I swipe a hand down my face, rubbing my jaw. “My grandma’s sick.”
Her eyes fill with worry and sympathy. “Bronx—”
I cut her off, saving her from a pity speech by waving my hand dismissively. “She’s been sick for years. It’s nothing new,” I inform her, my anger suddenly prickling again. “My mom says she wants me to come visit her for Christmas, but it’s just a ploy to get me to come to Florida. My grandma has dementia, and the last time I spoke to her she barely knew who I was, so I know my mom is just trying to get me down there to see if I’ll give her cash or something. Like she always does,” I scoff bitterly.
She frowns, nodding in understanding. “But do you want to go see your grandmother for the holiday?”
“No,” I answer honestly.
I see the disappointment in her eyes, and I realize how harsh that must have sounded.
“We were never close,” I explain gently, grabbing her hand, hoping she doesn’t think of me as some kind of monster. “I only saw or spoke to her once every couple of years.”
“Oh.” I see the sadness behind her eyes. “When was the last time you saw your grandma?”
“Not since middle school,” I admit, inwardly cringing at how awful it must sound. “But I’ve talked to her on the phone a handful of times since.”
“Is she in Florida?”
“Yeah.”
A silence falls over us and I can tell she’s in her head about the subject, and the longer we stand here I feel myself start to brood. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t deserve my shitty mood after another family issue. Again.
“Hey, let’s forget about this, yeah?” I ask, desperate to change the topic and the mood. “Let’s just go back to my room and study.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s still distant, thinking.
Hand still in mine, I lead her across campus to the dorm. When we walk through the doors, Brennen instantly looks up from his phone behind the front desk, his feet kicked up as he leans back in the desk chair.
“Miller!” he greets me, his eyes landing on Olivia’s hand in mine before lifting to her face. “McCausland!” He beams. “What are you two up to?” he asks, sitting up straight in his chair.
“Just going to go study, man,” I say, hoping he doesn’t keep us long.
“Study? In your room?” he asks, raising a curious brow because he knows I don’t bring girls to my room.
“Yep, it is getting close to finals,” I say, straining to keep it casual, wishing he didn’t have to sound like that to tip Olivia off.
A slow, seemingly knowing grin spreads across his face. “Ah. Well, you two kids have fun,” he drawls suggestively.
I mentally face palm, dragging Olivia past Brennen and down the hall to my room.
Reluctantly letting go of Olivia’s hand, I grab my keys from my pocket and unlock the door. I hold it open and let her step in first.
She steps through the door and heads straight for my desk. Shrugging off her backpack and her coat, she sets her bag on the floor and hangs her coat on the back of the desk chair. She pulls out all of her study materials, laying them neatly on the desktop before taking a seat in my desk chair.
A heavy, uncomfortable feeling rests on my shoulders but I ignore it, shaking the feeling off with my backpack and coat. Again, she doesn’t deserve my shitty mood. She already had to put up with me the last time, and she’s taking time out of her busy week to study with me.
I toss my backpack and coat at the foot of my bed, and hop onto the firm mattress, which lets out a loud whine under my weight. Shimmying up to the headboard, I lean my back against it, lacing my fingers behind my head.
Olivia looks at me skeptically, and I can’t help but grin. “Come sit up here, Finch,” I instruct, patting the space in front of me.
“Do you really think that’s the best place to study?”
“Yes.”
She gives me a doubtful look.
I lean over and snatch her binder full of notes, holding it hostage to bait her.
