Blossom in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1)(4)

“I know, I know. But I need to talk to you before you go. You got home too late last night.”

“Sorry, I got overloaded at work.” Pfff, the classic reply. “But tell me”—he closes his paper—“what do you want to talk about?”

“Can I have a sleepover at Emma’s this Saturday night?”

Dad chuckles, looking awkwardly playful. “Oh, Saturday night? Hmm, isn’t it the farewell party that night?”

I roll my eyes and try to protest, “You always know everything. How did you know that?”

“Emma’s father called. He personally invited you to the party.”

“So does that mean I can go?”

“Well, he told me there will be no alcohol served, no drugs, no cigarettes, and they’ve made sure the only guests invited are mature and well-behaved. So I said I’ll think about it.”

I’m feeling as anxious as ever. “And?”

Dad sneers. “And the answer is no, Miss. I know Emma very well. She clearly paid someone to sound like her father. I’m not that stupid.”

“Emma would never do such thing.” Would she? “How can you be a hundred-percent sure it wasn’t him? Wasn’t he calling from his phone number?”

“He was. But then I called her mother, and she had no idea about the party.”

Damn, that really was Emma. “I’m sure there’s some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe Emma just spoke to her father about it…”

“Why don’t you tell me the truth? Maybe if you do, I’ll even let you go.”

It sounds like a lie, but I take the risk anyway. “Emma is hosting a party to celebrate the end of the semester Saturday night. It’s just a simple, casual, innocent party.”

“You lie even better than me. Almost believed you.”

“Dad, it’s the truth. And, let’s be honest, I’m sure if I do anything wrong, you’ll have plenty of people ready to report with pictures and videos in order to fall into your good graces.”

“Indeed. If you do anything wrong at that party, I’ll find out, Petra,” he says sternly. “Is James going?”

My heart skips a beat. “James?”

“Yes, that boy you went to the theater with instead of doing your homework at Emma’s.”

I ignore his nasty comment. “He is. But we are just friends. We’ve never done anything.”

“I know that too. You know boys are a stupid and useless distraction, don’t you? A total waste of time. You need to be focused on your upcoming internship and starting at Columbia in the fall. I don’t want to be disappointed. I graduated with honors from there. I expect you to do the same,” he repeats for the thousandth time.

“I know that. I’m totally focused, don’t worry.”

He nods and ponders a bit further. “Well, since you got the best grades in your class, I’ll let you go—”

“Thank you, Dad!” I immediately interject.

“—for two hours!”

“What? I can’t even stay at her house?”

“Don’t ask too much, young lady. I’ll have Anthony pick you up at midnight sharp.”





Located at the corner of Eighty-Third Street and Park Avenue, Loyola is walking distance from home, no longer than twenty minutes straight on the sidewalk. And yet, Dad has always insisted that either Janine or one of his drivers brings me to school.

The first class of the day is English. I love English class. It’s one of the few I have with Emma. We always sit beside each other. Can’t wait to tell her the good news.

“Hey, babygirl,” Emma greets from her seat. But I smile timidly at James first—he is right behind us.

“Hi, Emma.” I sit beside her.

I can feel everyone staring and commenting about my smile and unusually good mood.

“So? Are you coming to the party tomorrow night?”

I nod, victorious. “I have to leave at midnight, so you better start early.”

“You go, girl!” Emma holds me tight in her arms.

“Emma, I can’t breathe. Stop hugging me like that.”

“Hey, folks! Petra is coming to the paaaaartyyy!” she screams while everyone’s waiting for Ms. Williams.

The class starts applauding, laughing, making strange noises, and in the back, some unpleasant comments emerge. “Looks like Ms. Virgin is going,” I hear someone sniggering. “Finally, Ms. Prudish is doing something with her life.”

“No way. Are you seriously coming?” asks James, taken aback. But I don’t reply; I feel so humiliated by Emma’s behavior. Sometimes Emma’s too much to handle.

I lean closer to her and lower my voice. “Are you on drugs? That’s confidential.”

“Oh, relax, babygirl. I got everything under control.” Then she whispers, “My parents are going away for the weekend. Believe me, we’re gonna have sooo much fun. I managed to disconnect the video cams so they’ll never find out what we do there. And no smartphones are allowed at the party.” She narrows her eyes, her lips twitching into a sly smile. “You and James will have a good time…”

I gasp and hit her arm playfully. “Stop it, Emma. You’re freaking me out like that. I promised Dad I wouldn’t do anything wrong.”