Page 24 of For Emery

I slipped out my phone and called Sabrina as I made my way outside and across campus to meet up with her and hopefully Emery. “She wasn’t there,” I said into my phone.

“You heading this way?”

“Yeah. You mind waiting in case the professor dismisses the class early and we miss her?”

“Nope. I’ll be here.”

It took me a few minutes to cross campus. I dropped down beside Sabrina on the bench outside the building, needing a moment to catch my breath. We sat silently watching random people moving across campus in different directions.

“You have any idea what you’re gonna say if it’s her in there?” Sabrina asked.

I shook my head.

“Just be honest. Tell her you deserve an explanation.”

I nodded, hoping our second encounter wouldn’t be as awkward as our first. “But what if she’s not the same girl I remember? What if she’s a girl who likes hanging out with assholes like Flip Caruso?”

“Ummm—”

“Don’t even say it,” I warned.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Sure you were.”

“Okay, you’re right,” she laughed. “But, you have gotten better.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said sardonically.

She glanced down at her phone. “Classes dismiss in two minutes.”

“Fuck.” I jumped to my feet, unsure if I should go inside or wait where I stood. It didn’t matter. The front door opened and a flurry of bodies shuffled outside.

Sabrina stood, shielding her eyes from the sun as we scanned the crowd. “I didn’t get a great look at her the other night,” she said. “I don’t wanna miss her.”

My eyes stayed on the moving bodies, jumping from left to right. That’s when I spotted Emery staring down at her phone. Her eyes lifted from her phone and flashed around at the nearby buildings. She seemed so small on the huge campus. Just like she had the first time we’d met. Always on the verge of being swallowed up by the cruel world around her.

I didn’t hesitate, jogging over to her. “Emery.”

Surprise filled her face before she steeled her features, looking upon me indifferently. “Nice to see you sober.”

Ignoring the dig, I smiled. “Nice to see you too.”

She began to walk away, so I followed her, keeping pace with her steps. “Need help finding your way?”

She held up her phone. A campus map filled the screen.

“I’m definitely better than a map. You’re heading to calculus.” I pointed to the old stone building a few yards away from us. “It’s that one.”

“How do you know where I’m going?” she asked, moving toward the building.

I kept pace with her. “I know you,” I said, playing it cool and omitting the fact I was currently stalking her. “You should know that.”

We stopped in front of the building and before I could say anything, she began to climb the steps.

“That’s it?”

She stopped and turned toward me. “What?”

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