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“Like how when you hang around a person for a while, you start to adopt some of their behaviors.” Nicole nodded.
“Exactly,” Raina agreed. “What about you? Which essay question did you choose?”
“Death,” Nicole said gleefully. She cleared her throat. “Specifically, the different methods of death and what they say about each character. For example, using your topic, Juliet chose a logical method of ‘dying’ because she’s a logical person. On the other hand, Romeo is the opposite, and he didn’t think before killing himself.”
“That’s interesting,” Raina said sincerely.
“Thank you.”
For about forty minutes, the pair worked in silence. Raina managed to write a halfway decent outline and by the time the clock struck five, she was ready to take a break.
“Can I ask you something?” Raina asked, closing her laptop.
“Sure?” Nicole responded, still typing.
Raina hesitated, unsure if she even wanted to know the answer to her question. “Why did you out me to Jesse? Do you like him?”
“I don’t,” Nicole answered, and Raina got the sense she was telling the truth. “I thought I did at one point, but then I realized that my feelings for him weren’t romantic.” She sighed and looked away. “I can admit that I may not have treated you the nicest the past few weeks.”
“Thanks,” Raina said dryly. She’d learned not to expect anything else from Nicole; the girl seemed allergic to apologies.
“I should not have treated you that way,” Nicole stated. “There are quite a few things I’ve said and done that I’m not proud of. I am...sorry.”
Raina’s eyes widened. “Thank you,” she repeated, this time genuinely.
“I thought you were a threat to my friendship with Jesse and I took that out on you unfairly.”
“I wasn’t,” Raina said honestly. “I never wanted to come between you two.”
Nicole sighed. “Now I know that you’re not the type of person to do that, but when I first came back to Trinity, I didn’t know you. And I don’t think there’s any better way to put it than that I was jealous of how close you were to him. I wrongly assumed he could only have one best friend.”
“‘Two households, both alike in dignity,’” Raina said, repeating the words Nicole had recited to her at their first tutoring session. “It’s never one or another. It’s always both.”
Nicole raised a perfectly polished eyebrow. “I said that.”
Raina’s lips quirked. “I guess I learned something from you, after all.”
“Either way. It doesn’t matter now. I figured out my feelings—” Nicole made a face. “—and it appears things are back to normal between you and Jesse.”
“So you’re okay with us…being us?”
Nicole looked as if she was trying to choose her words carefully. “I don’t think I get a say in that. Well, we should probably go now.”
Raina checked the time on her phone. It was a cop out answer, but she wasn’t going to push. “Yeah, that sounds good. What are the vibes for tonight? Casual? Fancy? Chill dinner with friends?”
“Nice?”
“Very helpful, thanks.”
Nicole smirked at her. “I’m always helpful.”
Raina had to laugh. “Sure, Nicole. Whatever you want to believe.”
“I can totally be helpful,” Nicole argued as they headed up the stairs and into Raina’s dorm. “Like now, for example. I’m going to behelpfuland help you pick out something to wear tonight.”
“Actually, I already did that,” Gracie called from where she was straightening her hair in front of the mirror. “It’s on your bed, Raina. And Nicole, there’s an outfit laid out for you on Zara’s bed. I grabbed your favorite dress from your dorm.”
Nicole closed her mouth. “Fine,” she said grudgingly. “But I will help you choose shoes.”
