by Payton Reed
When she sat down, he pulled out a box from under his seat. It had a pink bow wrapped around it, and she frowned when he handed it to her. “What’s this?”
“A little bird named Lex told me you have a birthday coming up. Of course, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to attend a party, if you’re having one, but I wanted to make sure you know I’ll be thinking of you on your birthday, Willow.”
Her fingers shook with anticipation as she opened the ribbon before removing the box lid to reveal a book nestled on tissue paper. It was a new copy of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,” and she opened it reverently. “Thank you, Kip, er, Professor Stuart. This is a very thoughtful gift.”
“Yes, I think you’ll enjoy it. I bookmarked one of my favorite sonnets.”
She flipped to the page with a piece of paper sticking out of the book, and her gaze first went to the sonnet, but she quickly realized it wasn’t a blank page or a bookmark he’d used. His handwriting was on it. Quietly, she opened the letter he’d left in the book.
Dear Willow,
I hope you can join me for a few days in Boston over Winter Break. It will give us time to be alone, and then we can celebrate your birthday belatedly, along with partaking in some holiday traditions. Just nod or shake your head to let me know if you can come. It’s not safe to talk about it with the harpy lurking nearby.
She giggled at the last line before looking up and meeting Kip’s gaze. She gave him an enthusiastic nod, though her yes was predicated on Hannah letting her go. Technically, she’d be eighteen by Christmas break, but she wasn’t financially independent enough to push the narrative of claiming she could do whatever she wanted. Her mother would shut that down, though she was determined to make it happen some way.
After that, conversation turned to Shakespeare, and they discussed “The Tempest.” She had gotten caught up on the books he’d suggested she read for class, so now she was reading books he recommended, or books she discovered, so they could still have a reason to meet on Fridays. And she enjoyed the stimulating conversation, which was often a debate. She felt like she could talk to Kip for fifty years and never grow bored.
One of her discoveries was Shakespeare had become a favorite of hers, and she was touched that he remembered. She had a feeling he remembered just about everything she’d told him though. It was the same for her, since they had such a special connection. She shivered with anticipation at the idea of spending a few days alone with Kip in Boston. Their intellectual romance would have a chance to move to a far more tangible, physical plane.
After leaving his office, thankfully not running into Suzanne, she returned to her dorm room. As soon as she was inside with the door closed, she dialed her mom’s number with shaking hands, nervous about the request and afraid her mom would say no.
“Hello?” Hannah sounded terrible.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’m just a little sick to my stomach. It’s okay though. Surely this morning sickness has to end sometime.” Hannah gave a breathy chuckle, and her voice sounded more raspy than amused, as though she’d spent too much time vomiting recently.
“Not too much longer, right?”
“Right. Did you need something, hon? Are you calling about your birthday party? I’m so sorry that I’m not going to feel up to the drive up there. I’ve discovered I get horrible car sickness with this baby that I never had with you.”
Willow swallowed the disappointment at her mom’s words, though she hadn’t really expected her mom to drive up to Dunwich midweek just to spend an hour or so with her before or after dinner. Birthday or not, that wasn’t a very logical plan. “I’m fine. I don’t plan to do anything special for my birthday, anyway.”
“Oh, but you must,” said Hannah.
She had intentions of doing special things after her birthday, assuming her boyfriends were cooperative. She left that unspoken, not wanting to remind her mom she was in a relationship with more than one guy. “I have something to ask though.”
“What’s going on?” Hannah paused to heave, but there was no further sound accompanying it.
She grimaced at the sound, waiting until her mother’s breathing had stabilized again before speaking. “A friend of mine invited me to spend a few days in Boston over Christmas break.” As she spoke, the door handle turned, and Isis entered the room. She heard enough to infer what they were discussing.
“Over Christmas break? I’d rather that be family time, since you’ll be going off to college after this semester.”
“Please, Mom. I’ve never been to Boston, and it should be really educational.”
“Sure it will,” said Hannah with a snort. “Don’t try to make me think you’re going to go to museums and historical sites if you go to Boston.”
“Okay, maybe not, but it will be a lot of fun. Please?”
“Yes, please let her come,” said Isis loudly enough for her mom to hear even if the speakerphone hadn’t been on. “I’m looking forward to spending time with her there.”
“Who’s that?” asked Hannah.
“My roommate, Isis, and the one who invited me to Boston.” Willow winced as she told the lie, though Isis had already set the idea in motion. She hated that she couldn’t admit who she was visiting, at least not yet.
“Oh, I guess it would be okay for a few days before Christmas. But you must spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with us for certain, okay?”
“Oh, thanks, Mom.” She spoke with Hannah for another moment before hanging up and letting out a squeal of excitement. Then she looked at Isis. “Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver for implying I’m visiting you.”
“You had an air of desperation about you. I figure you’re going to sneak off to spend time with Lex at his parents’ house or something. If your mom’s anything like mine, she would’ve said hell no to that.”
“Yeah, that’s about it.” Let Isis think she was referring to her mom. She wasn’t going to correct that it wasn’t Lex she was meeting for a few days. “Seriously, you’re a lifesaver, and I owe you one.”
Isis looked devious. “I guess you do.”
“Why do you look so pleased by that?” asked Willow with a touch of nervousness.
“I’ve been volunteered into helping decorate for the Christmas dance, since art class is doing the props and backgrounds. So, you can be my assistant. The work will get done faster, so we don’t have to hang out there too long.”
“Sure, I can help with that. It might be fun.”
Isis looked doubtful. “I guess anything’s possible.”
“When do we decorate?” asked Willow.
“The art class has already started, but everyone else will hit the gym a few days before the dance is scheduled. It’s taking place the last Saturday before we all go home for Christmas break, so you don’t have to worry about it just yet. I won’t need your help until the active decorating phase.”
Willow giggled. “‘The active decorating phase.’ That sounds so… military or something. I’m happy to help, and it’s a small trade-off for what you did for me. Thank you, Isis.”
Isis shrugged a shoulder. “What are friends for if not lying to mothers and cockblocking pervy teachers?” She grinned and added a wink with the words.
The reminder of Manion made her skin crawl, but she managed a weak laugh. “Maybe I’ve been doing friendship all wrong.”
Chapter Forty-One
Willow
Willow woke on her birthday not feeling any older, though it was the milestone that now considered her mostly an adult. There were still some things she couldn’t do yet, but for most purposes, she was responsible for her own decisions. She wished she could skip the last few months of school, but it wouldn’t do much good anyway, since two of her boyfriends were still at Dunwich.
Three if she counted Kip, and she doubted Headmaster Hastings would let her hang around and move in with Kip if she suddenly dropped out and openly declared their relationship. He’d send them both packing.
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Resigned to spending five more months at Dunwich and somewhere in a fuzzy state between adolescence and adulthood, she got up and showered before dressing in the uniform and heading downstairs. She ran into Octavia in the main floor rec room, and they headed to the dining hall together.
When they entered, Lex was standing near the doorway, and he took her hand. She braced herself for a reaction to her having sat with Dalton a couple of days ago, since she hadn’t sat with Lex since then. He’d been spending more time with Wills, and she wasn’t any friendlier with Wills than she had been. “Good morning,” she said with a hint of hesitancy, though she saw no signs of irritation in his expression or body language.
“Good morning, Willow.” He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the mouth and pulled back before anyone could object. The dining hall monitor, a teacher Willow didn’t know, side-eyed them, but she didn’t say anything.
They fell into step with the rest of the people waiting in line for breakfast, and she clutched Lex’s hand. “I was afraid you might be upset that I sat with Dalton the other day.”
He frowned. “It’s an adjustment, but I get it. I’m sorry I’ve been sitting with Wills more. He’s going through a rough patch right now.”
She arched a brow. “What, he lost a million dollars out of his trust fund in the stock market?”
Lex gave her a disapproving look. “I know he’s not your favorite person, but his grandmother died. They were really close.”
Willow looked down, feeling awful about making the joke under the circumstances. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that—”
Lex suddenly chuckled. “I’m kidding. He broke up with his girlfriend.”
“You jerk.” She socked him lightly in the bicep. “That’s for making me feel awful.”
Lex chuckled, clearly unrepentant. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist, and your face was totally worth it.”
“That was kind of mean,” said Octavia, speaking from behind them. She sounded a little hesitant, since she often got tongue-tied around boys. Even Lex, who was obviously not interested in her, could make it difficult for her to talk, so Willow was glad to see her join in on the teasing.
“I know, right?” She put her hands on her hips and shook her head at Lex. “And on my birthday.”
“That’s today?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re just playing with me, aren’t you? Trying to get back at me?”
She shook her head slowly, clicking her tongue. She truly wasn’t upset that he’d forgotten, since they hadn’t been dating that long, comparatively, and Lex didn’t seem to care if she was eighteen before they had sex. They just hadn’t had a chance to be alone long enough together to accomplish the deed yet.
“I can’t believe I forgot.” As he spoke, Lex reached into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a cupcake. He produced a candle from his other pocket, along with a lighter. “Or did I?” He grinned, clearly proud of himself as he held out the single-serve cupcake. “Happy birthday.”
She giggled at his antics before turning when the serving person said, “Hey, you’re holding up the line.”
After retrieving her tray, she waited for Lex and Octavia, the three of them moving to a table together. She was somewhat surprised when Dalton joined them a bit later, though he sat beside Octavia and across from her instead of Lex. The two boys didn’t really look at each other, and Dalton seemed irked that Lex had remembered her birthday and had already given her a cupcake with a candle. Octavia opened the cupcake, and Lex put in the candle before lighting it. Thinking of a wish, she bent forward to blow out the flame.
Before she could, breath whooshed over her shoulder, extinguishing the flicker. She turned to see who was bothering her, and she wasn’t surprised to find Malone standing there with her piranhas.
“I know what I wished for.” She gave Willow a malicious grin. “Maybe it’ll come true, though you’re still here, so probably not.”
Willow shook her head. “You can be a real bitch sometimes, Malone. I’m sure there must be times when you aren’t, but I’ve never seen them. Maybe your roommate would know?” She looked at the piranha whom she thought shared a room with Malone. “Does she sleep like a bitch too, or does she actually keep her mouth shut for eight hours?”
Octavia snickered, while the piranha glared at her, and Malone put her hands on her hips. “You think you’re untouchable? Just because I haven’t gotten rid of you yet doesn’t mean I’ve given up. You’re going to be out of here if it’s the last thing I do.”
Dalton yawned. “Keep it up, and it’ll be the last thing you do on Dad’s dime. You really need to stop, Malone.”
She sneered at her brother. “And you need to stop panting after your stepsister, you sick freak.” With a toss of her hair, she turned on her heel and strode away with the piranhas at her heels.
A tense silence overtook the table for a long moment, and then Dalton stood up. “I have to take care something before class. Happy birthday again, Willow.” His expression was closed as he turned and walked to the bussing station.
She was sad to see him go, but she was also impressed that he bussed his own tray. It was the first time she’d ever seen him do that. Like most of the entitled brats in the dining hall, he usually left his tray behind for the staff or one of the scholarship kids to clean up instead.
“Malone’s way off,” said Octavia with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Her mind just jumps to the grossest places, huh?”
Lex gave Willow a look before standing up. “Well, I’ll see you in science class. Happy birthday, honey.”
She lifted her hand and waved at him as he walked away. When he was out of range, she looked at Octavia. “Are you done?” At Octavia’s nod, she said, “Let’s find somewhere quieter to talk.”
Together, they bussed their trays and left the dining hall. Recalling there was an empty classroom down the hall that wasn’t used during first period, and it was the same one Dalton had taken her to before, she led Octavia in and closed the door. She leaned against it, since there was no lock. “I need to tell you something.”
Octavia’s eyes widened. “You look awful. You aren’t dying, are you?” She clapped her hand to her mouth almost as soon as she said the words. “Oh my gosh, you really aren’t dying, are you? That would be so insensitive.”
Willow grinned. “No, not dying, at least no more than anyone else. I just wanted to talk to you about Lex… and Dalton.”
Octavia put up her hand. “If you’re trying to fix me up with Dalton, please don’t bother. I don’t—”
Willow shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” She had to remind herself to retract her claws, since jealousy had swept over her at the idea of Octavia and Dalton hooking up. Fortunately, Octavia had taken the sting out of her jealousy by immediately saying she wasn’t interested when she’d jumped to that assumption.
“The thing is, I’m dating Lex, but I’m also dating Dalton.” She bit her lip for a minute as she considered confessing about the rest of her love interests. She held back for a moment, waiting to see Octavia’s reaction.
Her friend looked stunned, and she took a couple of deep breaths, but she didn’t freak out. Instead, she sounded matter of fact when she said, “You have your own reverse harem.”
Willow arched a brow. “What’s that?”
“One girl and three or more guys, and she doesn’t choose among them. Well, I guess you would be a ménage? I think that’s the right term for two guys and a girl.”
Willow blinked. “You’re taking this better than I expected.”
Octavia blushed as she leaned forward, though there was no one else to hear her whispered admission. “I have a bunch of those books on my iPad. I started reading about a girl in a spy academy, and they got me hooked. She has a bazillion boyfriends, but she hasn’t even kissed all of them yet like a million books later. So, then I went to the hotter kind.” Olivia’s flush deepened. “It’s really fun to read about, though I’ve never met anybody in rea
l life who has that kind of relationship.” She seemed to think it was cool rather than creepy, judging from her slightly envious expression.
Willow let out a deep breath as relief swept over her. She didn’t like hiding her relationships from Octavia, who was a good friend, but she’d been afraid it would cost her the friendship if it was too far out of the norm for her friend, whom she’d pegged as sexually conservative. To know she was reading those reverse harem romances was a shocking revelation. It was almost as shocking as Willow dating more than one boy.
“About that…” She cleared her throat. “I guess technically it would be a harem, er, reverse harem.”
“No, that’s three or more,” said Octavia with patience.
“Yeah, but there’s Jonas too.”
Octavia’s eyes widened. “The caretaker of the roses? I knew you talked to him, but you didn’t give any indication it was more than that when we were in Farley that weekend for Halloween costumes.”
Willow shrugged a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure how you’d respond. I thought you might think I was a horrible person. Everybody knows about everyone, of course.” She decided not to mention her rocky start, when she’d tried to hide the others from each guy. She still felt guilty about that.
“Isn’t it weird with Dalton though? I mean, he is your stepbrother, plus he’s been a really big bully.”
Willow nodded. “Yeah, it’s strange. It’s still new as well, and I hate to say it, but I’m holding back some to make sure he really has changed. I don’t want to get my heart broken.”
Octavia shrugged. “I guess it wouldn’t matter though. You have two other guys to fall back on.”
Willow bit her tongue, so she didn’t snap at her friend. “It’s not like that, okay? I don’t love any of them less than any other, and they’re replaceable if I lose one.”
Octavia’s eyes widened. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was actually making what turned out to be a weak joke.”
