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“It’s okay.” She shrugged. “I had some free time, and I was already putting in a load for Elliot.”

That was the thing about my mom. She never really stopped. She always needed to be doing something—anything. Even on the days when she had a long shift at the hospital and she only had a few hours free, she still did anything she could to keep her hands busy. She’d be cooking, cleaning, and even gardening in her precious spare time. It was pointless to offer to help because she always refused it.

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Mom repeated.

I really wished she hadn’t reminded me. I wasn’t looking forward to school starting up again. They’d taken their time getting set up for online learning, but it had finally happened. It was almost like the teachers knew I’d finally got together with Clary and wanted to ruin it. We hadn’t even been together a week, and I wasn’t ready to have our happy little bubble pierced by homework and lessons. Clary, on the other hand, was typically excited.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“And Clary?”

I shrugged. “I guess she’s ready?” Clary might have been excited for the return of school, but she hadn’t exactly told me whether she was prepared. I tended to try to avoid all talk of school when I was with her. I tried not to think about it too. I liked to pretend it wasn’t happening—a little like I did with the pandemic.

“I’m surprised she’s not in here with you,” Mom said, shooting a knowing look in my direction. “The two of you have been quite inseparable the last few days.”

“She’s on the phone with one of her friends,” I replied.

Mom smiled and nodded. “I’m happy you’re with a sweet girl like her. Some of those other girls you dated…” She screwed her nose up like she’d just smelled something foul.

“Mom,” I groaned. I really didn’t need her dissecting my love life.

“What? They were…”

I took her by the shoulders and started directing her out of my room. “They were the past,” I replied, finishing her sentence for her.

“Okay, okay, I get the hint. You don’t want to talk about them,” she said, as I guided her through the open door into the hallway. “Anyway, I was thinking you should drop by Clary’s house today,” she continued. “She’ll need to pick up some of her textbooks.”

“We take most of the same classes; she can probably just borrow mine.”

Mom shook her head though. “Well, I’m sure she has other things she needs to get. She could hardly pack her whole life into two small bags. Why don’t you take her home, just in case there’s something she missed?”

I frowned at my mom. She was acting weirder than normal, and it felt like something was up. “Why are you acting so strange?”

“I’m not acting strange,” she said. Her eyes said a whole lot more than her lips did though. Something was definitely up. “I just think it’s a good idea for you to go to Clary’s place today before you both start school again.”

“Okay…” Now I really wanted to know why she was being so cryptic. It was probably easier just to go to Clary’s place rather than try to get it out of her though. “I could probably see if she wants to head there now…”

“Perfect,” Mom replied with a wide smile. She leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek before giving it a gentle slap. “I’m off to work, but I’ll see you for dinner tonight.”

I nodded and watched her walk down the corridor before focusing on Clary’s bedroom door. Mom had been totally weird about getting Clary to her house, but I couldn’t figure out why. I knew she was off to work, but it felt like perhaps she needed our house to be empty for some reason.

Clary opened the door as I was staring at it and tilted her head with a questioning look in her eyes. “Is there a reason you’re just standing there staring at my door?”

My whole body seemed to lighten at the sight of her. The weather was getting warmer, so she was wearing a pair of shorts that were barely visible under the oversized sweatshirt she had on. She wasn’t wearing makeup, and her hair fell in long loose waves down her back. She was so beautiful, and she didn’t even seem to try.

“I wasn’t just standing here staring,” I replied.

“Uh-huh.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Sure, you weren’t.”

“Fine, you got me. I was standing here trying to come up with a witty pickup line,” I replied.

A small smile played on her lips. “I hate to break it to you, but you already picked me up.”

“You say that like it means I don’t still need to dazzle you with my lines.”