Page 200 of The Fake Date Agreement

I slam the laptop lid and bolt out of the room, nearly falling down the stairs as I sprint for the garage.

Dad has always worked in there because he likes to leave the garage door up. He says it feels like he’s working outside rather than being trapped in his office all day.

I burst into the garage while Dad is standing at the entrance, one hand in his pocket, and the other holding his cell phone to his ear.

I throw myself at him, sending him rocking. “I read the first line, but I couldn’t read the rest in case it was a trick,” I blurt out so fast it would be a mystery if he understood a word I just said.

He apologizes to the person on the other end of the line, telling them he’ll call back, and hangs up. “From the top, Junebug.”

“The college. The master’s. I applied, and I knew they would say no because what do I have to offer? They probably have students who already did a teaching degree.”

A couple of nights ago, when Dad was watchingCSIthrough a gap between his fingers, and I was telling him when the gory parts were over, I finally opened up about my dream job.

A smile blooms on his face. “They accepted you.”

“But maybe they didn’t. The first line said they were delighted. What if they are delighted to tell me that I came so close and they will think of me if a student drops out? Like I’m wait-listed or something?”

His eyebrow rises.

I wring my fingers. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’m scared to…”Hope.“Can you read it for me in case it’s bad? I’ll know from your face if it’s terrible, so you won’t need to tell me.”

“It won’t be terrible, Junebug, but go on. Get your laptop.”

I get my laptop and place it on his desk, unlocking it without looking at the screen, which makes him smile. And I perch on the very edge of the La-Z-Boy opposite his desk, chewing on my thumbnail with my eyes glued to his face.

He wears his heart and soul on his sleeve. Mom said it’s why they were planning their wedding three months after they met. Everyone said they wouldn’t last. That nothing good could come from getting married when you barely know each other. Twenty years later, they were the happily married couple everyone wanted to be.

Because he’s so easy to read, I feel like I’m reading the email just by watching him.

When he flicks his eyes up to me, I’m the one who says, “I got in.”

After I’ve stopped crying and laughing, Dad takes me out to dinner to celebrate.

When you live in a small town, news travels fast. Dinner is on the house, and everyone is congratulating me before I’ve walked through the restaurant door because Dad told our neighbor who was out mowing his lawn.

Accepting the grad school offer from the college of my dreams is bittersweet.

If Marc hadn’t cheated, I wouldn’t have done it. I’d have gone along with what he wanted, wound up in a career that might have been okay, but I’d have always wanted something more.

I was always so scared of failing that I never let myself imagine what if I succeed?

The campus is quiet when I return to Lamont after five days with Dad. As I make my way up to my room, I don’t bump into anyone.

Like the coward I am, I still have a million texts and voicemails from Caleb, Reid, and Javier, clogging up my phone that I haven’t read, listened to, or responded to.

I wanted to look them in the eye and ask them if they were seeing other girls behind my back. Not because I like confrontation. I don’t. Never will. I’m absolutely sure about that. But I love them, and some things you do face-to-face, and this feels important enough to be one of those things.

So I’m scared—fucking terrified—but I’ll do it. And if they have been screwing behind my back, the least they deserve is a kick down the nearest staircase.

I’ll crawl into a sleeping bag and cry after that.

Chapter 48

Reid

I’mon my way to the arena to skate out my frustrations.

As usual, I glance toward Tobie’s dorm as I cut across the quad.

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