Page 19 of Fault Line

As I head into Weyerhaeuser, my nerves officially settle. The good news from earlier is still fresh on my mind, so I don’t even allow the sight of Holden’s smug face to faze me one bit. In fact, it’s like he never even appeared in my dreams at all.

Instead, I attempt to walk right on past him without saying a word.

“Karras.” He glances up from his phone, his usual cocky grin pasted perfectly in place. “I’m assuming you received the samespecial emailthat I did this morning.”

I freeze, dread chilling my bones. “What email?”

“The one congratulating us on our proposals.”

My heart instantly sinks. “Oh, you got that, too?”

“Yeah.” He flashes me a self-satisfied smile. “Did you read through it clearly? Because I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like we’re not the only ones.”

My shoulders slump. Of course, I should’ve known I wasn’t the only student selected. But the idea of sharing my favorite professor with Holden—with any of our peers—is not something I like to envision.

I try to keep my voice steady, nonchalant, as I ask, “So, who’d you put down, then?”

The corner of his lip lifts. “I think you know.”

“Please tell me you didn’t.”

“It’s not a big deal, Karras. We can both work with her.”

“No, Beck. It is a big deal.” I shake my head, my frustration and disappointment mounting. “This was supposed to be my chance to impress Dr. Khatri. To work one-on-one with the woman I admire the most in our department. Why do you even want to work with her? Just because I do?”

“No, I like Khatri, too. She’s cool.”

“She’scool?” I arch an incredulous brow. “Becker, she’s one of the most highly esteemed, well-respected researchers in our field. She’s a lot more than justcool.”

“Okay, my bad. She’sreallyfucking cool.”

“Jesus Christ, never mind.” I rub my temples in frustration. “Again, complete waste of energy attempting to reason with you.”

His expression darkens. “I get that you’re upset, but I’ve earned this, too. And it’s not like Dr. Khatri only has time for one student. If she so chooses, we can both benefit from working with her.”

“But it won’t be the same,” I protest. “She won’t be able to give either one of us her full attention.”

Holden sighs. “Sharing the same advisor is not the end of the world, Karras. Stop catastrophizing.”

“It’s easy for you to say, isn’t it?” My frustration spills out in harsh words. “You’ve got hockey, your daddy’s money, and your merry band of boys. But this is it for me, Becker. This is all I have. And now, the one thing I wanted for myself, I have to share with you.”

His features pull tight. “You know, that also means I have a lot of responsibilities outside of academics. And if working with someone like Khatri can help alleviate the pressure, then you’re damn right I’m gonna do it.”

“Yeah, responsibilities.” I sigh in exasperation. “You know, that word doesn’t ring quite the same bell when you have a safety net that spans a mile wide.”

“Look, I’m not gonna fight with you about this anymore. We both earned it, and we can both work with her.” His jaw tightens. “It’s not that fucking serious.”

I give him a sharp look. “Nothing’s everthatserious to you, is it?”

It may be harsh, but it’s the truth. I think back to all of our group projects where he’d goof off, distracting others instead of contributing. Or the countless parties he’s attended over the years, prioritizing a good time over studying for an important exam.

And let’s not forget how he continues to breeze through presentations, relying on his charm and natural charisma rather than putting in the effort to thoroughly prepare.

It’s frustrating to witness someone who’s supposed to be my equal just sail through their life. And it makes me wonder if he’s ever truly faced adversity or been forced to fight for something he desperately wanted, knowing that failure wasn’t an option.

Knowing that he truly had nothing, and no one, to fall back on but himself.

“What the hell do you want me to do?” He throws his hands up in frustration. “It’s not like I went out of my way to steal her from you. We both earned top marks. We both wanted Khatri as our advisor. It’s not my fault that we might have to share her. Do you want me to email the panel back and tell them I changed my mind?”

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