Jealousy by Jessica Burkhart Page A

awesomeness.”
    â€œDid I mention that I have the best roommate?” I slung an arm across her shoulders as we started to the Hawthorne exit door. “I’m so nervous. Ridiculously nervous. I know that Drew’s not going to be like, ‘I saw you talking to Taylor outside the science building.See ya.’ But this whole thing is just weird!”
    Khloe nodded, flipping her fishtail braid over her shoulder. She’d teased her hair near the crown and had slipped on the skinniest of black headbands. I’d convinced her to secure the braid with a black leather tie. The look was très chic.
    â€œIt’s going to be strange for a while. It just is ,” Khloe said. She stopped short of opening the door. “Main goal is that you try to stay focused on two things: One is that you and Drew are together, and keeping your relationship moving forward is most important. And two, you and Taylor are friends. Juuust friends. It doesn’t mean you can’t talk to him and hang out, but just think about how you’d feel if Drew suddenly started hanging with one of his exes-turned-friends.”
    I wiped sweaty palms on the black pants I’d paired with black-and-white oxfords. The shoes were my new obsession. I’d added an ivory cashmere-blend sweater to complete the look.
    â€œYou’re right. Definitely will keep that in mind.” I took a deep breath.
    â€œReady?” Khloe put her hand on the door handle.
    â€œLet’s go.”
    I shivered when we stepped outside. The November airstung my face and hands. Khloe and I huddled together against the cold.
    â€œAt least Mr. Davidson’s class isn’t too far away,” she said through chattering teeth.
    â€œOr maybe we should have checked the weather this morning and worn coats like everyone else.”
    I tipped my chin ahead of us at the rainbowlike coats that dotted campus. Puffy coats. Wool peacoats. Long coats. Vests. It really looked as though everyone but us had checked their weather app this morning.
    As we neared the English building, I had a sense of Yes! Made it without seeing Tay . It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Taylor, but I also wanted to be considerate of Drew’s feelings.
    I walked into Mr. Davidson’s class and took my usual seat. I opened my notebook, going to my pages of notes. My academic planner had Study for Caged Bird midterm! written on every other day’s space.
    Khloe sat at the desk next to me and waved at Clare when she walked into the room.
    â€œHey, hey,” Clare said. Her red hair was in a half updo, and long curls cascaded down her back.
    â€œLove the sweater,” I said. “That shade of green is great with your hair.”
    Clare beamed. “Thank you! I got this on sale from Kohl’s.”
    Her hunter-green sweater was supercute— LOVE was scrawled across the chest in a scripty, gold font.
    Clare sat next to Khloe—the desks were arranged in a large circle—and started unloading her book bag. I went back to my calendar, and there was so much coming up—Parents’ Weekend, Thanksgiving break, midterms, Christmas break—
    â€œLauren!”
    I looked up at the voice that had chirped at me.
    Lacey slid into the desk next to me. She dropped her pink bag and wildly pushed her light-brown bangs out of her eyes. Her hair was pulled into the highest ponytail I’d ever seen—one that I couldn’t imagine not getting a headache from.
    â€œHi,” I said. “How ar—”
    â€œIs he in this class? What’s his schedule? We’ve all been trying to guess, and I looked for him everywhere this morning.” Lacey was almost breathless when she’d finished.
    â€œYou mean Taylor?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
    â€œUm, yeah! Laur, you’re the one with all the info. You’re his ex. Even better—you’re still his friend. ”
    I bristled a little at the way Lacey said