Best-Case Scenario

Chapter Six

"Kali's here!"

I race down the stairs before my parents can begin interrogating her, but it's too late.

"-applying to three schools. I don't want to do too much. Those application fees are insane."

College. Of course. The perks of being a Senior. Kali and I figured out college last year. We both have our lists and applying to the same school. It doesn't matter what you give the parents though. They will always be on you about it.

My mom is looming over Kali and nodding a lot. Kali smiles as I jump off the last stair. "Can we not talk about college?" I ask.

My mom raises her eyebrows. "It's not like you want to talk about it so I thought Kali would. You two planning on applying to the same schools?"

"Yup," I say and start walking away.

"I think I'm going with her," Kali says behind me. "I'll let you know how the college applications are going," she stage-whispers to my mom.

I turn around and my mom moves forward to give her a big hug. I close my eyes and count to five then continue up the stairs.

"Your mom is nice. You don't have to ignore her," Kali says when we reach my room.

Kali keeps the door cracked when she walks in. My mom tends to have lighter rules than her mom's, but it's a force of habit. Kali's mom isn't one hundred percent on board with Kali being gay and covers all her bases by not letting anyone, no matter gender, in the house.

"It's my right as a teenager," I say. "Have you actually started applying to schools?"

She waves me off. "No. I told your mom that to keep her happy but I haven't. We need to start editing our personal essays. I wrote three last week and they're awful."

"I need mine looked at too." I give a glance at the computer behind Kali with those files that I wanted to forget about.

"Maybe next weekend," Kali sighs, spinning in the desk chair.

I flop over on my bed and stare at the ceiling. "Well maybe not next weekend."

The spinning of the chair stops. "What does that mean? You have something to tell me!"

She leaps out of the chair and onto the bed staring at me, faces inches away from mine. "It's not that exciting," I say turning toward her.

"Sure. Why don't you tell me anyway?"

I shift to my side so I can see her better. "Okay. Finn texted me yesterday and asked if I wanted to hang out this weekend, but I told him no since we're hanging out."

"You could go with him tonight or even last night," she points out.

"Yes, but I didn't want to. We've only known each other for three days."

Kali gives me her exasperated-oh-my-God-why-are-you-like-this face. "We've been through this. You knew each other before. It's okay. It's not too fast. Who even cares? You decided to date that guy from camp like a day after meeting him."

"That didn't really work out for me now did it? He was weird."

"And Finn's weird too but normal weird. You already liked his type of weird. Now he's just older and hotter."

She's more insistent than she's ever been. I know she mentioned she felt bad about this summer but it's not like I'm never single. "Why do you want us together so bad? Only because you feel guilty?"

It's her turn to roll over on her back and stare at the ceiling. "Not exactly. I was a jerk to you when Carla and I dated too. Not just after. I ignored you most of the time. Sure, I sat with you at lunch but she did too and we stopped sleepovers almost entirely. I wouldn't tell you to go out with Finn if I thought he wasn't good for you but I do think it's nice of him to show up like this. It feels like fate."