Page 14 of Hailey Goes to College

“No problem,” Josh says, offering a cautious smile. “Good luck with your article. And remember, not everything is as it seems. Make sure you have your facts straight before you publish anything.”

“I will,” I promise, standing up and gathering my notes. “Thanks again, Josh.”

As I leave the study lounge, my thoughts are in turmoil. Could Ryan really be involved in something illegal? The Ryan I went on a date with seemed so genuine and sweet. But if he’s the same Ryan that Josh mentioned, I might have stumbled onto something much bigger than I anticipated.

I hurry back to my dorm, my mind buzzing with questions and doubts. When I enter our room, Kelsey is there, lounging on her bed holding her Kindle.

“Hey, how did the meeting go?” she asks, looking up with a smile.

I sink onto my bed, feeling overwhelmed. “It was… intense. I got an assignment to investigate rumors about online trading among students.”

Kelsey sits up, her interest piqued. “Oohhh…espionage! What’s up?”

I hesitate, not sure how much to reveal. “At first nothing, but then I talked to this guy, Josh, and he said there might be a group that actually is involved in some shady shit. Insider trading or money laundering. I don’t know, but he mentioned our dorm and a guy named Ryan.”

Kelsey’s eyes widen. “Ryan? As in your Ryan?”

“I don’t know,” I say, feeling a lump in my throat. “It could be a different Ryan, but… it’s in Hamilton Hall, and this is where he lives.”

Kelsey moves to sit next to me, her face full of concern. “Well, let’s not jump to conclusions. Just talk to Ryan. This could all be a big coincidence. Or it could be nothing. Guys love to talk a big game. For all we know they’re passing the same share of McDonald’s back and forth and calling it genius.”

“I know,” I say, turning over to look at her. “I’ll talk to him, see what he says. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“Don’t let yourself get too worked up over this. Remember, finance bros love to inflate their own egos.”

I reach over and squeeze her hand. As usual, she’s the voice of reason I need to combat my racing thoughts. Without Kelsey, my imagination would run away from me and before I knew it I would have turned Ryan into an episode of Succession.

I tell myself that I’ll figure it out in the morning. No matter what I need to know if the guy I like aspires to commit financial crimes or if he allows rumors to swell about his fiscal prowess.

As Kelsey and I cuddle in my small bed, I wonder if it would have been better to ask if I could just print the sports stats.

I don’t sleep. Contrary to the promise I made Kelsey, I do let my imagination run away from me. I imagine the FEDS coming in and arresting Ryan. I imagine him hating me for writing false allegations against him and never speaking to me again. Most of all I think about how I feel like I have to choose between writing the story Kevin wants or staying in happy oblivion with Ryan. I’m eighteen, I shouldn’t worry about things like insider trading or money laundering—what is this, a Scorsese movie?

Early the next morning, I decide to text Ryan. My fingers hover over my phone, my heart pounding.

Hey Ryan, would you like to meet for coffee this morning?

I hit send and wait, my nerves on edge. His reply comes almost immediately.

Sure, how about 8:30 at the student center?

Perfect. See you then.

I exhale, trying to steady my racing heart. I have a little over an hour to prepare myself. Kelsey is still asleep, so I quietly get dressed and head out, my mind a whirl of anxiety and determination. I wish I could have talked to Kelsey about it, but I didn’t want to wake her. I mean… am I jumping to conclusions that Ryan could somehow be involved? There’s got to be hundreds of Ryan’s that go to this school and at least a handful that are business majors. It’s probably a coincidence and I’m overreacting. As I walk to the student center, I go over what I want to say, rehearsing different scenarios in my head.

When I arrive, I find a quiet corner and sit down, trying to calm my nerves. I see Ryan walk in a few minutes later, looking as handsome and confident as ever. My heart aches at the thought that he might be hiding something from me. Could I really be that poor a judge of character?

“Hey, Hailey,” he says with a warm smile, sitting down across from me.

“Hey,” I say, wiping my palms against my thighs. “Sorry about the early meetup.”

“No problem,” he leans back in his chair. “I was up. I assume this isn’t because you couldn’t wait to see me.”

“No!” I rush to assure him. “Of course, I wanted to see you. But I wanted to talk to you about something.” I lean forward, putting my hands on the table. He glances down and lets the legs of his chair fall to the ground and mimics my position.

“So you know how I wanted to join the newspaper?” He nods. “Well, I was asked to ask around about something. It’s probably so stupid. Like, you’ll laugh. Then we’ll laugh. It’ll be a laugh.”

“Great. Can’t wait to have a laugh.” He doesn’t sound like it.

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