Page 95 of The Academy
Jefferson mixes up the cocktails, which come in smudged highball glasses, though Honey doesn’t seem to mind. They toast at the same moment the colored Christmas lights over the bar come on.
“Here’s to Annabelle,” Honey says. “Lordy, what a day. I try not to judge my performance in terms of acceptances and rejections, but today was a definite win.”
“Here’s to you!” Simone says. She takes a sip of her drink and gasps. It’sstrong.
“Andto Annabelle’s parents, who had a four-hundred-dollar orchid delivered to my office by noon,” Honey says. She looks at Simone. “Were the girls celebrating when you left?”
“Annabelle and Ravenna were,” Simone says. “I didn’t see Lisa.”
Right,Honey thinks.Lisa is probably sulking. She didn’t get into Harvard (she applied just for kicks) and she also didn’t get into her first choice, Tulane. She did, however, get into the University of Virginia, George Washington, and Emory, which are all prestigious schools—though they might not feel that way on Ivy Day.
The admissions chat, while endlessly fascinating to Honey, isprobably putting Simone to sleep. “So what’s up with you? You wanted to talk?”
Simone considers her drink; she wants to slam the rest of it back. “It’s about Rhode.”
“Rhode?”
“He’s obsessed with me,” Simone says. “At the beginning of the year, I thought we could be friends.” She gazes down the bar. “The two of us came here, actually. We bumped into Chef Haz, thank god, because I got tipsy and if Haz hadn’t seen us, I think Rhode might have taken advantage of me.”
Honey notes Simone’s trembling lip and the discomfort in her eyes. “But I thought… I mean, Iheardthe two of you were dating? Or had gone on a date?”
“One date,” Simone says. “I figured I’d humor him, get him off my back.” She pours the rest of her drink down her throat; Honey spins her finger in the air and mouthsAnother roundto Jefferson.
“So tell me what’s going on, exactly,” Honey says. She’s been the college counselor for eight years, though she was trained as a good old-fashioned guidance counselor, which is the kind of work she wishes she did more of.
Simone has to be so careful. It’s risky talking to Honey about Rhode without mentioning East. “He’s always been inappropriate,” Simone says. “During First Dance he asked if I had a boyfriend. I said no, though now I wish I’d invented one. He then told me in excruciating detail about his breakup from some chick back in New York.”
Honey rolls her eyes; she can just picture it.
“Then, at one of the football games, he plunked himself down next to me and spiked my hot cider with whiskey. I didn’t notice until I’d taken a sip.”
“At aTiffinfootball game?” Honey says. “On school grounds?” Sheknows she sounds aghast, though she isn’t. Cord occasionally brings a S’well bottle filled with wine to the games. But spiking Simone’s drink without her permission is one step away from drugging her!
“He’s always texting me, watching my every move, asking where I’ve been. During Family Weekend, I was a few minutes late to the steak dinner because I took the chapel tour with Mr. James, and Rhode acted like he wanted to give me a missed commitment.”
“Come on,” Honey says.
“Back in November, I agreed to a date. I vowed to be open-minded. Rhode rented a fancy car, which was thoughtful, but instead of going to the Wooden Duck like we’d agreed…”
At the mention of the Wooden Duck, Honey drinks. Breaking her date with Cordelia hadnotgone well. Honey’s excuse was that she needed to spend the evening in the dorms. Cord has no idea that Honey is out tonight and hanging with Simone, though Honey doesn’t care if she finds out. They aren’t married, they aren’t even openly dating. Honey prefers to think of them in the “friends-with-benefits” space. They’ve never had a conversation about being exclusive… but that’s primarily because there was no one else in the Tiffin bubble to consider.
“… he drove me to Vermont!” Simone says. “He borrowed the Wullys’ vacation cottage and had Chef Haz drop off a gourmet dinner. Caviar and champagne! Beef Wellington.”
“Wow,” Honey says.
“I wassouncomfortable,” Simone says. “We were all by ourselves, across state lines, in the middle of the woods.”
“Did hetryanything?” Honey asks. She finds herself growing angry—and a little jealous—at the thought.
“He kissed me,” Simone says. “It made me sick. Literally: I vomited everything up. And that ended the date.”
Their drinks are gone. Honey orders one more round, which willhave to be their last. They can’t return to Classic South completely wrecked.
“So he got the hint?” Honey asks.
“I thought so,” Simone says. “During the snow day, we went cross-country skiing together, which was fun. He kept things light. But then he wanted to sit together at dinner and when I told him I was tired and taking food back to my room, he got pissy with me.”
“That’s crazy!” Honey says. “It’s as though he thinks youowedhim something.”
