Beyond What is Given(82)

Not to mention, I remembered what it was like to be seventeen. “Why don’t you ask him? Grady?”

She looked at me like I’d grown six heads. “Yeah, okay. No. I’m not one of the girls he goes for, trust me. The most communication we have is when he asks me for a pencil. Every day, he asks me for a pencil. Like, what am I? A pencil-supply store? But if he brought his own pencil, then I wouldn’t have a reason to even talk to him.”

“It’s kind of cute. You have something he needs, and he asks you every day because he knows that you’ll take care of him.” Ugh. Now I was analyzing high-school crushes.

But what does Grayson need? What are your pencils? Faith. The one thing no one else had. He needed me to have faith in him. At what cost to yourself?

Avery shook her head. “Computers are easier for me than boys. Give me good internet connection, and I can change my grades. Give me a homecoming dance, and I can’t change my fate. I’m so pathetic.”

I looped my arm around her slight shoulder. “No, you’re not. Is he coming in today?”

She shrugged. “It’s Tuesday, so he might come in to lift after football practice.”

“Then you’d better get your homework done now, because I have a feeling your little moon-eyes will be back.”

“Will you help me?” she asked quietly.

I rolled my chair closer to her. “Let’s do this.” I spent an hour explaining the differences between cosign and tangent, using the walls and equipment as visual aids. Avery worked best with imagery, not rote memory.

“Name one time I’ll actually have to use this when I grow up.”

“I’m going to use it all the time,” I answered.

“Yeah, well I have no intention of majoring in math, or anything of the sort. You’d better get your homework done, too, since you started classes last week.” Her eyes flicked to the clock. “Almost five.”

I’d finished summer term with two A’s. Now it was time to bring home four more before term ended in December. “Grady might be here soon,” I said with a smile.

“Flyboy might be here soon,” she answered with her own.

We both sighed.

“Mail is here!” Maggie called, bringing a stack of envelopes in the door. “I ran into our carrier, so I brought it on in.”

“Hi, Mom.”

Maggie kissed her daughter soundly on the cheek. “How’s your homework?”

“Done!” she replied enthusiastically.

Maggie’s eyebrows rose. “Good job!” Then she came up behind me. “Thank you,” she whispered as she sorted the mail.

I smiled at her and answered the phone and my tenth question that day about our hours.

“Maggie Norman, Advantage University? What the…” She flipped the envelope over, and I snagged it out of her hand.

“Yeah, actually that one is for me. Sorry.” I slipped it into my lap.

“Oh really? What are you up to?”

“I wanted to see my transcript from my college in Colorado. I’m trying to apply for places in the spring, and I wasn’t sure what was on it.” I gave a bright smile. If I finally gave in and read the exact wording of the disciplinary report, I could write an effective application essay that might give me a shot at a North Carolina school.

Just in case.

“Well, it’s good that you’re prepared. Avery, did you want me to carry you home before I headed over to the bar?”

Carry, take, whatever. I was never going to get used to the small southern terms.

She shook her head. “No, I was going to stay with Sam and help out cleaning the equipment, if that’s okay. She said she’d take me.”

I plastered the smile on my face like we’d planned it the whole time.

“Sounds good. Thanks, Sam.” She kissed Avery on the cheek again and headed out.

I smacked Avery’s shoulder with the back of my hand. “How about a little warning.”

“Sorry,” she said, biting her lower lip. Then she looked over my shoulder and her whole expression changed. Her eyes went wide and she started to fidget, suddenly occupied with the paper clips in front of her.

“Hey, Avery, how are you?” Grady asked as he signed in.

She took a minute to answer, but he waited, never looking away. “I’m just fine, thank you.” Her voice was a whisper, but her eyes flicked up at him once.

“Glad to hear it.” He smiled and then headed into the locker room, a black backpack hanging off one shoulder.

“You could, you know, speak to him,” I chastised her.

“He makes me so nervous,” she answered.

“Go clean something, then you can ogle a little less obviously.” I motioned to the gym floor. She giggled and chose something near the desk, no doubt waiting to see where he’d start.

The door opened and Grayson walked in, gym bag in hand. He took off his cover and signed in, but I kept my eyes on the desk. “Samantha.”

I shook my head. There was zero chance of us getting into it here.

He sighed and went to the locker room.

“You could, you know, speak to him,” Avery called out.

“Do you want me to slip a pack of pencils into Grady’s backpack?” I answered quietly enough that only Avery heard me.