Page 49 of The Last Key
I flash a smile. And I do feel a little better. A little more excited. Dream opportunity. Now I’ve got the dream guy. Could I really have everything I wanted?
“Come on,” he says, opening his car door. “Let’s go tell Gladys.”
I smile as he climbs out of the car. Not everyone who falls for their best friend gets so lucky. Hell, I’m lucky to have him in the first place. To have his love, too? That’s the best thing ever.
Gladys wasboth unsurprised and thoroughly excited to hear we were together. Shockingly, Devon’s mom had not already told her. She did, however, text my mom, but thankfully, I’d already texted her, Frannie, and Hallie over the weekend to fill them in.
Now I’m sitting at the desk with Gladys, half looking at reunion stuff and half overthinking everything.
“Who are they now?” I ask, looking through a pile of papers about the reunion.
“Yes, that’s the theme. Didn’t you read your invitation?”
I laugh. “No. I think it showed up in my email, but Devon had already told me about it and I’d taken the time off, so I just ignored it and moved on.”
Gladys shakes her head. “Well, that is the theme. There’s going to be a slideshow with pictures of you back in high school and again now. I’m sure you would’ve been asked to provide some had you looked at the email. Devon handled that for you, though.”
“Hopefully he chose some good ones,” I say, blowing my hair off my face as I look back at the pile of reunion stuff—mostly notes from Gladys and Devon about the decorations, food, and layout.
I read the words again.Who are they now?
Great question.
My mind drifts back. Who did I think I was going to be?
I sneak out the side door of the school, doing my best to be inconspicuous. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve never skipped class before. And it’s the back half of senior year. Nothing important is happening, anyway.
I head for the nearby tree line and find Devon leaning against a tree.
“Hey,” he says, his green eyes vibrant as usual.
“Hey.”
He wraps his arm around me in a half hug like he hasn’t seen me five times today.
“Claire coming?”
“Right here,” she says from behind me.
“Anyone see you?” I ask.
She snorts. “No. And trust me, we’re the least of everyone’s problems. The assistant principal just caught two people fucking in a car in the parking lot. There’s a whole crowd out front which made it easy to sneak away.”
“I don’t understand the appeal of fucking in the school parking lot, but whatever,” I say.
Claire shakes her head. “Dumbasses are probably going to be expelled four months before we graduate.”
“Nah. It’s too much paperwork to expel anyone,” Devon says as we walk down a worn trail between the trees that leads to a small parking lot where Devon’s old minivan is parked. We all climb into the back.
“Four more months,” I say. “Can you believe we’re almost done with high school?”
“Thank fucking God. I’ll be out of here the second that diploma is in my hand,” Claire says.
“I think we’re going back to New York,” I admit for the first time.
Devon stares at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrug. “We’re still going to college together. I know my parents are going back. I’m just not sure when.”
