You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 167 Harper

Ever since my breakdown with Easton the other night, I feel like a complete idiot.

It's not like he can help where he gets accepted.

He's brilliant and rich on top of that.

I just had this oh shit moment of what happens to us along with the panic of how far we've come and what happens if everything gets stripped away? I'm not in the best mood when I get to school the next day, despite Easton's encouraging texts all night long and me apologizing, it just feels off.

I still haven't heard from any school, and no matter how many times you refresh your email on your phone, it's not like the colleges go, oh cool, she's finally ready for us to email her.

Despite all that, I still refresh my email once I'm in the parking lot of the school.

My hands shake as I stare down at the screen.

I have new emails.

And one is from a college, I panic, then get excited, then panic again.

I probably wouldnt even notice if Aisha was breathing down my neck like a dirty little dragon whore.

I click open.

And nearly drop my phone.

I got into San Jose State.

Granted, it wasn't my first choice, but I'm at least going to be going to a college and not having to explain to people that I wanted a year off or that I wanted to go to a community school. God, that would have been horrible.

I smile down at my phone again.

"Looking at porn?" a deep voice asks.

"Hilarious." I turn and throw my arms around Easton.

"Whoa!" He hugs me back.

"What's this for? The naked dudes you were just looking at or-""-Shut it!" I squeeze him tighter then whisper into his ear, "I got into San Jose State"

His body tenses, then relaxes as he squeezes my body and rocks me back and forth.

"I'm so fucking proud of you"

"Thank you." I'm happy, I really am, except for the fact that he's not there and I've come to rely on him the way you rely on air so you can breathe- and not in a needy way-but a way that's necessary because you love it so much.

"Baby..." He pulls away only slightly, enough to press his mouth against mine and make me feel wanted and loved.

"This is epic"

"I know"

Tears fill my eyes.

"I was so worried." "I wasn't," he says confidently.

I roll my eyes and start to move away, but he grabs my arm and pins me against his body.

"I wasnt," he repeats.

"Because you're the strongest and smartest girl I've ever known, of course, any college would want you? Hell, they should be crawling on their hands and knees, begging to admit you"

I cant help my smile as I answer back.

"Does that mean you'd be willing to get on your hands and knees?" He immediately moves away and drops to his knees.

"NO!" I laugh.

"Easton, get up!" He shrugs and puts down his hands.

Oh God.

People are starting to stare.

It's like a whole Dirty Dancing moment but the opposite where Jonny's on the ground and baby's watching him crawl.

"Easton!" I hiss his name again as phones come out around us.

Students are starting to snicker but in a funny way like they're catching the hottest guy on school legit crawling toward the invisible girl. I dig it.

I really do.

He stops in front of me, then very slowly rises, his body sliding against mine until he's facing me.

The friction alone from our clothes could send us to Hell because damn this guy.

How did I get so lucky? "About the crawling..." he says while people still watch.

"I kind of liked acting like your bitch.

If that's wrong, I don't want to be right"

I throw my head back and laugh.

"Wow, you're out of control, Mr.

Stanford"

"Bro, why were you just crawling toward her?" Ryan comes up and shakes his head.

"Soon to be Stanford students, do not crawl my friend"

The fun mood dies the minute Ryan mentions Stanford.

Even Ryan realizes it as he looks between us, then forces a smile and grabs Easton by the shoulder.

"You wouldn't happen to have pre-calce notes for me, right?" Easton sighs and reaches into his bag, handing over notes that just prove again why he got into Stanford and why even if I had the money-I'd never be able to go.

When the bell rings, I swallow the lump in my throat and start walking while Easton jogs ahead, swearing that he forgot one of his books in his locker.

I watch, and then I wonder, are these the last moments we're going to have? With us flirting in the parking lot, him running to class, and me watching everything pass us by in a blur? I want to breathe it in. All the experiences we have left, because what if this really is the end of the road.

Something hits me in the back of the head.

"Why the hell did you bang me over the head with Easton's notebook, you freak?" I shove my brother.

He moves out of the way and laughs.

"Because I know that look, fuck I've had to live with that look and the fact that my sisters getting banged by my best friend." He shudders.

"Anyway, stop overthinking this; it's just college"

"Oh yeah, okay." I roll my eyes.

"Just college.

I mean, you'd freak out if Sadie went somewhere else or if she got accepted somewhere across the country"

"We're not talking about us, and quite frankly, we're in a different spot than you guys are.

I know that look.

It's the same one you gave Mom when we had to put Buster down"

I sigh.

"I loved that dog"

"Exactly,' he says.

"Or when your goldfish died, or that one turtle you had to set free that Mom said went to that special lake down the road but didn't?" I stop walking. "What do you mean Stuart didn't go to that special lake down the road?" His eyes widen.

"He did, he totally did.

Swear.' "ON BUSTER'S LIFE!" I yell.

"ON BUSTER'S LIFE!" he yells back.

"Damn, you're weird"

He opens the door to the school.

"My point is this, you don't have to say goodbye, just communicate, talk things out, plus it's not like he can say no when he's a legacy"

I stop walking.

"A legacy?" Ryan gives me a look that basically says, why are you dumb.

"Yeah, a legacy, his dad went there, his grandpa went there, I think they even have one of the buildings named after their family and not just because they're loaded. They're just all wicked smart"

A legacy.

A legacy.

There's no way then, is there? I deflate even more.

Why would I ever take that away from the person I love the most in this world.

"I'm happy for him," I say even though I want to burst into tears because the minute this school year is over.

I have a sinking feeling...

we will be too.