Empty.
“I’ll need a piece of paper.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
JOSEPHINE
I pacethe confines of my bedroom, just as I’ve done for the past twenty-four hours, slowly going crazy. Since the commencement ceremony yesterday, I’ve been confined to the house, completely cut off from the outside world. Vincent and Blair took away my electronics in retaliation for the so-calledspectacleI made during my speech.
I don’t regret a single word.
Nothing can hold my focus. Not sewing, not my kindle, not evenThe Great British Bake Off. I stare up at the ceiling, consumed with worry about Archer. The more hours slip by without being able to talk to him, the more convinced I become that something terrible has happened.
I try not to think too much about Ophelia or Odette’s opinion on the matter.
Teenage boys can be pigs. As soon as you let them under your panties, they treat you like conquered territory.
A knock on my door has me flying upright. I pray it’s Archer — or, at the very least, Flora or Miguel. But when the knob turns, it’s my mother who steps through the door.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” I say flatly. “I’m still not going to Switzerland.”
Her brows lift. “Really? Even if your attendance at Brown is contingent upon it?”
“What?”
“Your father and I have decided, if you don’t come to Switzerland, we won’t be paying your tuition for the fall semester.” She pauses. “Or any other semester, in fact.”
My mouth falls open. “That’s outrageous! You can’t do that—”
“We can. We did. The matter is settled.”
“Nothing is settled,” I retort hotly. “You don’t get to make decisions for me anymore. I’m eighteen.”
“Wasn’t your whole graduation speech about how we didn’t parent you enough? Here we are, trying to parent, and you punish us for it.”
I stare at her, unconvinced. “I don’t understand why you have toparentme in Geneva. Why can’t we just stay here for the summer?”
“Because our distribution headquarters aren’t here.”
“But—”
“You’ll adore Switzerland, Josephine. I promise.” She sits on the end of my bed and reaches out softly — almost tentatively — to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Don’t argue anymore. Pack your things. We’re leaving for the airport in an hour.“
She pushes to her feet and walks toward the door. Pausing in the frame she says, almost as an afterthought, “The Reyes boy came by earlier.”
I practically fly to her side, then grab her by the arm. “What? What did he say? Why didn’t you let him in to see me?”
“Slow down, Josephine.” Blair presses a hand to her chest. “Dear lord, you’re overexcited.”
I take a measured breath, trying to calm my nerves. “What did he say?”
“Not much. I did invite him in. He declined.”
My heart lurches. “No… that’s not… he wouldn’t…”
“He seemed to be in quite a bit of a hurry. Something about an opportunity regarding baseball — a training summer camp perhaps? In Nebraska, of all places. Honestly, Josephine, you know how I am when it comes to sports. It all goes right out of my head.”
I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched.