Page 27 of The Academy
“Study with Dub,” Hakeem says. He slings his backpack over his shoulder and leaves the Paddock.
Taylor is tempted to go after him. What iswrong? Then she sees her phone on the table. Did Hakeem…? She taps the dark screen and her Snapchat appears.
Shit,she thinks. She’s busted. Hakeem has every right to be angry. After all, if she found out that Hakeem’s number one was some little freshman hottie, she would never,everforgive him.
But this is Dub. Dub is their friend, their friend who isgrieving.Surely Hakeem can understand?
The problem, Taylor thinks, is that Hakeem most likelydoesunderstand.
Ugh.Taylor watches the doors of the Paddock close behind Hakeem. She sighs and takes a bite of her lasagna, then takes a bite of Hakeem’s lasagna. It’s so good that Taylor groans. She’ll go to Hakeem’s room during Intervis and work things out—but she isn’t skipping dinner for him.
As usual, Davi Banerjee is surrounded by her peeps at dinner. The seat across from her is occupied by Olivia H-T. It’s just weeks into the school year and Davi is already growing weary of Olivia H-T. She’s just so…obsequious(“obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree”). Olivia H-T is also sort of a…cipher(“a person who does the bidding of others and seems to have no will of her own”). She isn’t particularly bright or talented; she doesn’t seem to have any interests other than Davi; she’s obsessed with Davi’s TikTok and Instagram; she has memorized every scrap of content, which is pathetic. Was she like this last year? Davi doesn’t remember Olivia H-T last year… except for the glorious sunny afternoon of Tiffinpalooza. The lead singer of the first band to take the outdoor stage was so hot that Davi wanted to be introduced—and it turned outhe was Olivia H-T’s cousin.That was how Olivia H-T had infiltrated Davi’s circle—though Davi forgot all about her over the summer. Then, when Davi returned to Tiffin, she was so…bereft(“sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or departure”) because ofCinnamon that she wanted as many people around her as possible—and this somehow included Olivia H-T.
The weirdest thing is that this past Sunday, Olivia H-T Ubered all the way into Springfield, saying she was bringing back a “big surprise” for Davi. Davi had hoped she’d have her cousin in tow—but instead, Olivia H-T came back with all her long, mousy brown hair chopped off. She’d gotten a bobjust like Davi’s.
Now, Olivia H-T studies Davi’s plate, which is loaded up with lasagna—Davi patiently waited for Chef to unveil the third variety, a white truffled lasagna. (He’d given her the inside scoop about it earlier in the day.)
“I just don’t get how you can eat all that and stay so thin,” Olivia H-T says.
Across the table, Tilly Benbow snorts. According to Tilly, the most pathetic thing about Olivia H-T isn’t that she copied Davi’s hairstyle but how fixated she is on what Davi eats. Olivia H-T herself eats only salad, usually the baby lettuces, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers (which, Olivia H-T frequently mentions, burn more calories while being digested than they contain) dressed with balsamic vinegar. For breakfast, she drinks herbal tea. To the casual observer, it would appear Olivia H-T consumes almost no calories over the course of a day. And yet, Olivia H-T is…zaftig(“having a full, rounded figure”). Davi has heard that only a few years ago, sixth-form girls would have hazed someone like Olivia H-T, using a black Sharpie to circle the areas on her body where she needed to lose weight. Davi suspects that poor Olivia H-T has heard the stories, which led to herascetic(“characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence”) diet. She probably stashes bags of chips and tubs of cake icing in her room and stuffs her face after lights-out.
This actually endears Olivia H-T to Davi. After all, everyone has secrets.
Seven o’clock brings our favorite time of day: Intervis. This is when we’re allowed to visit one another’s rooms, regardless of gender, for an hour. During Intervis, the door is supposed to stay “halfway open,” which means “open a crack.” For that reason, “Intervis” should probably just be called “intercourse,” though to be honest, it’s no longer cool to hook up during Intervis. Joining the Harkness Society or getting with someone in God’s Basement is way more elite.
Charley Hicks is the only student on either of Simone’s floors who has never exercised the privilege of Intervis—but one night, this changes. Simone is in the common room with her clipboard and a bowl of Starbursts on the table in front of her (she likes to offer the girls something sweet at the end of the day). This hour helps Simone learn the social landscape. A handful of girls—Tilly Benbow, the Madisons and Olivias—go to Davi’s room, where they make TikToks in front of the neon sign that saysTHISISWHERETHEMAGICHAPPENS. Taylor Wilson goes to North to hang in Hakeem’s room or Dub’s room, though sometimes Hakeem and Dub come to South to hang in Taylor’s room. The first time that happened, at the start of the year, Simone checked on them (two boys and one girl)—and she found Taylor and Hakeem sitting on the bed and Dub lying across the floor with his AirPods in.
Sometimes girls come to the common room to hang with Simone. This is nice (though it initially takes Simone by surprise; don’t they have better things to do?). They gossip about other teachers—Mrs. Wully is a hard grader, Señor Perez is a total DILF—but it seems the real reason the girls hang out is to find out more about Simone. Specifically, does she have a boyfriend?
No, Simone hasn’t been in a serious relationship since her first year at university.
Well then,they ask,what about Mr. Rivera?
“I think he likes you,” Lisa Kim says. “He was totally into you the night of First Dance.”
“He looked like he wanted toeatyou,” Annabelle Tuckerman says.
“Mr. Rivera and I are colleagues,” Simone says. “Friendly acquaintances.” Her tone of voice is clipped; she doesn’t want to talk about Rhode. Simone suspects that the girls are right, Rhode does have a crush on her, or hediduntil he found her in the tunnel. Since then, he’s been more reserved with Simone, and she’s caught him looking at her strangely.
Did he see?she wonders.Does he know?
When Charley Hicks walks into the common room, Simone could not be more surprised. She’s dressed in Levi’s, a pink oxford shirt, and penny loafers. Her hair is pushed back from her face in a grosgrain headband. Behind her glasses, her expression is typically inscrutable.
“Hey, Charley!” Simone says. She can’t help believing that, if she continues to try, she and Charley will form some kind of bond. “Are you… Intervissing tonight?”
“I am.”
“Terrific!” Simone says. “Where are you headed?” The girls are supposed to let Simone know what room they’re visiting, though if they’re staying on the floor it doesn’t really matter. Is Charley staying on the floor? Is she, maybe, going to Davi’s room?
“North,” Charley says.
Simone wants to throw a party. Charley is visiting a boy! Simone would assume this was something school-related, but for the first time ever, Charley is without a book. Does Charley have a… loveinterest, then? Is it maybe Royce Stringfellow? He’s the top student in her class. Who else would Charley deem worthy of her time?
“Okay!” Simone says with what she’s sure is a manic smile. “Be sure to check in with Mr. Rivera when you get there, and we’ll see you back here at eight!”
Charley nods and leaves the room. Would it kill the girl to smile? She didn’t even take a Starburst. Who passes up free candy? Simone unwraps a red one—cherry is her favorite—and once a couple minutes have passed, she texts Rhode.
Did Charley make it over there?Simone can’t believe she’s doing this. Charley is sixteen; North is less than fifty yards away.
