Page 44 of Fortunate Misfortune
“I stole it from my mom years ago. I’ve had great luck with garage sales in town. And I love your dress!”
Karla beams, smoothing out sky-blue satin that makes her eyes pop, paired with a cream turtleneck underneath. Adri would love to raid her closet. “I found this baby at a discount store thirty minutes up the road. Three bucks!”
“No way!” I yell. This woman is thrifty and sweet. All the sourness I felt earlier vanishes when she shoos away the wayward glances being shot at me. I like Karla.
I turn back to Kenneth, who is staring at me like I’m some mythological creature with four heads that magically appeared.
“Eddie,” he croaks out. “This is my—”
I pull Jaxon from his lap and plop him onto my hip. “Karla. We established that. I’ve got to get back to Jules, but it was nice meeting you, Karla!”
Without a second glance, I jog back to the booth in the corner. Placing Jaxon on the yellow seat, I point a warning finger at him to stay put, softening the command with a peck to his forehead. Squeezing beside Julie, I keep my eyes on the sunflower mural and focus on taking deep, slow breaths.
Throughout our time at CLU, Kenneth hasn’t had a single girlfriend. It’s obvious it isn’t from a lack of opportunity. He has options. I’ve watched many girls try, and none have ever gotten what they want.
Now I know why.
A small hand on my jaw halts the grinding of my teeth into a fine powder. I drop my scowl and slap on a smile, smoothing Julie’s ponytail. “What should we get for dessert? I’m thinking apple pie or chocolate ice cream. Will you pick for us?” I ask.
Ignoring me, she turns to look out over the restaurant. When she sits back down, she beckons me to her. “He’s looking over here,” she whispers.
I force myself not to check. “Why are you telling me this?”
Julie unlocks my phone and takes down a large yellow blob with a red bird before answering. “Mommy says you wear your heart on your sleeve. I don’t know what that means, but you look sad.” She nudges my arm up until she’s cuddled against me. “I’m sorry your heart is sad, Mal.”
I want to tell her that I’m not sad. To be honest, there are too many emotions rattling around in my head to pick just one. Happy that Kenneth isn’t alone like I am. Confused that he never once mentioned a girlfriend. Possibly even mildly jealous. I bet he doesn’t make Karla feel like a pawn in a game, which is partially my fault. The Brain Bowl is ours, and I’ve had years to stop it.
However, Julie is seven, so I pull her into my lap and watch her take down green pigs with colorful birds.
Thirty minutes later, Jane appears at the end of the table with her purse in hand, to-go boxes, and a tired smile.
“Ready for bed?” I ask.
“Hell yeah.” Jane gives me a weird look. “I saw you met Karla.”
Placing a sleeping Julie on my back, I dodge her mom’s overly perceptive gaze. Showing Jane that I’m rattled will open a can of worms I might not be able to close. After a moment, she takes the hint and heads for the exit. Jane knows I’ll talk when I’m ready.
Each step away from Kenneth and his date fills me with relief, until I hear something so quiet that I almost miss it.
“So that’s her?” Karla whispers.
I grind my teeth, keeping my focus on Jane’s back and the door. I’m not sure what Kenneth says about me, but I’m sure I never want to know.
Chapter Fifteen
I’ve developed a bitof a problem. You see, I am not a morning person. I wouldn’t even consider myself an afternoon person, but this semester is different.
My eyes pop open with ease, and I don’t curse at my alarm clock. My feet hit the floor, and I don’t wish I could crawl back into bed. I pull on my clothes and don’t hate that they’re not my pajamas. It’s a breeze to get out of the house, grab breakfast, and drive to campus.
Only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Somehow, I find myself sitting on my stool with a Claude’s hot chocolate with extra whipped cream for Mallory, waiting for her to walk through the door and glare at me for arriving before her. If I knew that sitting next to Mallory in class would make me a person who can be on time and enjoy the early mornings, I would’ve made sure we had classes together years ago.
Dr. Martin started class by telling us he received the list of those who made it to the semi-finals, but as a man with a flair for dramatics, he dove into a lesson on epidemiologists and postponed the reveal until the end of class.
Mallory’s fingers drum against the table, glancing at her watch every two minutes. As much as I enjoy seeing her fidget, I’m freaking out too. My foot hasn’t stopped bouncing, and I kicked her twice. Luckily, she was too absorbed in the time to notice.
“He can’t seriously make us wait any longer,” she mutters. “I’m going to puke all over the table if we don’t find out soon.”
