Chapter 24: Everyone I Want

The dormitory stood at the end of a brick walk lined with maples.

Every parent on it seemed to be carrying a mini fridge.

June's room was on the third floor.

Sullivan carried the mattress up the stairs by himself, because nobody could stop him.

Edith had driven over from the freight office in her navy blazer to supervise.

She pointed at the window and said, "That bed goes there."

"Yes, ma'am," Sullivan said.

"I'm not your boss."

"No, ma'am. You're Sonya's boss," Sullivan said. "She starts Monday."

"Then you may as well move the desk."

June stood in the middle of the bare room with her hands on her hips.

Her roommate had not arrived.

The window looked out over the quad, where a crowd was spreading blankets on the grass.

"It's smaller than the pictures," she said.

"They always are," Edith said.

"I love it."

I went to her and smoothed a piece of hair off her forehead.

"You don't have to love it today."

"I do, though." She was grinning, and her eyes were wet. "I picked this. Nobody picked it for me."

My phone buzzed in my back pocket while we were unrolling the rug.

I took it out.

I saw the name on the screen, and I held it a second.

It was Calvin.