Whatissurprising, is that Professor Crawford seems to have climbed out of his own ass and hasn’t been a dick to me for the last two weeks.
Not sure what prompted the turn around, but I’m also not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, or even question it.
Contrary to Crawford’s belief, I’m not stupid.
I should have known thatsomethingwas coming because these two weeks have been so good. Nothing in my life is ever hunky dory for long.
“Family dinner. Apparently, Chase has something to tell us.” I flop onto my back and groan while staring at the ceiling. “Because obviously he can’t just tell us in a text or phone call. Like a normal person. I swear to God, if they’re pregnant…”
She bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach as she bends in half, laughing at me so hard that she actually starts to cry. “Oh, God, I needed that,” she says, sucking in air like it's going out of fashion. “But for reals, what if they are?”
“So freaking gross.” I shudder at the possibility, but at least her crazy outburst of laughter lightened my mood just a tiny bit. “At least I have a car so I don’t have to get a ride with Travis.”
“I thought you gave the car back…” she says as she drops onto her bed opposite me.
I nod, because I did, and had that insufferable trip back to campus with Travis, but after doing that once, I decided having the Batmobile was the lesser evil. I tell her exactly that and she pulls a face at me.
“So the twins bullied you into going back and getting a car?”
I can’t help but laugh at her deduction. “They very much encouraged it. Especially since I wouldn’t let them drive me everywhere.ButI did get puppy time, so it was a win-win.”
“I want to play with those squishums. Pictures aren’t enough, ya know.”
“Oh, I know. I don’t like that I barely get to see them as it is. Stupid Travis and his bullshit.”
“So when is this dinner anyway?”
I groan again, remembering the stupid text from my mom. “Tonight. Apparently late notice is her thing now.”
Penn chuckles quietly. “At least tomorrow is Friday and you can let off some steam at the party you promised me you’d go to.”
“Not the toga party.” I groan, covering my face with my hand. I agreed to that shit under epic protest.
“Yes, the toga party,” she says, rolling her eyes. “We only get to do college once, B. Lap up the experiences. All of them. These are supposed to be the best years of our lives.”
“Whoever said that was old and sad, you know that, right?” I deadpan.
“Who cares,” she retorts with a shrug. “It’s still true. So let’s live it up. Ya know,afteryou know for sure there’s not a baby in your immediate future.”
“Never have I ever been more glad for birth control,” I say, tapping the little rod of genius under the skin of my bicep.
“Amen to that.” She looks at her phone and her eyes go wide. “Don’t you have class in like, twenty minutes?”
What?
I look at my phone and freak the fuck out. “Oh, shit,” I screech as I scramble off the bed, barely avoiding falling flat on my face when I get tangled in the sheets.
One day, I won’t live aboard the Hot Mess Express, but apparently, today isnotthat day.
* * *
I take a deep breath as I approach the dining room of the McMansion, trying to prepare myself for whatever the hell is going to happen tonight, but it's not enough and I stop dead in the doorway when I start to enter the room.
What in the name of all that is holy?
I mean, of course I expected the same pomp and opulence that is always here. I expected to find my mom, Chase, and Travis—despite not hearing from Travis about the dinner. I knew I wasn’t going to be the only one summoned—but what I did not expect to see before me was Asher, Sawyer, Cole, and what I can only assume are their parents.
Yeah, that was shocker number one.