One in a Million (Book 3 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

11 | Confess

You'll be mine and I'll be yours

All I know since yesterday is everything has changed.

-Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran, "Everything Has Changed"

Tallahassee, Florida

Rachel

"An Introduction to School Counseling... The Counselor and the Law...." I murmured to myself as I picked up each textbook and put them in the handbasket I carried.

These books were so expensive... I only needed 4 and they would probably end up being over $600. I pulled out my phone to check my bank balance and my heart skipped several beats. I had three times as much money as I had the other day when I checked. I clicked the details button and smiled when I saw the words "Mobile Deposit." Miles must've put some money in my account over the phone. Damn, I'm lucky.

"Hey, fancy meeting you here," a voice said from behind me.

I turned around and saw Alex taking the same textbooks off the shelf. I smiled.

"Oh, hey," I greeted him. "How's it going?"

"All right, you?"

"Pretty good. Just picking up all the stuff I need for the semester," I said.

"Me too." He glanced in my basket. "We have the same classes, huh?"

"Yeah, here at FSU, they group us together and we go through the whole program with the same group," I explained. "Every school counseling student will have the same classes, but we'll have them at different times."

"Ah, I see. I wonder if we're in the same group," he commented.

I shrugged. "I know Britt and I are. There's an easy way to tell. What's the first class you'll go to?"

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and studied it. "Introduction to the Counseling Profession with Dr. Darlington," he said.

I nodded. "Us too! So we'll be in the same group," I said, and he grinned.

"Awesome. It'll be great to know some other people," he said in relief.

"Definitely. Did you find all your books?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's probably going to cost an arm and a leg," he sighed.

"Right?" We started to walk toward the checkout and got in line.

Alex was right; these books were ridiculously expensive. My total came to $545.03. I silently thanked Miles for the surprise deposit.

When we had both paid, we left the bookstore and ran right into Brittany.

"Hey you guys!" she greeted cheerily.  She glanced down at the bags in our hands. "Oh Lord, you guys bought your books... I did that yesterday and almost emptied my bank account."

We laughed. "Yeah, it was a lot," I agreed.

"Have you guys eaten lunch yet?" she asked, glancing shyly at Alex.

Did she honestly look shy? That was a first.

"I haven't," Alex said. "I'm pretty hungry actually." He turned to me. "Rachel, join us?"

Brittany looked at me from behind him, running her finger along her throat in a slitting motion. "No!" she mouthed.

I cleared my throat. "I, uh, I can't. I have to get home and help my roommate clean the apartment," I lied. Brittany clasped her hands together in gratitude.