Page 67 of The Academy
Olivia pats her midsection and groans. “I have such a food baby.”
As Davi changes into sweatpants and a Tiffin T-shirt, clocks throughout the house chime. It’s only six o’clock, still so early. Davi sits on her bed and scrolls through other people’s Thanksgiving TikToks, which evoke an unexpected longing for her own parents.Shouldshe call? She has communicated with them only by text since Family Weekend; she hasn’t yet acknowledged her father’s email about her travel plans home at Christmas.
Davi checks her Snap Maps to see where her parents even are; they like Paris in November. Vikram’s avatar (brown skin, graying hair, all-black outfit) turns up in the 8th arrondissement at the Plaza Athénée. But Davi’s mother isn’t with him. Ruby isn’t in Paris; she isn’t in London. Davi zooms out, checking her mother’s other haunts—she’s not in Tuscany, not in Morocco. When she clicks on Ruby’s avatar, the map reorients.
Ruby is in the US. She’s in… Kentucky?
Davi burps. Her mother is in some town called Covington, Kentucky. But this can’t be right.
Davi dials her mother, gets her voicemail, calls back. After four rings, Ruby picks up; it sounds like she’s eating. “Darling?” Ruby says. Davi hears her swallow. “Is everything all right?”
“Where are you?” Davi says.
“I’m at Saylem’s family’s house, darling,” Ruby says. “In Covington. I had no idea Kentucky was so close to Cincinnati, did you?We’re just in the middle of a gorgeous dinner. I tried sweet potato with marshmallow topping. I thought it sounded dreadful but it’s actually…”
Ruby is with Saylem’s family for Thanksgiving.
Davi feels her stomach lurch. She claps a hand over her mouth and dashes for the bathroom.
December
16. The Holly and the Ivy
Charley takes an Uber from the Springfield bus station back to school the Sunday after Thanksgiving. When Horace’s Toyota RAV4 pulls up to the entrance, Charley gasps. The gates are decked with evergreen garlands, white lights, and a pair of wreaths with green-and-gold tartan bows. In the middle of the Pasture stands an enormous Christmas tree strung with golden lights. There are candles and tiny wreaths in every single window across campus—in the Teddy, the Sink, the Schoolhouse, the Paddock, and Classic North and South.
Horace whistles. “This is ahigh school?” he says.
“Yes.” In that moment, Charley understands how privileged she is.
A wreath and single candle have been placed in Charley’s room. They give such a festive vibe that Charley forgives whoever entered her space while she was away.
As she’s unpacking, Miss Bergeron pokes her head in. “A bunch of us are going to watchLove Actuallyin the common room,” she says. “We have popcorn and I’m making hot chocolate.” She smiles tentatively. “’Tis the season.”
“I want to read,” Charley says, though as soon as Miss Bergeron retreats, Charley wonders if she should join everyone else. It soundscozy and Charley has reached the point where Tiffin feels more like home than her actual home.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Charley hung out with Beatrix, who filled her in on every nonevent at Loch Raven High School, then ever so casually mentioned that Joey had “visited” her at Towson Hot Bagels. She gave him a free coffee and he winked at her.
“He winks at everyone,” Charley said. This wasn’t true, but she needed to shut Beatrix down. Why did Beatrix give him free coffee? She should have refused to wait on him.
Then Beatrix asked about Davi again. Had Charley been invited to her room to film a TikTok? Had she seen the neon sign that readTHISISWHERETHEMAGICHAPPENS?
“Nope,” Charley said.
Beatrix sighed. “Maybe I can visit you next semester?” They had talked about this over the summer, before Charley left. But in this moment, when Charley imagined Beatrix sitting in on Mr. Rivera’s English class or coming to the’Bred Bulletinoffice to meet Ravenna, Grady, and Levi, or tasting Chef Haz’s peanut butter pie or… introducing Beatrix to East and watching as Beatrix’s eyeballs popped out of her head because she had “literally” never set eyes on a more gorgeous human, she thought,No way.
“Having friends visit isn’t really a thing,” Charley said. “Nobody does it. I’m not sure it’s even allowed.”
Beatrix pulled a face and started scrolling through her phone.
“But I can checkThe Bridleand maybe ask Miss Bergeron,” Charley said.
“See, I don’t know whatThe Bridleand who Miss Bergeron even are,” Beatrix said. “It’s like I’m losing you.”
Just as Charley decides shewilljoin everyone in the common room (she knows the girls on her floor expect her to be a grinch and shewants to surprise them by wearing the new candy cane–printed pajamas she bought at the Owings Mills Mall over the weekend), her phone pings with a text. Charley assumes it’s her mother making sure she got back okay on the bus, but when she checks, she sees East’s name and the downward arrow.
Her heart soars like Santa’s sleigh.
But… it’s almost nine, which is kind of late to check out for the Sink. Charley pokes her head into the hallway and realizes everyone is packed into the common room, where the lights are off and the TV is glowing with scenes of horny people bustling through the snow-flurried streets of London with their parcels. Charley smells the popcorn and imagines her floormates burning their tongues on watery Swiss Miss. Nothing can tear their attention away fromLove Actually.
