Page 5

Chapter Five

A s the weeks of summer rolled on, my aunt and I got deep into wedding planning. Today, we were stuffing wedding invitations into cream-colored envelopes. I was using it as a mental break from studying for my upcoming Calculus final.

“I wanted to keep the ceremony small,” Aunt Vera said, eyeing the large stack of filled envelopes.

“Too bad. A Belrose getting married? Everyone in town wants to be there,” I teased.

I was so happy for my aunt and Bryce, but I had begun to realize over the weeks since her announcement that my life was about to change. The wedding was set for this October, which would be here before I knew it.

We hadn’t discussed it yet, but their marriage meant that either my aunt was moving in with Bryce or Bryce was moving in with us. I didn’t want their first year as newlyweds to be spent awkwardly tiptoeing around my aunt’s college-aged niece.

As I put a floral postage stamp on the millionth envelope, an idea came to me. It was so obvious that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it sooner. But proceeding with it would mean further dipping my toes into the world of Evergreen Academy—and out of the world of the rest of my life.

As if reading my thoughts, my aunt asked, “When is Yasmin coming back?”

“Next week. I’m so excited to see her.”

“Tell her she’s welcome to come over any time.”

“Thanks, I will. Which reminds me… I want to try to catch Professor East before he heads out for the day. Are you okay finishing this up on your own?”

Aunt Vera eyed the mound again and the much smaller pile of envelopes that still needed to be stuffed. “We’re almost done. Thanks for your help licking envelopes. Hope your tongue’s not too raw.”

I stuck my tongue out at her jokingly but dashed to the kitchen for a big drink of iced sun tea before leaving the apartment.

When I got to Professor East’s office on the SCC campus, the door was cracked. The campus was much quieter during the summer semester, with hardly anyone milling around. I knocked and poked my head inside.

“Ms. Whelan, come in, come in,” Professor East gestured to the seat across from his desk. “How has your summer been?”

“Pretty good, thank you. How about yours?”

“Busier than ever,” he said, and I noticed a few sprinkles of gray at his hairline that I didn’t remember being there that spring. “What brings you here today? Are your classes going well?”

“They are.” I hesitated. “I came to talk about the residence rooms on campus at Evergreen. Is there any space available for a second-year, if I wanted to move in?”

He leaned back in his chair and studied me. “Have your circumstances changed?”

“Kind of. My aunt—who I live with—is getting married in October.”

“Aw. Well, let me look into it. No promises, but I believe there is still a space available with your friend Ms. Ortega. ”

I tried to suppress a wide smile. This was even better than I’d imagined. “Oh, that would be great. I’d love to room with her.”

“Then let me check on a few things. I’ll be in touch by the end of the week.”

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Go ahead.” Professor East nodded, and I had a feeling he anticipated the next question.

“Have there been any developments in figuring out who was poisoning the soil last year?” I whispered this question even though the door to his office was closed.

“Unfortunately not. But we’ve set up sensors all around the grounds, and there have been no further changes to the soil. Whoever was doing it seems to have been scared off by our efforts.”

“That’s good,” I said, though I wasn’t completely satisfied with the answer, and I was sure he wasn’t either. If we didn’t know who was poisoning the soil and, therefore, putting the school’s verdant shield at risk last year, we would never know why they had done it.

“Anything else?”

I shook my head. “Thanks, Professor East. Enjoy the rest of your summer.”

When I left the science building on SCC’s campus, I texted Yasmin.

It’s not official yet, but I think you and I might be roomies this year!

Her response was immediate.

You can’t see me right now, but I’m squealing.

I was grinning as I drove home.