Page 147 of Collide
“I think you might have attachment issues, Crawford.”
“As long as you’re the one I’m attached to, I wouldn’t call that an issue.” The ruffle of the covers sounds as he settles into bed.
“Whatever you say,Captain.”
“Say that again.”
“Captain?”
“Yup, that’s it. Talk dirty to me, Summer.”
I laugh. “Shut up.”
“You’re right. I’ll shut up, you keep talking.” He smiles, and when I think he’s asleep he moves again. “Your mom called me this morning.”
Divya Preston has a saying: ‘Clutter in your phone is clutter in your life.’ Finding out Aiden made the cut is oddly satisfying. “What did she say?”
“They’ll be in Toronto soon, so I should visit when I’m there. She even offered me your room to stay in.”
“She’s trying to replace me because you answer her calls.”
Aiden chuckles. “Don’t worry, babe. Eli and I already have an apartment. But I will check out your childhood bedroom.”
“Remind me to have all my posters taken down.”
“Don’t tell me you were a teenage fangirl.”
“Don’t ask questions you’re not ready for. That room holds some dark secrets,” I warn, and he chuckles wearily. “Go to sleep. I can see the dark circles forming.”
“Not true, I’m flawless.”
He actually might be. “Goodnight, my Sleeping Beauty.”
“Night, baby,” he murmurs, sleep overtaking him.
THE CHIMING OF emails hitting my inbox jolts me awake. My call with Aiden must have disconnected because my phone is sandwiched between my mattress and the wall. Groggily wiping my eyes, I fish it out, and when I open my email, I hear a knock.
Amara’s already at the front door, looking at Sampson’s phone. Squealing, she almost hugs Sampson but turns to me. “We did it!”
I have been mentally preparing myself for being taken away in handcuffs since the break-in. “We did?”
Sampson beams. “Someone I know from the committee said she’s fired. They’re talking to Donny now.”
“You think he’ll get expelled?” asks Amara.
The spark of guilt is unexpected, but Donny used to be someone I cared for. It’s too bad he had let his greed win.
Sampson slides his phone back into his pocket. “His parents are loaded, and Langston had all the power in their relationship. But he’ll be punished because students read the article on the gossip page, and they’re pissed,” he says. “AndI talked to Müller. If Langston approved your application and you've been denied or waitlisted, you can reapply with the dean’s approval.”
Leaving my dreams and all the people I love for Stanford was so painful that I shoved my feelings deep down—until right now. Hope bubbles up. “But what about the investigation?”
“Someone confessed. Müller didn’t say who it was.”
Relief doesn't set in, and I hope whoever confessed won’t get in too much trouble. Part of me knows that letting someone else take the blame will eat away at me until I make it right.
Amara jostles me into a hug again, distracting me from my thoughts. “You’re not leaving! I was totally getting an army ready to hack admissions for you.”
I hug her tighter. “I should tell Aiden the good news, too.”
