Rainbow Overalls by Maggie Fortuna

Author:Maggie Fortuna [Fortuna, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Ginny

No matter how dedicated and prepared I am, college finals are a formidable amount of work. In the next week, I have to finish two essays and a creative writing assignment, plus prepare and give a twenty-minute presentation. Every student on campus seems to be in the same incredibly stressed-out position.

Rafael suggested we spend our entire Saturday, minus meals, in the library, so we can incentivize each other to focus and not procrastinate. His plan has mostly worked, though I can’t count the number of times Beth has shushed Mack or Rafael has sent Nat a dirty look for sighing dramatically at her computer.

My biggest distraction is, of course, Nat. Not because of her giant sighs or the way she bops her head to the music playing in her earbuds, but simply the fact we’re all in the same room together. Since her confession on the lawn, I’ve managed to regain some sense of normalcy when we’re alone, but I can’t seem to shake an awareness of her when we’re with our friends. I worry if any of them have noticed the tension between us, or if they talk about us when we’re absent.

On one hand, they’d be pretty obtuse to have gone all this time without noticing anything. We’ve never been that subtle about our flirting, and the way Nat looks at me sometimes is unmistakable. On the other hand, we still feel like a secret. I haven’t told anyone what happened between us, and I don’t think she has either.

Our connection is like a transient concept to me—just real enough I know it exists, but not real enough to be spoken aloud to anyone besides her. Occasionally, Nat pushes her feelings further into reality with an offhand comment about her newfound commitment to honesty, but mostly it seems like all these feelings only live inside our own heads.

The clock on my laptop reads 9:47 p.m., and a quick look around confirms we’re all losing our drive. Mack is on their phone, Beth stares into space, and Nat now has her eyes closed as she moves her head to the music in her ears. Rafael is still working, but he’s visibly frustrated. Lizzie heads back toward our group with papers she’s just printed in her hand and a determined look on her face.

“Okay, we’re done.” Her tone leaves no space for argument. “We’ve been working all day, and the sanity levels in here are dangerously low.” Everyone but Rafael agrees, since he has an essay due by midnight. We wish Raf good luck and head toward the door.

A girl near one of the printers waves as we pass. Nat and Lizzie wave back. Lizzie turns to Nat.

“She has such a crush on you, Nat.”

Nat shoots Lizzie a look with her brows drawn low. I would love to say that the idea doesn’t affect me, but I feel jealousy niggling in my brain all the same.

I glance back over my shoulder to see if I recognize the girl. She looks vaguely familiar, but maybe I’ve just seen her around campus.

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