Read Online One & Only (Canton) by Viv Daniels - Free Book Online Page A

trying to fit every choice in my life into my father’s rules. I’d made a pro and con list back when I’d gotten my scholarship acceptance. The only thing tripping me up at the moment was textbook prices, but I’d have that resolved soon enough. And I resented my father’s insistence that he be involved in the decision when I knew the only thing he’d want was for me to stay far, far away.
    I wasn’t asking him for money—in fact, I was asking for no money—so he could just stay out of it. “It’s a little late for that,” I said instead. “I’m here at Canton. Bought and paid for, credits transferred, semester started. It’s too late.”
    “Yes,” my father said. “You worked that out very neatly, young lady. You didn’t even tell me. Didn’t even ask for my advice about what was best for your future or what I, who’ve spent so much money on your education, might think about all this.” He stared at me for a moment more, then sighed. “I just can’t believe that after everything I’ve done for you, you’d act this devious. This selfish. And I honestly don’t see why you don’t think State was good enough for you.”
    “I don’t know,” I snapped. “Why wasn’t it good enough for Hannah?”
    It was as if all the air got sucked out of the room. My mother’s mouth dropped open.
    “What did you just say to me?” His voice was nearly a whisper.
    “She’s at Canton,” I said as tears began to burn my eyes. “I saw her there. So it’s fine for her to go, but not me?”
    He stood up, tall, broad, big, like the Canton U football player he’d once been. His tone was still low, still dangerous. “Did you talk to her?”
    “Of course not!” My voice caught on a sob as the tears began to roll down my cheeks. “I know the rules .” And I did. I’d always known them. But staying away from the Swifts shouldn’t mean staying away from everything else I wanted in my life.
    I needed Canton. Hannah didn’t need anything.
    He said nothing, but I felt his eyes on me. Abruptly, he turned. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” He headed for the door, and my mom followed after him, down the narrow halls of our apartment.
    I just sat there and gulped down big breaths, wiping the tears off my face. Saying her name had been a mistake. If he was unhappy about me going to Canton before, letting him know that I hadn’t been there a week before I’d run into his real daughter was not going to help the situation.
    My mom only came back down the hall as I was getting up to go into my room. “Oh, Tess,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “Why do you insist on making everything so hard on yourself?”
    I paused at the door. “Trust me, Mom. It was pretty hard already.”
    In my room, I booted up my computer, still fuming. How dare he tell me where I could go to school if he wasn’t paying for it? How dare he call me selfish for wanting the best out of my education, for wanting to get out from under his control for good?
    There was a new email, sent to my shiny new Canton address, from Dylan.
Tess,
I kind of lost my nerve back there at my door, but apparently I’m better over email.
All other unfortunate history aside, you and I both know we did awesome work on that project at Cornell. You’re new here, but I can tell you right now that there’s no one else in our Bio-E class that you want to do a term project with. And I know the only person I’d partner with again is you. I think you mentioned you have a few ideas. I do too, and together, I think we can rock the symposium.
What do you say? For science?
Dylan
    I pressed reply.
Absolutely. For science.
-Tess

SEVEN
    I was reviewing my notes before Biotransport when a shadow fell across my desk. I looked up to see a female student I recognized from our first class staring down at me. “Tess McMann, right? I’m Elaine Sun.”
    “Nice to meet you.” I shook the girl’s hand, and she slid into the seat beside me. Dylan’s seat , I thought