Page 48 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

I chew on my lower lip. Me? Alone with him? Even he has to know this isn’t a good idea. We can’t spend five minutes together without fighting. Okay, tonight was an exception, but we were distracted with the presentation. Who knows what’ll happen if we’re alone together.

Maybe we need to do it once to prove it won’t work. “What the hell. Sure, why not?”

His entire face lights up briefly before he reins it back in, clearing his throat. “Cool. Um, I’m free on Saturdays.”

“As in tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t work or anything?”

“No. My parents said as long as I keep my grades up, they’d help with my finances.” He tilts his head from side to side. “My student loans also help, though.”

Quickly, I do a mental check of my schedule. My Saturdays are always free unless a tutoring session gets rescheduled like last week, but I didn’t have any cancellations today. I sort of wish I had, though. “I guess I could do that,” I say, albeit reluctantly. “What time?”

He pulls out his phone, tapping the screen. “Maybe, like, one o’clock? Right after lunch?”

I nod. Daytime is a good idea. It’ll still be warm as long as the sun is out, and I can be out of there before nightfall. I definitely don’t want to be walking home in the dark, and more than that, I don’t want to be anywhere near Sam at sunset. A romantic backdrop to our study group prep is the last thing we need.

My phone dings, so I grab it from my bag and see a message from “Sam Mudboy” pop up. It’s the first time I’ve seen his contact in my phone since we texted in July. A warm nostalgia washes over me, but I quickly shake it off.

“That’s my address and apartment number.”

I click the message and copy the address to Google Maps. “That’s on the other side of campus from me. Should only take me about fifteen minutes to walk.”

“Walk? Don’t do that. Let me pay for an Uber or something.”

I shake my head. Partly, to dismiss his offer, but also because of the weird protectiveness in his tone. “I like walking, Sam. Outside, remember?”

“Okay, but just so you know, I don’t even have my a/c on anymore.”

A sprinkle of appreciation settles in my chest.

“Well, let’s get out of here.” He shrugs on his backpack and holds his hand out, inviting me to exit first.

As we walk down the hall together, we pick apart our study group session. We discuss the things that went well, and the ones that didn’t quite work. All in all, we call it a success.

To be honest, just walking down the hall and holding a civil conversation seems like a success, too. We make it all the way through the building and outside without arguing. Maybe we can get through prepping the presentation with no issues.

I still don’t know if we’ll ever be more than classmates, but maybe we could be friendly classmates. Even that feels like a stretch, but if I want to survive this year and graduate with an internship, I’ve got to try.

Chapter 15

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lisa asks as we eat breakfast at our kitchen table.

I scoop up a spoonful of cereal. “No.”

“Then why are you going? Did something happen between you two that you’re not telling me about?”

“Ew. No way.” I shove the spoon into my mouth.

“So, you guys are friends, then?”

“Not exactly,” I mumble.

Lisa throws her hands in the air. “For crying out loud, Brynn. What are you doing with Sam?”

I swallow my food and sigh. “We’re not friends. After all the lies and shit he’s pulled, I don’t know if we ever will be.” Staring at my bowl, I stir my cereal. “But I want to do this study group thing right. I don’t want to disappoint Dr. St. James and have my internship on the line.”

---