“Hello?” I call out.
There’s no answer. Nobody is home. Abe and Mason both went out, leaving their dorm room unlocked.
It is, in fact, a golden opportunity.
But I can’t go into Abe’s room and start shuffling through his things without his permission. That would be a terrible thing to do. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, and moreover, if he found out, he would never forgive me.
Then again, Abe is never going to tell me the truth. If I don’t figure it out on my own, we are done.
Before I can stop myself, I enter the dorm room. As always, it’s a bit of a mess, but nothing unusual. I step around a pair of jeans that have been abandoned on the floor and also a pair of scrubs, although these scrubs, thankfully, are not stained with blood.
And then I’m in Abe and Mason’s bedroom.
I walk over to Abe’s desk, pushing away the surge of guilt in my chest. I’m doing this forus—so that our relationship has a chance. I can’t take his lies anymore, but maybe if I find out the truth on my own, it will be something I can live with.
Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Heather.
Abe’s desk is a complete pigsty. It’s even worse than the rest of the apartment. There are papers stacked everywhere. And what’s even stranger is that it doesn’t look like the papers have anything to do with anatomy or even biochemistry. I sift through them, a sense of growing dread in the pit of my stomach.
What the hell is all this?
And then, while I’m holding a stack of papers, I spot something else lying on the desk. Something that terrifies me beyond words.
Oh no. This is so much worse than I ever could have imagined.
PART II
ABE
16
THE FIRST DAY
“Lookto your left and look to your right. In four years, both of these people will be doctors.”
Following the instructions of the dean of the medical school, I look to my left, coming face-to-face with a maroon-painted wall. I blink a few times then turn to my right, where there is an empty seat. And next to that empty seat is my roommate, Mason, who looks like he has completely lost respect for me now that I’m playing along with the dean.
I can’t blame him.
I’m about to redirect my attention back to the dean when something catches my eye. Or should I say, someone.Her.
The girl I’m going to marry.
Okay, you’re rolling your eyes right now. I don’t blame you. I get it—I sound like a tool saying that. My friends from college would kick my ass. But when you know, you know. And right now, Iknow.
I’m not what you’d call a ladies’ man. I’m not a romantic either. But right now, I can practically hear harps playing in the background. I’d do anything for her. I’d do anything to get her.
For most of the rest of the morning, I can’t quit staring at her. I try not to be too obvious about it, but sheesh. I’ve got it bad.
And then at lunch, I manage to step on her toes with my big clumsy foot. And I find out her name is Heather. And she has a boyfriend.
But who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky.
Stranger things have happened.
I need a job.
Some of the other students here are loaded. Mason, for example. I'm not loaded. My parents both work blue-collar jobs, and I took out so much money in loans that if I start to think about it too much, I want to throw up.
