Chapter Twenty-Eight

Hannah

“Jasmine, are these yours? They were in my laundry when I brought it back upstairs.” I hold up a tiny pair of lacy, red panties.

Her eyes light up. “That’s where they went! Sean’s going to be so excited. They’re his favorite.”

“Spare me the details, please.”

Jasmine’s touching up her makeup at lightning speed, getting ready to head out to a party hosted by Sean’s team. I’m doing my laundry on a Friday night. Of course.

“Hey, can I ask you something, Jasmine?”

“Sure, shoot.”

“So I talked to the guidance counselor today, and they approved my request to do a late drop.”

Jasmine turns away from her mirror to look at me. “What are you dropping?”

I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes on my neatly folded T-shirts. “The two classes from the Chemistry curriculum I was taking.”

“So you’re really pulling the plug?”

I look up in alarm. “You don’t think I’m making a mistake, do you?”

She laughs. “No, you moved on from chemistry way back last fall when you cracked open that first novel. Glad to see you owning it now. What are you adding in its place?”

“I talked to the professor of Selected Works of British Lit today, and she agreed to let me in if I get a tutor to help me catch up.”

A slow smile spreads across Jasmine’s face. “I knew it. Hannah Gregory, English major.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure yet. I just want to take some of the classes this year and I’ll see. I might still change my mind.”

“I don’t think so,” she singsongs. “Hannah’s finally found her passion. It’s too bad—”

Her face falls as she bites off the word, but I know what she was about to say. It’s too bad Ben isn’t here, because I’d have never found my way here without him. And he won’t even know.

“Sorry, Hannah, I didn’t mean—”

I swallow hard and look away. “It’s okay.”

She hesitates. “Have you heard from him?”

I shake my head and fight back tears. I’ve been so good lately, and I’m not going to break down now.

“I didn’t expect to. And now I really won’t.”

“What do you mean?”

I peek at her. “I saw him coming out of Prometheus.”

She glares at me. “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to go there anymore.”

“I know, and I wasn’t. I just ended up on that street, and he was closing the store. Alex was with him.”

“Oh. Are they…?”

I shrug, hoping I look far less devastated than I feel. “I don’t know. But it looks like they’ll be together in law school next year, so it makes sense. She’s perfect for him.”

“So were you,” she says gently.

I shake my head. “For some version of himself he’s leaving behind, maybe.”

Jasmine sits down and puts an arm around me. “I know it sucks, but just focus on yourself right now, Hannah. So many great things are happening for you.”

As hard as it is, she’s right. I can’t keep dwelling on what I lost. Not when there’s so much still out there waiting for me to explore.