Our Beating Hearts

16

"AND YOU'RE SURE YOU'VE GOT your phone charger?"

"Yup."

"And the car charger?"

"Yes."

"And you'll call me when you get there?"

"Mom. Yes."

She's pacing the length of the kitchen, hands scraping against her hairline. I don't know why she's being like this. It's like all of a sudden, she thinks I'm going to the moon.

"Mom, it's an hour and a half. That's like driving down the block at rush hour."

"I know. It's just weird. This is your college tour. I feel like I should be there." She sinks into a chair, resting her chin on her purse. "I don't like missing this stuff."

"But I'll be fine. I'll be with Calum."

"This better not be Girls Gone Wild," Mom says sternly. "No hooking up with college kids."

"Mom."

"I'm just looking out for you." She tweaks my nose. "And for Niall."

"Oh my God. I'm never telling you anything again, ever."

"Okay, but call me at the office." She stands, smoothing down her skirt. "I mean it. As soon as you get there. And have fun, okay?"

I lean back in my chair, head tilted toward the ceiling. Two hours until Calum gets here, and I don't have a clue what to expect. I don't know whether he'll be crying over Jennifer or wanting to hook up with every guy, or girl, he sees. And of course, Sierra's counting on me to find the magic words that will fix everything.

Like I'm somehow going to be able to talk him into reversing the breakup and living happily ever after.

With Jennifer.

I'm starting to think this is the worst idea in the history of bad ideas.

I don't know. I just feel so amped up and wired, and I can't pinpoint why. It's like when a song changes key, or starts on the offbeat, or shifts its meter halfway through. It's that hiccup you get in your chest. That tiny huh moment. Like maybe something's kind of wrong.

Or maybe something's about to change.

Calum's fifteen minutes early. And he doesn't text from the driveway. He knocks on the door.

I knew he would do that.

This is also why I spent all weekend clearing piles of clothes and papers out of the living room, piling everything into my closet in one giant, precarious stack. The living room looks almost normal from the doorway, even though the couch is kind of patchy and faded, and the wallpaper is from the nineties. At least you can see the floor now.

I sneak a glance at him through the window-and he's definitely not crying. He actually looks pretty cheerful. To the point where I'd think he and Jennifer were back together if I hadn't gotten a mopey update from Sierra just this morning. But I guess Calum's the smile-through-anything type. For all I know, he's secretly heartbroken.

I slip out through the door before he can step inside. It's cloudy and cool out, cold enough for my

Hogwarts sweatshirt. "I'm finally reading that," Calum says, pointing to the Hufflepuff crest. "I was bullied into it."

"By Luke?"

"He spammed me with quotes for a week straight."

"My hero."

Calum smiles. "I like it so far. I'm halfway through the third one."

"You like it?" I almost sputter. Calum likes Harry Potter. That's like saying Mr. Rogers was nice. Reece King is decent-looking. You can't just like Harry Potter. You have to be balls-out obsessed with it.