Page 40 of A Barista's Guide to Love & Larceny
“I know, babe,” McKenna said, with a note of fear Dani had never heard in her voice. “And we will. But the professionals need to do their thing first.”
Clinging to each other, they sank to the floor, curling up against the wall. McKenna stroked Dani’s hair until the EMTs came, sedated Oliver, and rolled them out of the dorm on a stretcher. Dani and McKenna stood on the curb, the wind whipping at their clothes, watching the blinking lights of the ambulance until the vehicle was out of sight.
All of Dani’s tears had run out by then. A rounded, pulsing anger grew beneath her sternum as the wails of the ambulance faded and the truth of what had just happened solidified around her.
“They can’t get away with this,” she said finally, turning to look at McKenna. She felt wild in that moment, but surer of herself than she ever had been. “I won’t let them.”
McKenna set her jaw. “I’m behind you, babe. All the way.”
Dani gave her a swift, tight hug, then set off. No wifting for her on this journey; she strode purposefully across campus, into the lobby of the OS building, and down to the oneiromancy department. It was abandoned, of course, except for a single student doing homework in the corner, but Dani didn’t hesitate. She marched down the hall until she reached room number six, then dropped her bag on the floor and squatted down to pull out a notebook and pen. She tore out a blank sheet and wrote two hasty but legible words right in the middle:I’m in.
She sat back on her heels for a moment, assessing what she’d written. She should probably crumple up the paper and shove it back into her bag. She had literally everything to lose: her shot at making something of herself here at the Leap, her friendship with McKenna, the cozy apartment they shared, the way she’d started to feel like she might actually be able to call someplace home.
And Kass. If she lost her place at the Leap, she lost Kass, too.
But then she remembered Oliver’s face, their panicked pleas. How many others were struggling like they were? And she might lose all those other things anyway—might forfeit her scholarship at the end of the year, might get kicked out of her apartment, might have cut her and Kass’s story short before it had even begun. She couldn’t just stand by and watch this happen, not if she could do something about it.
Before she could change her mind, Dani signed her initials to the paper, folded it in half, and slid it underneath Silva’s door.
Fourteen
Dani and McKenna tried to visit Oliver at the university clinic the following day, only to be told nonfamily visitors weren’t allowed. A sympathetic nurse assured them that Oliver was conscious and well taken care of, and that she expected they’d be recovered enough to be sent back to their dorm in the next day or two.
Dani and McKenna left the clinic, debating whether to try to get in touch with Oliver’s brother. In the end, they agreed the clinic would likely contact him, and resolved to be there for Oliver as soon as they could.
They tried to keep themselves busy at the library that afternoon, but Dani couldn’t make her brain concentrate on homework. She was staring at a statistics problem on her quartzpad, not even pretending to attempt a solution, when a message popped into her inbox. Her foolish heart skipped a beat, like it did every time she got a notification, praying it would be from Kass. She’d been trying to work up the courage to write to him herself, but every time she opened a new draft, she couldn’t find the right words.
The message wasn’t from Kass, though, but from Professor Silva, with the subject lineExtracurricular Project. Dani gritted her teeth and opened it.
It read simply:I’m pleased to hear you’re interested after all. Our first group meeting will take place on Tuesday at the dream lab, elevenA.M.If this interferes with class time for you, I’ll write a note for your professor. Don’t be late.
Dani took in a shuddering breath, then sent a quick reply:Did you hear about Oliver? They’re in the clinic.
She waited for a response, but nothing came.
McKenna left around six to harvest glamour components from the forest, but Dani stayed in the library until it was time to go to Quarter Cast for her shift. She was about to duck down the alley behind the café and head to the back door when she saw someone sitting at one of the tables on the front sidewalk. Her stomach contracted when she realized she recognized that sticky-uppy brown hair.
Kass jumped out of his seat once he saw her coming. He had his backpack over one shoulder and a nice navy peacoat on. His skin shone purple from the sign for Quarter Cast—an ultraviolet teapot whose spout was enchanted to send a cloud of steam billowing behind the words. Dani had never seen him look this nervous before, and it quite frankly aggravated his cuteness.
“Kass,” she said, managing to get his name out clearly even though her heart was lodged in her throat. “Hey.”
“Hi,” he said. “I was hoping you were working tonight. Do you think we could talk?”
“Yeah,” Dani said. “Sure.” They were standing an awkward distance away from each other, neither knowing quite how to hold their bodies in this moment.
“I can’t stay,” Kass said apologetically. “I’ve got a meeting for a group presentation. But I really wanted to see you. I had to say sorry about what happened at my party.”
“Sorry?” Dani repeated. “For what? I’m the one who ditched you. I’ve just felt terrible about it.”
The strain left Kass’s face, and he smiled. “You didn’t ditch me,” he said. “It was a weird situation, and I didn’t mean to make you the center of attention. I would probably have peaced out, too, if it were the other way around.”
Dani let out a huge exhale, her clenched stomach expanding again. “Wow,” she said, not bothering to hide her relief—not just at how understanding he was being, but at the fact that all this seemed to be of his own admission, no colors coalescing in her mind. “And here I thought I spoiled everything.”
“No!” Kass said hastily. “No, no, not at all. I hate that you thought that. This weekend was just—there was some family stuff, and I didn’t have time to come by or message. I’m really sorry.”
“Please don’t be sorry.” They were a ridiculous picture, apologizing and then scolding each other for it. “I’m just glad to know you weren’t upset.”
“I was upset about the way it ended, but not because of you.” Kass moved out of the way of someone heading into the café. Dani took that moment to cross over to his side of the door. They were standing closer together now, and she could see the faint touch of pink in his cheeks. Probably just from the cold. “Anyway, I was hoping we could have a redo. Can I take you out this week?”
