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“Don’t give up,” my mom said. “I think you’ll find it will suddenly click one day and you’ll forget it was ever hard in the first place. You just need to keep practicing.”

“Well, do you want to come practice with me?"

“I think I’ll pass. I love you, Iz, but I don’t need that kind of trauma before my morning coffee.”

“Fair,” I said with a laugh. “I guess you can be glad that at least Matthew’s paying someone else to risk their life with me then.”

“Yes, of everything he’s done for you, that’s one of the things I’m most grateful for.”

I shook my head. “Have you been to Matthew’s place yet?”

I’d told him my mom was visiting and invited him to come to the carnival too. He’d said he couldn’t get away from work for the weekend, but he’d insisted Mom stay at his place tonight. She’d been reluctant to accept the offer, but I’d convinced her it would be a waste of money to get a motel when the house was just sitting empty.

“Not yet. I came straight here because I wanted to see you first.”

“How about we go there now so you can drop your bags and freshen up. Then we can grab some food and still have time to get ready for the carnival?”

“That sounds great,” Mom said. “I could really use a shower. I drove through the night, and I’m feeling a little grimy.” She turned and gave Cress a smile. “It was lovely to meet you, Cress.”

“You too, Ms. Grace. I’ll see you at the carnival tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Mom and I left the dorm and strolled through the school grounds to return to her car.

“I like Cress,” Mom said as we walked. “She seems like a good friend for you.”

“She is. I’m lucky I ended up with her as my roommate.”

“And this school,” Mom continued. “I can’t believe you attend a place like this. It’s incredibly gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” I agreed. “But you know I’d still prefer to be at home with you.”

Mom waved my comment away. “That’s just crazy talk. I can see how much you like it here. And I love seeing you so happy.”

“I mean, I’m just extra happy today because you’re here.”

“Well, obviously.” Mom laughed. “But you seem to have really settled in here. Even before your falling out with your girlfriends back home, they were always making you feel like you weren’t good enough, and I can tell the friends you’ve made here are supportive and kind.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I was surprised because, when I thought about it, Weybridge was starting to feel like a second home. And as much as I missed my mom, I wasn’t homesick for Rapid Bay the way I was when I’d first arrived here.

“So, when do I get to meet Wes?” Mom asked. She looked around like he might magically pop out of the bushes. I’d told her all about us dating earlier in the week. At first, she seemed a bit worried about me moving on from Noah so soon, but I think the fact that Wes had already been such a good friend to me helped win her over. Now she couldn’t wait to meet him.

“He’ll be at the carnival,” I said. “He’s over there helping set up this morning; otherwise, he would have been around to meet you.”

“Will Sawyer and Anna be there tonight too?”

“Yep, the whole school turns out for this thing. You’ll get to meet all my friends then.”

“If they’re anything like Cress, I’m sure I’m going to love them.”

I laughed because Cress was, without a doubt, the most parent-pleasing one of my friends. Although, I bet Wes would be just as charming. Anna and Sawyer, however, were much more unpredictable. “We’ll see,” I said. “So, how was your drive out here?”

“Long,” Mom replied. “It probably would have been easier to take the bus. Perhaps next time I’ll consider it.”

“So, the drive hasn’t put you off coming back?”

“Not at all.” Mom smiled.