"Drew’s having a party?"
"Well, he invited me to a party. His Solar Car friends or whatever are throwing it."
"So which of them are you trying to make jealous?"
"Neither! But maybe it wouldn’t be a bad way for Drew to get the hint that I’m not interested."
"Or you could just not go to his party and do something else with Mitch."
"I think I want to be around people."
"People who are going to be talking about engineering?"
"Sounds like they like to drink as much as everyone else. Does that sound better?"
Zainab frowned. "Since I’m such a lush, sign me up! And you know who else loves free beer? Joe. I bet he’d love to come."
"Oh, come on!"
"You want me to wingman at this thing, that’s my price."
Emily groaned. "What do you see in him again?"
"He’s... funny."
"So am I."
"He’s smart."
"No, he’s not."
"Sorry, we mere mortals are easily impressed. And he’s cute."
She didn’t see it…at all. "Is it the hair? The eyes?"
Zainab shook her head. "No, it’s the smile. Especially when he talks to me."
Emily was going to say something when the image of Joe trying to work that crowd popped into her head. "Okay, bring him. Please." No matter what else happened, that was going to be worth watching.
CHAPTER 7
Mitch had wanted to call Emily every day after Saturday. He thought about her smiling, pretty, exhausted face, laughing at his bad jokes. He thought he should have kissed her. He thought about taking her somewhere where they could be alone. He thought about spending every minute he could with her until he had to leave. And then he thought about leaving. The more he thought about it, the more he dreaded it. What if she didn’t want him to go? What if he didn’t want to go? What if she didn’t care if he went? What if this was all a big mistake on his part? He should do the calm, rational thing and tell her that he had to go before anything started. But hadn’t something already started?
He walked into the conference room on the third floor of Ayers Hall at five-thirty on Thursday night. The director looked at his watch five minutes later. "Let’s get started. Thank you all for coming out tonight. Hopefully we’ll be able to use this time to clear up any last minute questions. And then I hope you’ll be able to join us for dinner. As you may know-"
He was interrupted when the door swung open. A tall, thin young woman with wavy reddish brown hair stood in the doorway. "Sorry I’m late," she said breathlessly. "The trains were running a little bit behind."
"Quite all right, Ms. Allen," the director said, although there was a tone of annoyance in his voice. "Please have a seat."
The director resumed his introduction, and the young woman found a seat next to Mitch in the back. "Did I miss anything?" she whispered as she took off her coat.
"No, not really. He just started."
"Good! I’m Kyra Allen, by the way."
"Mitch Graham."
The director’s talk lasted for about thirty minutes and then five or six of the participants had enough questions to last another half hour.
People stood up at seven and Kyra walked over to some other women. Mitch lingered at the table with the brochures on his way to the exit.
"Anything good?" someone asked cheerfully. Mitch looked up from the table and recognized Martin Shepard from last quarter's Politics in Eastern Europe.
"Hey! I didn't know you were on this trip."
"Sort of a last minute decision. It was either this or Christmas with my parents. I’m assuming the food will be better."
The dinner for the group was at a restaurant that was a five-minute walk from the university. When Mitch arrived, Kyra waved to him. Martin slapped his back. "I’ll catch up with you later." Before he could say anything, Kyra called his name.
He walked over to her table. There was a green purse on the chair next to her. Martin was already at a full table.
"Is this seat taken?"
"I’m saving it. For you," she said.
"Thank you." Anything else would have been rude.
"And why are you going to the Great Green Isle?" she asked as Mitch took his seat.
"Hoping to experience my grandmother’s culture, as well as see some of the sites. Maybe get in some credits while I’m there. You?"
"It seemed like a good opportunity to travel, and I keep missing Ireland."
"You’ve been to Europe before?"
"Oh, sure," she said lightly, leaning back so he had to turn his neck to look at her. "Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands. You?"
"Very first time to Europe. First time out of North America, actually."
She put her hand on his knee. "You know what they say," she said.
"What do they say?"
"First time for everything."
She squeezed his knee, then let go. Mitch thought he should get up and go find Martin and ask about classes this quarter or talk about politics. But instead he stayed in his seat, half-heartedly participating in a conversation with two other people near him before dinner came to an end. Throughout, there was only one word he was thinking: Ireland.
When dinner was over, Kyra turned to Mitch. "Are you joining these guys for drinks after?"
He shook his head. But he didn’t get up. "No, I’ve got to drive home."
"Too bad. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Friday. Are you busy?"
His choice. He had an easy option and a hard one. "No," he said, and he wasn’t sure which one he’d picked. "I am free tomorrow." They exchanged numbers before she left. He stayed about ten minutes afterward to say goodbye to some of the other people, then left himself.
She’s pretty, he thought as he sat down in his car and adjusted his mirror. And she’s not beating me up with her cleverness. That’s good, right?
He turned the ignition. I’ll go to Ireland, I won’t be lonely, and she won’t be either. She doesn’t have to suspend life for three months. And didn’t he hear Kyra say something about junior year? So wouldn’t she be about twenty-one? No promises were made to Emily...right?
And then he remembered a promise that was made. Tomorrow night he was supposed see Emily. Yeah, he’d be a big jerk if he didn’t show up without saying something to Emily first. Plans change, right? So he just had to come up with an excuse. He couldn’t call now. He had to talk to her. So he’d have to do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, he nodded to himself as he drove off.
CHAPTER 8
Emily had wanted to call Mitch since Saturday as soon as she’d left Zainab. She wanted to call him to see if he wanted to study with her on Sunday, but that was geeky and desperate rolled into one. She had looked at her phone at times, wondering if it would be okay if she sent him a text, but she didn’t want to incur the text charges- unless he texted her first.
She’d see him on Friday. That would be soon enough.
She woke up on Friday expecting to be excited, but instead she was filled with dread. She tried to cheer herself up and smiled as she made breakfast and packed her lunch. She made sure she wouldn’t lose control by leaving the house before her mother and stepfather woke up. She reviewed the work she’d done on the bus ride to school. Yes, it was perfect. So what?
As she walked into her first class, she reminded herself that she hadn’t dated since high school. She’d forgotten whatever she’d known when she was younger, and that had been a paltry amount to begin with. And she couldn’t ask Zainab. What could she possibly know if she thought Joe was worthy of her attention? That’s it, she assured herself when the professor walked in, everything would be okay.
Where am I meeting you tonight? She texted Zainab before her last class.
Why don’t you guys meet me at the café? Zainab texted back.
I’ll see you there.
What’s wrong?
Why could Zainab see her so easily through th
eir phones? Nothing, I’ll see you then.
Are you going to tell Mitch where to meet?
I will when he texts me.
I’ll text him, Zainab replied two minutes later.
Don’t.
She met Zainab at the café at six. "Don’t start," Emily said as she sat down.
"He didn’t text or call?"
"This is you starting."
Zainab squeezed Emily’s hand. "I’m sorry. I didn’t think he was like that."
Emily squeezed her hand back. "It’s not your fault, I’m just a moron. This is why you don’t stay up late and let strange men feed you coffee and cannoli, because then you might believe the lines they drop on you."
"And which ones did he use?"
"’No, you are a real person’. ‘Yes, you’re in a class all by yourself’. And ‘it’s a date’. You know, the classics."
"Bastard," Zainab spat. "Do you still want to go to this party?"
"Hell, yes!" Emily was not going to let some lying jerk deprive her of... the company of Drew and these people she’d never met before that she might not have anything in common with.
"Really?"
"I mean, you invited Joe already, so that would just be awkward if he showed up and we weren’t there, right?"
"I bet he’d understand-"
"Hmm. ‘Hey Joe, we’re not going tonight because your jerky friend Mitch blew off Emily.’ No."
"I was going to try something like Emily doesn’t feel well."
"But that would be a lie, Z, because I feel just fine."
Zainab told Emily how much of a pompous ass Mitch could be at SGC sometimes. Emily wanted to ask why she set them up in the first place if that was the case, but she knew Zainab was trying to make her feel better.
Half an hour later, Zainab got a text from Joe. "Hmm."
"What?"
"Joe needs me to help him review a bill from the Academic Affairs Committee."
"Now?"
Zainab shrugged. "If I don’t, he’s not going to be able to make it."
"You know, that’s not-"
"It won’t be that long, I promise."
"You are going to make me go to this by myself?!?"
"I will be there by nine, I promise."
Emily flopped back in her chair. "Oh my God, Zainab. If you’re not I will hunt you down and lock you in your apartment and then hunt Joe down and punch him in the face."
Zainab stood up and patted her shoulder. "That won’t be necessary."
Emily sat in the café for another half hour nursing her tea as long as she could. Finally, she texted Zainab the address and a short threat then got up to leave.
The silver lining was that her night could not possibly get worse.
~~~
It should have taken someone twenty minutes to get to the address from the café. It should have taken a fast walker like Emily fifteen. Instead she was there in thirty.
She looked at the buzzer and sagged. Without Zainab to put on a show for, she was losing her nerve fast. Maybe she’d need a code word and wouldn’t be able to get in?
No such luck. Someone buzzed her in without asking who it was. Fine, she thought to herself. She’d stay until Zainab came, smile a lot, then leave twenty minutes later, proving her point to anyone who was looking. Oh right, no one was looking. Good.
The door swung open after one knock. She stood back. Not what she’d expected.
A tall young blonde girl with blue streaks and grey eyes answered the door. "Hey!"
"Hey?" Emily looked at the number on the door. "I think I must have the wrong address. Someone named Drew invited me to something-"
The girl rolled her eyes. "No, this is it. But Drew isn’t here yet."
"Oh, well!" Emily chirped. "I guess I shouldn’t-"
"Don’t you dare leave me!" the girl whispered, pulling Emily inside.
There were about twelve people there, all men. Most of them were in the kitchen, congregating around a tall man with dark hair, glasses and a very high forehead. "What’s your name?" the girl said as she took Emily’s coat.
"Emily. You?"
"Jessie."
Someone took notice of the two of them and beckoned them into the kitchen. Jessie shook her head. "Everyone, this is Emily. Emily, that’s everyone."
"Jessie!" the tall man said testily.
"Fine. Emily, that bossy guy with the glasses is Richard, who’s also my cousin. He’s standing next to Vijay, who is standing next to Jordan, who’s standing next to Carlos. I have no idea who the rest of them are so they can come out and introduce themselves when they’re done talking about the latest in solar blah, blah, blah." With that, she grabbed Emily’s hand and took her into the small living room.
"I’m guessing you’re not into engineering?" Emily asked.
"No, I’m here because my babysitter demanded I come."
"Um, Richard?" Emily asked as Jessie grabbed a handful of chips and nodded. "Aren’t you a little old to need a babysitter?"
Jessie popped the chips into her mouth. "My point exactly." She swallowed and grabbed a soda. "And why are you here? You can’t possibly be dating Drew."
"Dating...? Uh no. He’s in one of my classes, he invited me last week, and then I invited a friend, who invited another friend."
Jessie turned to look back at the door. "And where are these other friends?"
"Late."
"But so is Drew. It all evens out." She sat up and brightened. "Actually, I’m here, so you’re in the black."
Emily shook her head when Jessie offered her a soda but grabbed some chips herself. "And what would have happened if Richard hadn’t brought you here?"
Jessie shrugged. "Nothing I wouldn’t have been able to fix by tomorrow morning."
"You’ve got a lot of practice with clean up?"
"You have no idea." She turned to look at Emily straight on. "You really don’t, do you? You seem pretty goody two shoes."
Emily took another chip. "Everyone knows how to make a mess."
"For real."
"And what mess would that be, Jessie?" Emily looked up to see Richard walking over. Up close he looked even taller because he was so thin. Emily tried not to stare at his hair too much. Was it a high forehead or thinning hair? How old did you have to be to have thinning hair?
"Which mess would you like me to start with? Or should I say, whose?"
Richard set his jaw and turned red. "So, um, how do you know Drew?" Emily asked quickly.
Richard blinked. "The Solar Car, among other things. And you?"
"Comparative Literature, England and Spain, sixteenth century." Emily opened her arms then sliced down with her hands. "Where it’s at," she said in her best would-be gangster slang.
Richard laughed and Emily smiled. Jessie laughed after a moment. "I can see why you’d want to come here then. You must not get out much."
"And you get out too much," Richard said softly.
Emily smiled uncomfortably. "Speaking of out, I should probably-"
"Way to go, Richard. You always make the interesting people leave, and then look who you’re left with."
"This isn’t a good time-" Richard stopped and looked at his vibrating phone, then picked it up. "Michael?"
"Michael!" Jessie exploded.
Richard stood up and walked away. "Who’s Michael?" Emily asked.
"Richard’s piece of garbage cousin."
"I thought you were his cousin?"
"Other side of the family. Thank God," she muttered.
Richard hung up and walked back over. "Okay, Jess, I’ve got to take you home."
Jessie folded her arms. "Why?"
"Because I have to go out."
"What did he do this time?" Jessie snarled.
"It doesn’t matter, but I have to get him," Richard replied.
"Screw you! You can’t drag me around all night because you keep changing your mind about who’s more important."
Richard waited for a moment before he said anything. "Jess
ie, I can’t take you with me."
"Then leave me alone! And you want to go get him so he can come back to our house?"
"Jessie! I’m going to take him back to his house."
"That’ll take you what? Three hours? And what am I supposed to do at home? Watch TV?"
"Will you please stop arguing? I have to go."
"Go, but I’m not going home."
Emily twirled her hand. "I’m going to be here for a little while, if you want to hang out with me." She looked at Richard. "If that’s okay?"
Jessie threw her arm around Emily’s shoulders. "See? Emily will babysit. And I have a feeling she’s even more square than you are."
Richard looked at his watch. "Jessie, I mean it. No smoking, no drinking."
Jessie let go of Emily. "Blah, blah, blah. Do you have to go somewhere or not?"
"Fine." He turned to Emily. "Thank you."
"You’re... welcome?" Emily said as he ran out. She turned to Jessie. "What was that about?"
"That was about Richard being a jerk who thinks getting caught drinking is worse than being a rapist."
"What?!?"
"Forget it," Jessie said as she waved her hand. "Okay, where are we going? I need to get out of here."
"We’re not going anywhere until Zainab shows up."
"Is she more fun than you are?"
Emily smirked. "Watch it, dude. Richard probably is more fun than I am."
"I doubt that," Jessie muttered as she reached for the chips.
The doorbell rang. Someone- Carlos?- left the kitchen to buzz the door, then retreated back.
Emily opened the door to see Zainab’s smiling face thirty seconds later. "Sorry we’re late!" she said as she hugged Emily.
"My fault," Joe said as he walked in. "I kept answering my phone when I should have been listening." He waved to everyone in the kitchen and went in to greet everyone. "Hi, I’m Joe! Thanks for inviting me."
Emily cocked her head to the side as she watched Joe work the crowd. She couldn’t hear what they were saying too well, but within one minute he seemed to be getting everyone’s name, what they were studying and, she was pretty sure, some details about the solar car. Within two minutes everyone seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation with him.
The Smartest Girl in the Room Page 6
