Page 153 of Save You

Never in my life has anyone taken an interest in me the way Ruby does.I’ve never had anyone be my first thought when I wake up and the face I see before my eyes when I go to sleep.And there’s never been anyone who wanted to make my dreams come true.

With those thoughts in mind, I fold the list up again and hold it tightly in my hand as I leave the club.

15

Ruby

“Here’s to Ruby!”Dad calls out.

“And to Lin,” I add, grinning at my friend.

It was Dad’s idea to have a little Oxford party with Lin at home and to raise a glass to our success.When Mum and I first told him, he refused to believe a word of it until he’d seen the email for himself.As he read it, he kept murmuring “no,” but then he hugged me so hard that my ribs are still slightly achy four hours later.

“I can’t believe they made us both offers,” I whisper to Lin over the rim of my champagne glass.

“Me either.”

The idea of spending the next three years still with my friend sets off a whole wave of excited butterflies in my stomach.I’m so happy that it feels kind of unreal.

“We really have to put the work in now, Lin,” I say.

“Can’t you two just enjoy the moment for one evening?”asks Ember.

Mum and Dad laugh, while Lin and I give each other a guiltysmile.“You’re right,” I say.“But there’s still a lot that can go wrong!”

Lin puts her glass down on the coffee table and takes a nacho—the only nibbles we could conjure up at such short notice.“It’s a conditional offer, though—we still have to get three A’s to get in.”

“And I need to get a bursary too,” I add quietly, trying to suppress the rising panic.The careers adviser at Maxton Hall has assured me loads of times that I have an excellent chance of getting one and that I really have no need to worry.But that’s easier said than done.

Lin’s cheeks go pale and she puts the half-eaten tortilla chip down next to her glass.“What if I don’t make the grades in one of my subjects?Grandma says she’ll support me through uni, but I bet she wouldn’t then.”

“Girls, you should be celebrating, not worrying yourselves sick!”Mum is sitting opposite Lin and me on our flowery armchair, looking at us with a shake of her head.

Lin and I exchange worried glances again but then pick up our glasses and have a big swig of the champagne.

“I guess you wouldn’t even have gotten in if you weren’t like this, huh?”Ember muses with a grin.She wasn’t surprised by the offer and is trying to be pleased for me, but I can tell how sad she is that I’ll be moving out.Oxford isn’t that far away, but it’s very different having a two-hour train journey between us instead of the width of the landing.Ember hates change, and I’m pretty sure if she had her way, we’d all carry on living at home together for the rest of our lives.

Although her mood has rubbed off on me slightly over the day, and the thought of leaving home is making me a little sad,that can’t outweigh my happiness at being accepted.And since James turned up here, I’m even more determined not to let anything or anyone rob me of this joy.

Once we’ve finished the champagne, Lin and I leave my parents to watch TV and go up to my room.

“Oh shit,” Lin mutters as I shut the door behind us.Her eyes are fixed on her phone and she sits on my desk chair without even looking up from her screen.

“What?”I ask.

“Nothing.”

Her reply is so quick that I prick up my ears.“What’s wrong?”

She shrugs.“Looks like Cyril got in too.”

I hesitate a moment, then whisper: “So did James.”

“Really?Looks like half the Beaufort clique is going to be in Oxford, then.Alistair and Wren have put it on their Instas too.”Lin is typing something.I glance at the screen and see a lad with his top off—I’m pretty sure it’s Cyril.

OK, I can’t hold back any longer.I’ve been suspicious for months that there’s something going on between Lin and Cyril that nobody else knows about.The way the two of them act around each other speaks louder than words.I thought for ages that they hated each other, but now I’m pretty sure there are sparks flying between them when they get into an argument.

“What are you doing?”I ask cautiously, sitting down cross-legged on my bed.