Chapter Four

Nora's POV

I left the party music behind me, and it got fainter with every step.

The hem of the borrowed dress was too long, so I took off my heels and carried them, walking home barefoot on the sidewalk. The late May air still had a little chill to it at night. I passed under one streetlight after another, and my shadow kept stretching out and shrinking back.

When I got to the corner, my phone started buzzing in my clutch.

It was Spencer.

I watched his name flash on the screen and let it ring out.

Less than thirty seconds later, he called again. I flipped the phone face down in my palm and kept walking.

When I wouldn't answer, he switched to texting, one message after another.

"What was that thing you said before you left supposed to mean?"

"Nora, pick up."

"What are you trying to pull?"

"It was just a joke. Did you really have to storm off like that in front of everybody?"

I stopped by the mailbox in front of my house. Under the porch light, I scrolled up through every last one of them. Then I tapped his contact and hit block.

While I was at it, I blocked Chloe's number too.

I figured that would buy me a few quiet days.

Turned out I'd seriously underestimated them.

Monday morning, right after my mom left for school and my dad drove off to the hardware store in his pickup, the doorbell rang.

Through the peephole, I saw Spencer and Chloe standing side by side on the porch.

I opened the door, but I didn't let them in.

"You blocked me?" Spencer had one hand braced on the doorframe, and he looked furious. "Eighteen years, Nora, and you blocked me?"

"Yep."

"And that thing you said the other night? Start explaining."

"I was pretty clear. Go home and think about it."

Chloe leaned out from behind him. Her face was pale, and she made her voice extra soft.

"Nora, we honestly never meant for it to get this bad."

"Community college really isn't that awful. You do two years, then transfer somewhere good. Tons of people go that route."

She pressed her lips together like she'd made some huge decision.

"And don't worry about tuition. My parents said they'll pay for both years."

I almost laughed out loud.

"Drop the savior act. It's making me sick."

"Save that money and buy yourself a brain."

Chloe's face turned bright red.

"Nora!"

Spencer stepped forward and put himself in front of her. His voice shot up.

"Fine. I changed it. I'll own that. But are you seriously telling me none of this is on you?"

"If you'd logged in even once on Decision Day, you could've fixed it in a minute!"

The more he talked, the more worked up he got, like he was the one standing on the porch getting yelled at.

"You're the one who didn't take it seriously. So why is this suddenly all our fault?"

I looked at his flushed neck and the arm he was holding out to shield Chloe.

In eighteen years, that face had never looked so much like a stranger's.

"Get off my porch."

Before he could say anything, I slammed the door in his face.

"Nora! Open this door!"

He pounded on it until it shook. Outside, Chloe was tugging at his arm and saying something quietly, trying to calm him down.

I ignored them, went upstairs, and turned my earbuds all the way up.

Graduation was on the second Saturday in June, out on the school's football field.

The sun was brutal that day. The grass was covered in rows of white folding chairs, and all of us sat in our navy gowns in alphabetical order by last name. The bleachers were packed with parents. Some held balloons, and some held giant cutouts of their kids' faces.

I found my parents in the crowd. My mom was filming on her phone, and my dad, wearing an old baseball cap, gave me a thumbs-up.

The principal stood up on a stage they'd set up just for the day. Every time he read a name, he also announced where that person was headed in the fall.

Chloe sat three rows in front of me.

When it was her turn, the principal read, "Chloe Danvers, Stanford University."

The bleachers cheered. She held up the hem of her gown, walked onstage, and blew a kiss to the crowd.

Not long after, he called out, "Spencer Hollis, Stanford University."

The whole football section jumped to their feet and whistled. Spencer took his diploma and pumped his fist at the bleachers. On his way down, he made a point of swinging by Chloe's row to high-five her.

Chloe looked back, and her eyes landed right on mine.

She didn't lower her voice. It was like she wanted the rows around us to hear.

"Some people, I swear. What's the point of good grades if you can't even be bothered to check the portal on Decision Day?"

"And when something goes wrong, they just blame everyone else. With an attitude like that, it doesn't matter where you go."

The girl next to her gave an awkward little laugh and didn't say anything.

A few classmates around me snuck glances my way, then looked away just as fast. Ever since that party, everybody figured I was staying local in the fall.

The guy behind me leaned in and whispered, "Nora, are you really going to community college?"

I didn't answer. I just looked down and straightened the tassel on my cap.

"Graham Ridley, Yale University."

Another round of applause came from the bleachers.

Chloe still hadn't turned around, and she added one more thing, louder this time.

"Everyone's going to such great places. I honestly feel so bad for certain people."

I stood up and walked toward the steps.

The next name was mine.

The principal glanced down at the card in his hand, looked back up, and adjusted the mic.

"Eleanor Shaw, this year's valedictorian. Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism."