Caelyn looked away from him, out the passenger window.
“Well, whatever,” her mother said, like Caelyn’s sleeping habits weren’t any of her business. “The reason I’m calling is because I’ve got a work conference next week in Boston.”
Caelyn’s stomach dropped faster than an elevator with the cables cut. “Oh,” was all she could manage.
“That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for, Caelyn Mary.”
“Sorry, Mom, I’m just—I’ve got a lot of work to do. Classes are harder than I expected and it’s overwhelming.”
“I’m sure you’re going to do just fine, Caelyn. You always worry about grades and you always do wonderfully.”
“Yeah, well, this is different, Mom. Cambridge University is a lot harder than high school.”
“I’m sure it is,” her mother said, sounding relatively unconvinced. “But I still think you can find time to see your mother for dinner one night!”
Caelyn didn’t respond. She couldn’t allow her mother to expect that they would see one another next week. Caelyn wasn’t even going to be in Massachusetts.
Maybe now was the time to just get it out—tell her mother the truth. Admit that she was leaving school for the semester, dropping out and running to Florida. What could her mom really do? Caelyn was eighteen, an adult, and perfectly capable of making her own decisions.
But the mere thought of saying those words struck terror into Caelyn’s very soul.
Her mother would be crushed, devastated. Caelyn was the first person in her family to attend an Ivy League college and her parents were totally proud of her for getting into Cambridge on a full scholarship.
To throw that all away would be madness.
And Caelyn could never tell her mother why she was running away, either.
There was a long silence on the phone as Caelyn’s mind spun through the myriad possibilities, the ramifications of her actions finally starting to hit home.
“Are you still there?” her mother demanded.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s wrong? You sound… different.”
“I told you, I’m just really overwhelmed with school work right now.”
Her mother sighed. “Okay, I see. Maybe I should try you another time—or better yet, you try me back when you feel more like talking.”
“Okay, I’ll do that,” she said softly.
“I’m still planning on seeing you when I come in for my conference. Plan for either Thursday or Friday night—dinner. On me. Okay?”
Now it was Caelyn’s turn to sigh into the phone. “I’ll call you later,” was all she said.
“Okay. Love you,” her mother replied.
And then the line went dead. Caelyn put her cell phone back in her purse. When she looked over at Elijah again, he was still smirking.
“What?” she asked, glaring at him. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve got a smug look on your face.”
“Me?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“Yes, you.”
“I just couldn’t help but notice that little miss perfect was lying to her mommy.”
“I’m not little miss perfect.”
He snorted. “Come on. You go to Cambridge? That means you’re one of those rich kids with perfect grades. Probably lived in Newton or Weston or one of those snobby towns. I know girls like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Girls like me?”
“I thought maybe you were running away from something serious,” he told her.
“I thought maybe you were like me…” his voice trailed off but he didn’t finish.
“How do you know it’s not serious? Just because I go to a good college?”
“You probably think you have it rough. School’s harder than you thought it would be, you’re not the smartest kid in class anymore, and you freaked out. Maybe you and some other spoiled girl got into one of those fights where you pull each other’s hair.”
Caelyn felt suddenly calm as she watched him talking. She knew she was angry, but in a way, his fantasy of who she was and what she was running from had brought her back to earth. There was a reason for what she was doing—a real reason.
“You’re so wrong,” she told him. “But I have nothing to prove to you.”
“Why don’t you tell your mother where you really are?” he said. “What are you so scared of?”
“It’s none of your business.”
He laughed. “Sure. Because you know that I’m right.”
“Believe it if it makes you feel better about yourself.”
“I believe it because I’ve seen enough kids like you.”
“You know nothing about me, Elijah. Nothing.”