Page 31 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

Her smile brightens. She’s probably grateful for the subject change. Then again, so am I. Who wants to talk about a dead parent during a study session?

“Exciting,” she replies.

“Yeah.”

“You guys sound like you’re all pretty close.”

“I guess so. I could probably hit up a few more Sunday brunches since I'm closer now, but we’ll see. How about you? Do you have any siblings?” I ask.

“Nope.” She shrugs. “Just me.”

“Ah, an only child, huh?”

“Yup. It’s like I’m the golden child and the black sheep all rolled into one. Very exciting stuff.”

I laugh. “Sounds like it. Are you close with your parents?”

Her smile falls for a second, but she pastes another one on her face. This one is less real. More forced.

“You don’t have to––”

“They’re free spirits, you know?” she interrupts. “Like…we’re good. And they love me, and I love them. But they didn’t exactly sign up for parenting if you know what I mean. I think they were pretty happy when I finally graduated, and they didn’t have to be on the parenting train twenty-four-seven.”

Shit. It sucks. But I can’t tell her that.

I want to touch her hand. To comfort her for having shitty parents even though it isn’t my job. But the tiny flicker of disappointment when I mentioned them? It fucking stung.

“Are you from around here?” I ask, shifting in my chair to be closer to her.

She shakes her head. “No, actually. My parents live in Maine.”

“You grew up there?”

“Yup. Did you know it’s legal to grow your own marijuana there?” My eyes widen, and I choke back my laugh as she continues. “Yup. When I say they’re free spirits, I mean they’re free spirits.”

I laugh, surprised by her openness. “Why’d you choose to go to LAU, then?”

“My favorite teacher in elementary school, Mrs. Mock, graduated from LAU and was all about school spirit. Her classroom was littered with black, red, and white LAU memorabilia hanging on every single wall. She would even grade our papers with an LAU marker and would pass out stickers with the mascot on them. I guess it kind of stuck.”

“So, you moved across the country and away from everyone you knew because you looked up to your teacher?”

“Damn straight, I did,” she replies. “And it was the best decision I could’ve made. I seriously love LAU.”

“Really?”

“Uh, yeah.” She nudges her shoulder against mine. “It’s the greatest school ever. Don’t get me wrong. Moving was rough, but I’d felt alone for so long, I think I was ready for a new start. A chance to do something on my own,” she adds, lost in the memory. She shrugs one shoulder. “Then, I met my roommates, who are awesome, and I met Logan during one of my classes. He asked me out and swept me off my feet. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

“Logan swept you off your feet?”

Doodling a flower on the edge of her notebook, she avoids my gaze and mumbles, “Why are you surprised?”

“Didn’t know he had it in him. Is he still mad at you? For the whole T-shirt thing?”

She peeks up at me, a slight blush kissing her cheeks as she looks back at the dark blue pen in her hand. “Not anymore. I promised I’d make it up to him, so…”

“So, I need to buy some noise-canceling headphones. Got it,” I joke, ignoring the swell of jealousy hitting out of nowhere.

“Colt!” She smacks my shoulder, her face brightening with embarrassment.

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