Page 157 of Learning Curve

I have so much to give, so much to offer, and if my freak accident of an injury has proven anything, it’s that I’m strong. I can do hard things.

I can do anything.

“Thanks for everything, Elizabeth,” I tell her again as I start to wheel out the door.

But when I make it down the hallway and to the elevators, I pause to send Finn a quick text back.

Me: Honey, I’ll be home soon. ;)

And his response comes in a second later—I can’t fucking wait.

Finn

Today is Scottie’s birthday. She’s officially nineteen, and she has no clue that I have quite the bash planned for her.

Everyone in our friend group has her under the impression that they’re either back home or on trips for the summer, as per my orders to keep it a surprise.

Ace is in the Bahamas with Julia and her family. Kayla went back home to hang with her folks in Texas. Blake is in California for the next two weeks.

At least, that’s what we’ve told her.

All of it’s bullshit, but my girl has no clue.

I hold the door for her as we head out of our new on-campus apartment. That’s right, we’re officially living together, and while these apartments on Broadway are generally reserved for juniors and seniors, Scottie milked her injury for all it’s worth, and Dean Kandinsky gave us an exception.

Sometimes, being the paralyzed girl ain’t so bad. Those are her words, not mine, and they were said when the housing office handed over the keys to us about a week ago. We wasted zero time moving in, and the past five days have been the kind of bliss I never thought was possible.

Scottie tries to act stubborn when I start to push her chair, but I roll my eyes and keep moving us down Broadway toward Zip’s Diner.

This place is our go-to these days, and all thanks to Ace’s friendship with the owner, Zip helped me get everything arranged this morning when Scottie had her meeting with her counselor.

“I’m just so freaking happy that Elizabeth was able to help me add all of the psych classes I needed to stay on track to get my bachelor’s in four years,” Scottie rambles, still excited about her meeting this morning.

“I’m proud of you,” I tell her.

“You’re proud of me?” she asks and looks over her shoulder to meet my eyes.

“You’re the strongest person I know,” I say and mean every word. “The way you face your own challenges and the way you’ve made it a priority to help other people? You’re amazing, Scottie.”

Her lips twist up into the most adorable grin. “Why’d you stop? Keep going,” she says through a giggle. “Tell me more about how awesome I am.”

I laugh at that, but I also give in to her easy demand. “You’re beautiful. You’re kind. You’re smart. You’re funny. And you have the most perfect tasting puss—”

“Okay!” she exclaims on a laugh. “That’s enough.”

“Hey, you asked, babe.” I chuckle and squeeze her shoulder. “And you know how it goes when you ask me to do something, I’ll always come through.”

“Speaking of class schedules, you horny beast, did you check yours?” she asks, and I shake my head.

“Nope, but I have a feeling you already did.”

She giggles. “Yeah. I did.”

“And how’s it look?”

“Like calculus is going to own your ass, but it’s all good. I’m sure Lexi can help you out.”

She’s not wrong that Lexi will be my go-to for all things numbers. She’s the smartest person I know, and lucky for me, she’s family.

---