Page 34 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

She held up her textbook. “Studying for my biology exam.”

“Of course you are. You’ll probably graduate summa cum laude.”

Was he making fun of her? “Some of us are here for the academics, not the social life.” Her words had come out sharper than she’d intended.

His face fell. “Hey... I’m just teasing. I admire how hard you work.”

Her skin flushed with heat. Did he compare her to the other girls he knew? Did she seem boring and predictable to him now? “Sorry, I’m just tired. How’s football going?”

He told her about the last football practice, some of the terminology foreign to her. She tried to hang on, but negative thoughts persisted. He was a jock on campus and obviously a popular one. She thought of the latest photo she’d seen him tagged in with a group, including two attractive women, one of whom had been caught staring at him, midlaugh. Did she have a thing for Gavin?

Did he like her?

Her throat thickened at the thought. They hadn’t talked in almost a week, and now he was rambling on about something he’d normally talk about with his buddies. And look at him. He was so handsome—and so sweet. How could girlsnotbe attracted to him?

It had been quiet for a few beats.

“Well, anyway . . .” He gave an uncertain grin. “That’s what’s been going on with football. What’s up with you?”

Laurel opened her mouth to respond.

But she was interrupted by a female calling Gavin’s name.

He turned away from the phone and glanced somewhere off-screen. “I’m on a call.”

“Come on, Gav, we’re going to Boonie’s.”

Gav?

“Go on without me. I’ll be a while.”

“Booor-ing!” A door slammed shut.

Gavin faced Laurel again. “Sorry about that. Everyone avoids the dining hall as much as possible. The food’s getting pretty old.”

“Who was that?” Laurel tried to keep the raging jealousy from her voice, but the burning sensation in her stomach made her wince.

“Just a girl from upstairs. You were about to tell me what’s going on there. How are your classes going?”

This woman had presumably barged into his dorm room. Were they that close? Were they more than friends? Was that why he wasn’t calling and texting as much? Why their conversations had grown stilted sometimes?

Was he waiting until Thanksgiving to break up with her in person? Her mom’s voice rang in her ears.“Theyalways leave,Laurel. You’regonnaget hurt.”

Laurel pressed a hand to her chest. She couldn’t handle three more weeks of this awful dread. Her mom was right. It was never going to work. Might as well just get it over with now.

“Laurel?”

She took a good long look at his face, knowing in her heart this was the last time she’d see it on her phone. Fear sucked the moisture from her mouth. The spaghetti she’d eaten for supper churned in her stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t going to work,” she blurted. And it wouldn’t. The waiting for something bad to happen was eating her alive. Best to just get it over with now.

His expression fell. “What do you mean, it isn’t going to work?”

“This. Us. It’s not working. I can’t do this anymore.”

His posture stiffened and the corners of his eyes tightened. “I know being apart is hard but—”

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