Page 48 of June

“Is that what you said to Brooke?” Enid joked.

Caroline laughed loudly and dropped the spoon into the ice cream.

“I cannot believe you just said that.”

“I thought it was a good joke,” Enid replied, laughing a little as she placed her spoon on the plate that still had half a donut on it with melting ice cream all over the place.

“I didn’t say that to Brooke, no. How do you think I was able to draw her so clearly?”

“Okay. I get it,” Enid said, still laughing a little. “I don’t think I like picturing what I just joked about, though, so I’m going to move on now.”

“Are you jealous of Brooke, whose last name I don’t even know?”

“Hell, yeah. You two had one of those magical road trip fling things that always mean so much to people in the books and movies.”

“Itwasa fling, though. It wasn’t anything real. Brooke was cool enough, but she burped when she drank beer and didn’t say, ‘Excuse me,’ or cover her mouth. She also never paid for anything while we were together, and I’m pretty sure she stole a bottle of my shampoo.”

“Ah. So, she’s a grifter?”

“Probably,” Caroline said. “It was fun. That was what I needed then.”

“And now?”

“I don’t know. Right now, that’s kind of up to you.”

“Me?” Enid asked.

“I like you,” Caroline stated. “I have since the bathroom line, but Jodie showed up, and we didn’t get a chance to talk. Then, we ran into each other at the career fair, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Me too. I mean, the same for me,” Enid said.

“Doyouwant fun?”

“No,” Enid replied. “I don’tjustwant fun, is what I’m saying. I wasn’t planning on starting anything with anyone. I wasn’t cutting myself off to the idea, but I’ve been in such a bad mood for the longest time, and I wasn’t sure if I’d even be sticking around after I graduated, so it didn’t seem like a good idea to start anything just in case.”

“You’re here for at least another year, right?”

Enid nodded.

“Then, we can see how things go, and if you’ve dumped Jill by then and we’re still doing this, we’d figure it out.”

“Just that simple, huh?”

“It could be,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m doing with you, honestly, Enid. I like you, but I kind of hate the idea of you dating someone else. I know I’m young, and I should be about sowing my wild oats or whatever the old people say, but it’s weird thinking about how you were out with her last night and you’re out withmetonight.”

“Do you want to stop?” Enid asked.

“No,” she replied.

“Will you keep telling me how you feel, then, like you just did?”

Caroline nodded, liking how that sounded.

“Want to get out of here?” Enid asked.

“Is the date over?”

“No, it doesn’t have to be.”

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