The Odds of Happily Ever After (The Reyes Siblings #2)

Chapter 13

chapter thirteen

luna

Kriz

Are you sure you can’t come?? I can pick you up in 20

Luna:

I have to study I’m sorryyyy

Kriz

Boo Who’s going to keep me from making bad decisions?

Luna

Just imagine my voice in your head haha

I groaned and plopped backward on my bed. Why the hell were we required to take two semesters of accounting? One, I could get behind. But two ? Did we really need two accounting classes when there were people specializing in that field anyway?

Blindly reaching for my phone on the bedside table, I opened Instagram yet again. Kriz had posted another story, this time of her clinking shot glasses with Chloe, Shawn, and a bunch of other people while music blared in the background.

I wished I was there. I wished I was anywhere other than here, my eyes glazing over at the number of times the word cost appeared on my screen.

It was still early, just past eleven p.m. I could catch up with the party since it would probably go on till dawn, but I’d only feel guilty about not studying. Then I’d feel worse when I flunked my exam tomorrow.

A message popped up from Kai.

Kai

How’s the review going?

Grabbing any excuse to delay going back to my readings, I replied:

Luna

If by review, you mean doomsday scrolling, then great.

His reply came in less than a minute later.

Kai

Lol can I help? You want coffee, snacks? A study partner?

I smiled because in the time that I’d known Kai, I’d learned he was the nicest, most genuine guy I’d ever met.

Luna

I super appreciate the offer but I think I just need to focus. Rain check?

Kai

No prob! Just msg if you need anything. I’ll also be up studying

Luna

Will do! Good luck to us

After I hit send, I forced myself to sit up and opened my laptop again. The screen took a minute to blink awake, like it, too, was reluctant to process the subject matter.

When my browser came on, an ad popped up for Renewed Look, the fashion retailer Kriz mentioned to me a couple of months ago. I’d held off on checking it out then, but now that they served me an ad, I took it as a sign for me to visit their website.

And yes, I was looking for any excuse to procrastinate.

Before I knew it, I had gone through their store and was watching an interview with the two co-founders. They spoke of following their passion and taking risks. Nothing new there, but why did it hit me so hard?

Clicking out of the site, I went back to my review guide. As I tried to understand the cost-volume-profit model, my brain kept drifting back to that interview. One of the co-founders had stepped away from a thriving family business to pursue her own path, despite her parents cutting her off. She believed in her dream so much that she poured her savings into Renewed Look, even if it meant giving up the life she’d always known.

I wondered what it felt like to be so completely sure of yourself that you would gamble everything to make your point.

Kriz moaned as we filed out of the lecture hall. “Oh God, why did I go out last night again?”

“Because you needed to destress?” I waved goodbye to one of our classmates, who took off in the opposite direction.

“Ugh. My head’s killing me. When I tell you it was throbbing so bad I could barely process the questions . . .” Kriz reached for the oversized sunglasses hanging from her collar and put them on. In her crisp blue shirt and white shorts with her hair slicked back in a ponytail, you might not have guessed she had a massive hangover.

I rubbed her shoulder. “Do you want Advil or something? I think I have one in my bag.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just skip the rest of my classes and sleep it off. I’m useless like this anyway.”

“Are you sure you’re good to drive?” I asked, as if I could offer to do it for her.

“Yeah, I’ve got these babies.” She tapped her shades. “I’ll go ahead, okay? See you tomorrow!”

I nodded, and she bussed my cheek before hurrying the rest of the way down the stairs. My next class wasn’t for another two hours, so I could take it easy. I had time for lunch and could potentially sneak a nap in at the library since I’d only clocked in an hour of sleep last night. Or more accurately, this morning.

As I walked down the hall to the main entrance, I spotted Gabe coming out of the faculty office. His eyes were set on the doorway, but they looked almost bloodshot, and he lacked his usual color. In place of his typical fast gait, his steps seemed sluggish.

I frowned. If Kriz managed to appear put together, Gabe was the opposite. Instinct told me to go after him and check if he was okay, but he would have hated that. So I settled for texting him instead.

Luna

Okay?

It was the exact same message he’d sent me two weeks ago, and I wondered if that would amuse or annoy him. When I’d read his text then, I waited for a follow-up message in case he had meant to add something more but hit send too early. I should have known better—he wouldn’t make a mistake as basic as that.

I gave him time to reply, figuring he might have driven straight to wherever it was that he did his consultancy work. But when I didn’t hear back from him after finishing my mac and cheese, I went ahead and called him.

His phone rang five times before he answered in a raspy voice, “What?”

“You sound awful,” I told him. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“In future tense, maybe. Where are you? Are you in the hospital?”

“Of course not. I’m at home. Why are you calling me?”

“I saw you at school and you looked sick. Now I know you sound it too. Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”

“I took medicine.” He inhaled sharply. “Fuck.”

His cursing told me how bad he felt. “I can come over?—”

“No. I just need to lie down. Goodbye, Luna.” He hung up on me, and I jumped up, carrying my tray. Even if he hadn’t admitted it, he seemed to need help or at least someone to check in on him. I doubted he’d call anyone, but he was getting me whether he wanted to or not.

I disposed of my trash and headed out. As I walked, I texted my economics seatmate that I’d be absent and asked her to keep me posted on what I’d miss. Next, I messaged Kai if he could cover for me in case I didn’t get back in time for my shift.

They both gave me an okay, and Kai asked if everything was alright. I told him I had to take care of a sick friend, which might have been stretching the truth a bit. Gabe might not be my friend, but he was Ate’s, and he’d been there for her when I wasn’t. I had to return the favor somehow, even if he slammed the door in my face.

At least I had the element of surprise on my side. Plus, I was counting on him being too weak to protest much. I’d just grab a couple of supplies from my place, take them over to his apartment, and make sure his condition wasn’t more serious than he let on.

Easy.