The second application I submitted was for a club that met every other weekday during the school year called the Dean’s Club. It was a lot less exclusive and cool than it sounded. It was really just a glorified study hall for students who were aiming for dean’s list quality grades, but students didn’t necessarily have to have dean’s list quality intelligence or academic skill sets. People like Henry or Nina could work on their own and get the grades they were looking for, but people like me, who wanted to do well but didn’t have the ability to focus or aptitude for studying and retaining information, could apply for the Dean’s Club and have additional free access to things like tutors, study groups, academic resources, and priority from professors when it came to exam retakes or extensions on assignments.
The big issue with the Dean’s Club was that, though it was really just a study hall, it still required jumping through several hoops to be accepted. It wasn’t an open club, and given that the dean oversaw the club himself, he wanted to be sure that anyone joining truly did intend to use the resources provided and work hard to achieve good grades. It required several things, including references from former teachers, near-perfect attendance to any former classes, and no black marks on your record. It took some fancy footwork on my end to circumvent mentioning my former criminal background, which I’d legally left off my application for Presper since it was in the process of being sealed when I’d applied. I did a great job in my sophomore college year, though, and felt I finally had what I needed to apply and be accepted.
“My Dean’s Club application results are in,” I said aloud to Henry.
He turned back around in his chair again and looked at me. “And?”
I clicked the email and opened it up, smiling instantly at the bright purple, “Congratulations,” scrawled across the top. “I got in!”
“Yeah!” Henry jumped up out of his chair and came over to reach out his hand for a fist bump, which I gave. “Now we’re talking. You’re gonna kill it this year, man.”
I nodded and smiled. Between the job, the Dean’s Club, and helping Henry out with Sydney, I really was starting to feel like junior year could be a successful one. “That’s the hope. Now, if you could just accept the money, it’d be a royal flush.”
Henry let out a long, exasperated sigh. “I don’t want the money.”
I slapped the top of my laptop down and pushed it aside so that I could swing my legs over the edge of my bed and set my feet on the floor. “Dude, seriously, I don’t want this debt hanging over me. You didn’t deserve to lose all that money.”
“Is that what this is about? You feel like this debt is holding you down? Is that the only reason we’re friends? So you feel like you’re paying me back?”
“What?” I jumped up off the bed. “No. We’re friends because we’re friends. You’re the only person in my life who’s ever believed in me. I just feel bad that I took so much from you without repayment.”
“You are repaying me.”
“No,” I rubbed my fingers together. “With money. I want your savings account to look like it did before your dumbass friend got locked up. You’ve done so much for me—not just the bail, but helping me turn my life around. I wouldn’t feel good, not giving you anything in return.”
“You made a simple mistake that anyone could have made. Given your circumstances, it’s understandable. Not only that, but you’re working on trying to make sure that other kids don’t end up like you. That’s plenty for me.” Henry went and sat down at his desk, and I could tell in the way he slumped that I’d upset him.
I walked over to my desk and slid into the chair. I looked over at Henry, and when he avoided my gaze even though it was clear he could see me staring at him, I just started to talk. “Look, I know that we grew apart there, but being friends with you again these last few years has reminded me exactly why we were friends, to begin with. Not just because of what you’ve done for me, but because of the fact that you’re smart, funny as hell, and caring.” Henry looked over at me. “Come on, man. Don’t make me get all sappy with you.”
Henry snickered. “Damn, I was hoping I could milk it a little more.”
I laughed. “Ass.”
“Anyway, you can take that money and bank it. I won’t take it.”
“You’re so irritating. Who turns down money?” I barked.
Henry flipped me off. “A promising lawyer. I’ll be making six figures within the decade. I don’t need your pennies, peasant.”
I gasped and laughed. “Wow. Peasant, huh?”
Henry started laughing, and I was glad that I managed to get him in a better mood. I dropped the argument for the second time, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time we’d visit it.
After he recovered, he turned to look at me outright. “Hey, uh… How are things with Nina?”
I furrowed my brow at the random change in topic. “Not bad. I don’t really know her well yet, but she keeps to herself, she’s clean, and she doesn’t wake up at five-thirty in the morning, banging shit around, so she’s a good enough roommate. Why?”
Henry shrugged. “I don’t know. Sydney’s told me a lot about her. She’s book smart and good at standing up for herself, but she can be a little too innocent for her own good.” I thought about some of the conversations we’d had regarding Kai and giving her advice to win him over. She was shocked to hear some of the stuff that I thought was basic knowledge. Henry wasn’t wrong. “She needs someone with some tougher armor looking out for her. Can you look out for her?”
It was surprising. Was it just Henry’s kind nature that had him wanting to look out for Nina, or was he truly so in love with Sydney that he wanted to protect her best friend? I had a feeling it was a mix of both. “Of course. She’s a good person, so I’m not just gonna stand by and let someone hurt her.”
Henry nodded. “Good.” He turned back toward his computer. “Maybe you need to work on that innocence, too.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that mean?”
Henry chuckled and shrugged. “Forget I said it.”
Nina was great, but she wasn’t the kind of woman I normally went for. Plus, she was focused on Kai. I’d look out for her as a friend, but as far as doing anything about her innocence, that was a job best suited for someone else.
7
Nina
“Are you packing your backpack at six o’clock? When’s your first class?” I looked over my shoulder, and Devon was stretching his arms high above his head.
“Sorry, did I wake you up? I was trying to be quiet,” I replied.
Devon squeezed his pillow closer to his head and looked at me. “No, you’re fine. Henry woke me up early on Saturday, and now my sleep schedule’s out of whack.”
“Ah. Well, yes, I am packing my backpack. I’m excited.” I was sitting on my bed with all of my books and items laid out in front of me. “I’m kind of a dork if you haven’t noticed.”
Devon scoffed. “I noticed.”