairs and tables were sectioned off in little corners, giving off a cozy vibe. Jesse had chosen one tucked partially behind a bookshelf, but in view of the main doors.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s fine.” Jesse waved her off. “I just got here myself.”
Raina gave him a relieved smile, glad that he didn’t seem to be antagonistic. All she wanted was to get this project over with, and it would go a lot more smoothly if they were on speaking terms.
“Okay. So, um, did you have any ideas on what to do for the project?”
Jesse perked up. “Yeah. I want to do a project about poisons.”
“Poisons?”
His eyes sparkled, a mixture of browns and greens that Raina had previously spent hours staring at. “Yeah, like the poison thing that Romeo and Juliet take to die.”
“Well technically only Romeo takes a poison to die. Juliet stabs herself. She does take a potion to put herself in a coma, though.”
