Page 2 of Collide
I’ve successfully avoided everything to do with hockey for the past three years, only for it to be my front and center for the next few months. I’m beyond screwed, and I have to suck up my distaste for the sport of my Canadian ancestors.
I use all my willpower to not slam her door on the way out.
“You look pissed.” The voice comes from the hallway leading to the advisor’s lounge. Donny stands against the wall, dressed in cashmere and his brown eyes focused on me.
I’ve made a few mistakes since I got to college. Donny Rai is one of them.
An exhausting two-year relationship later, we have no choice but to see each other every day because we're both getting the same degree and applying to the same post-grad program. It doesn’t feel like a competition between us, but I know Donny wants that co-op spot just as bad as I do.
He falls into step with me. “An ultimatum?”
“Exactly.” I look over at him. “How did you know?”
“She gave one to Shannon Lee an hour ago. Shannon’s thinking of dropping out now.”
My eyes widen. Shannon is one of the smartest students on campus. Her work in clinical psychology was sent for peer review, making her the youngest Dalton student to be considered for publication.
“That’s ridiculous.” I shake my head, knowing how screwed I am. “You’re so lucky you submitted your application early. The rest of us are stuck completing this new requirement.”
He shrugs. “It’s only a conditional acceptance.”
“Right, like you would ever let your 4.0 drop.”
“4.3,” he corrects.
Donny is at the top of the Dean’s list every year, he’s in every club and committee imaginable. He is the poster child for the Ivy Leagues, so it’s no surprise that he managed to carve his way into one of the most competitive programs. I like to think I’m academically gifted too, but I might as well wear a dunce cap in comparison.
“I have a meeting right now. But I’ll help with your application, we both know you’ll need it.”
The insult stings but Donny just smiles and peels away to head to his meeting with the Dalton Royal Press. Yeah, he works on the school paper, too.
When I finally stomp into my dorm, I fall flat on the living room couch. “If I gave you a shovel, would you hit me over the head with it?” I ask Amara.
“Depends. Am I getting paid?” I groan into the throw pillow, but she pulls it away. “What did she do now?”
Amara Evans and I have been roommates since freshman year. Luckily for me, being best friends with a tech genius means getting perks from the university for her contributions. The most important one was securing Iona House. The only student living complex with two-bedroom and two-bathroom units. It’s still cramped, but anything is better than the communal bathrooms where athlete’s foot lurks in every corner.
“She’s making me do my application on hockey,” I tell her.
Amara drops the pillow. “You’re kidding. I thought she knew about everything.”
“She does! This is what I get for sharing my secrets with the devil.”
“Can’t you find another advisor? She can’t be the only one who gets students accepted to the program.”
“No one has her success rate. It’s like she’s rigging acceptances or something. But maybe she’s right. I should put aside myapprehension.”
Amara gasps. “She did not say that!”
“Oh, but she did.” I sigh, rolling to a sitting position. “How come you’re back so early?”
“Sitting in that lecture hall with a bunch of sweaty dudes isn't how I want to spend my first day back.”
Majoring in computer science means ninety percent of Amara's class is dudes. Which isn’t something Amara’s used to coming from a family of five sisters. She’s smack in the middle and says she’s never known a moment of peace. Stuck between the impossible position of being the older and younger sister, and simultaneously having to deal with teenage hormones and adolescent tantrums. As someone with twin sisters who were born while I was in high school, I can’t relate.
“Are you going to the party tonight?” she asks.
Being surrounded by hundreds of drunk frat dudes sounds like a nightmare. “I have way too much to do.”
