Odd One Out

Epilogue

CHAPTER 35

Bailey
Friday, June 29

Naya was rushing around trying to set everything up as Viktor and I watched in awe.

The decorations were set up, the food was pretty much done, and really the only thing missing was Jake.

I chuckled as Naya hurriedly added the finishing touches to the cake, her mouth moving at a thousand miles per hour.

"...and I told him that Princeton was black, and orange. ORANGE. And Ellis has the nerve to call me and say that the cookies came out YELLOW, all because he failed to tell the woman at the dessert shop that the color was orange, and not yellow–"

"You think she remembers we're here?" Viktor whispered, causing me to laugh slightly.

"I don't think she cares," I added, and it was his turn to laugh.

He fidgeted a bit, his arm slightly touching mine in the process. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was not pulling away, so I moved slightly and nudged his arm, all while staring at the yelling mess Naya had become as she vented about Ellis.

He nudged me back, and before I could do anything back his pinky finger entwined itself with mine, his hand freezing for a second as if waiting for me to protest.

But I didn't. I didn't protest.

In fact, I adjusted so that now we were holding hands, his warmth enveloping once more.

When he squeezed my hand back, it felt real. Safe.

I smiled at the feeling, realizing how much I was going to miss that reassuring warmth of his. And how much I was going to miss his hugs.

And how much it would all be worth it when I finally came back from my trip.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Viktor start to smile too.

Jake
Friday, June 29

"So he really didn't protest?"

I shook my head. "It's kind of surprising actually, my mom was much more against it than my dad was."

"Hey," Ellis started, patting me slightly on the back before going back to finish taping closed the box he labeled 'books and shit'. "At least they're letting you get away for a bit. Until Christmas, right?"

He stopped for a second before adding, a little more demanding this time, "Right, Brainy?"

I chuckled slightly, zipping up my bag of socks and setting it inside the suitcase along with my sweaters and jeans. "Yeah, I'll be here."

Princeton wasn't exactly planned — I'd applied to a few schools, almost as a joke after the insane start I had to the academic school year. I even sent an application to the local community school, thinking it wouldn't be too bad considering Naya had been accepted there too.

But the universe had a different plan for me, sealing the acceptance letter in an envelope and setting it in my mailbox on a random Wednesday. My dad was ecstatic, telling almost anyone he saw that his son, his son, had gotten a free ride to an Ivy League school as a computer engineer.

Not only that, but he was looking at hotels near the school to see if they'd be able to visit, searching upcoming events on campus and urging me to sign up for them, and even buying me my very first college-student sweater. He even bought a series of orange sweaters for himself, one for casual events and two for formal events "just in case".