He checks his watch. I’m faintly amused he wears one, and not surprised. It’s old-fashioned, with a brown leather strap and a white-and-gold face.

“We have time,” he says. He nods to the right of us. “She’s waving at you.”

I look up to see Ellory at a table near the tall planters. Wiggling her fingers. Playing cards with Gavin.

“Oh, Ellory,” I say. I wiggle my fingers back.

“She’s in the modern-dance program, isn’t she?”

“She was upset I got Angles and she didn’t.”

He looks at her for a moment, and then back at me.

“Did you deserve it?”

“Of course,” I say, scoffing.

“Well, then,” he says.

When Ellory leans forward across the table to draw a card, Gavin catches my eye, smirking at me like he’s going to tease me about sitting here with a boy.

I huff. “I used to date him,” I say, turning back to Jack. I’m caught between fight and flight. I swear Gavin’s staring at the side of my head. I want to win, which means playing it cool. But it’s hard not to look back at him, which is annoying.

“Yeah?” Jack says, amused.

“We hung out for a bit over the summer.” I lose the fight and glance over, and Gavin looks at me at the same time, so I snap my head away. “I don’t like him very much.”

Jack stands up, and I look up at him, surprised. “He looks like he’s about to come over,” he says.

“Oh no,” I say.

“Oh yes,” he says. “Go. Let’s go!”

I push back from the table, and we power walk out of the lounge, break into a run in the lobby, and spill out into the cold again. My hot chocolate has sloshed over my hand, and I’m struggling to get my hat back on my head with the other hand.

“Thank you!” I say delightedly, as we rush down the main sidewalk. “He would have totally ruined everything.”

“We were just leaving anyway,” Jack says.

“We weren’t running away.” I nod.

“Exactly,” he says. “Now lead on.”

“Huzzah!” I say. I am definitely not cool, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

10

Foot traffic in the main quad is picking up as freshman curfew starts to count down, but I am glad to see that it thins out more and more the closer we get to the theater. We’re quiet, our faces tucked into our scarves, and he’s moving fast, long legs and carrot-and-rabbit socks flashing as we slip down the darkened driveway.