Read Online This is What Goodbye Looks Like by Olivia Rivers - Free Book Online
Authors: Olivia Rivers
Ads: Link
my torn muscles and jacked-up nerves.
I limp over to the closet, nervously eying all the potential outfits I’ve unpacked on my side of the space. I’m not sure how long I stay frozen there before Brie bursts into the room, already fully dressed with her makeup perfectly applied.
“Morning,” she chirps, and then when she sees the stare-down I’m having with the closet, she comes over and nudges me away. It takes her about two-point-five seconds to pull together an outfit for me—black skinny jeans, a deep green blouse, and a light grey cardigan to drape over it. She tops it off by reaching into her side of the closet and tossing me a crocheted scarf almost the exact color as the blouse.
“You’re a miracle worker,” I say, tucking the scarf firmly around my neck so it hides my scars.
“Just make sure you put layers under it. I’m not talented enough to bring you back to life if you freeze to death.” Then she offers me a smile and says, “Quit worrying. Boarding school kids can be bratty, but there’s a lot of us who are pretty normal. Just stick with me and my friends, and you’ll be fine.”
I have the sudden urge to pull her into a hug. She’s the first person in a long time whose kindness doesn’t feel like pity, and while I don’t really get why she thinks I deserve it, it’s still a welcome relief. But before I get a chance to hug her, she snatches her backpack off her desk in the corner of the room and points to the door.
“I’m ready to go, so I’m going to meet with some friends at the dining hall. Join us when you’re ready, okay?”
“Sure,” I say. “I’ll be over in a minute.”
She heads out of the room, and I can’t help watching her graceful gait with a touch of envy. Then I take a deep breath and start getting ready for my day, doing my best to focus on my motions and not what they’re leading up to. I keep my head down as I use the bathroom, murmuring hellos to a few people, but not stopping to talk as I do my hair and makeup as quickly as possible. By the time I grab my book bag and leave for the dining hall, my skin is crawling with nervous goosebumps, and I’m just hoping I can make it through breakfast without throwing up again.
The dining hall is an elegant building in the center of campus, its aging brick walls covered in snow-dusted ivy. It’s only a minute’s walk away, but by the time I step inside, I’m shivering with cold and regretting only putting on three layers. I tug off my mittens as I peer around the crowded hall, taking in the room. Brie’s been bringing me food while I recovered from my “flu,” so I haven’t had a chance to visit in here yet, and I’m kind of surprised at how elaborate the set up is. The wall closest to the door is lined with two long tables stacked with food platters, everything from muffins to waffles to scrambled eggs. I grab a plate and quickly load it with some eggs and another one of those giant blueberry muffins, not caring if it makes me look like a glutton.
Brie catches sight of me before I even manage to make it through the buffet line, and she waves me over to a table in the corner. I do a quick scan of the table and let out a sigh of relief when I see Seth isn’t sitting there. The way Brie talks about him makes them sound like close friends, so I figured he’d probably be here for breakfast. But he’s not, and it gives me one less thing to worry about as I slowly limp over to the table, concentrating on not dropping my plate while my cane and heavy backpack try to unbalance me.
Brie’s usual group of friends is sitting with her, and as I walk up, Landon is telling some story and waving his hands around in elaborate gestures. I can’t tell if the rest of them are laughing at his story or at Maddie, who’s interrupting every few sentences to swat at her boyfriend and tell him to stop exaggerating. I murmur a hello as I sit at the end of the table next to Brie, and the others echo it back at me. But then
I limp over to the closet, nervously eying all the potential outfits I’ve unpacked on my side of the space. I’m not sure how long I stay frozen there before Brie bursts into the room, already fully dressed with her makeup perfectly applied.
“Morning,” she chirps, and then when she sees the stare-down I’m having with the closet, she comes over and nudges me away. It takes her about two-point-five seconds to pull together an outfit for me—black skinny jeans, a deep green blouse, and a light grey cardigan to drape over it. She tops it off by reaching into her side of the closet and tossing me a crocheted scarf almost the exact color as the blouse.
“You’re a miracle worker,” I say, tucking the scarf firmly around my neck so it hides my scars.
“Just make sure you put layers under it. I’m not talented enough to bring you back to life if you freeze to death.” Then she offers me a smile and says, “Quit worrying. Boarding school kids can be bratty, but there’s a lot of us who are pretty normal. Just stick with me and my friends, and you’ll be fine.”
I have the sudden urge to pull her into a hug. She’s the first person in a long time whose kindness doesn’t feel like pity, and while I don’t really get why she thinks I deserve it, it’s still a welcome relief. But before I get a chance to hug her, she snatches her backpack off her desk in the corner of the room and points to the door.
“I’m ready to go, so I’m going to meet with some friends at the dining hall. Join us when you’re ready, okay?”
“Sure,” I say. “I’ll be over in a minute.”
She heads out of the room, and I can’t help watching her graceful gait with a touch of envy. Then I take a deep breath and start getting ready for my day, doing my best to focus on my motions and not what they’re leading up to. I keep my head down as I use the bathroom, murmuring hellos to a few people, but not stopping to talk as I do my hair and makeup as quickly as possible. By the time I grab my book bag and leave for the dining hall, my skin is crawling with nervous goosebumps, and I’m just hoping I can make it through breakfast without throwing up again.
The dining hall is an elegant building in the center of campus, its aging brick walls covered in snow-dusted ivy. It’s only a minute’s walk away, but by the time I step inside, I’m shivering with cold and regretting only putting on three layers. I tug off my mittens as I peer around the crowded hall, taking in the room. Brie’s been bringing me food while I recovered from my “flu,” so I haven’t had a chance to visit in here yet, and I’m kind of surprised at how elaborate the set up is. The wall closest to the door is lined with two long tables stacked with food platters, everything from muffins to waffles to scrambled eggs. I grab a plate and quickly load it with some eggs and another one of those giant blueberry muffins, not caring if it makes me look like a glutton.
Brie catches sight of me before I even manage to make it through the buffet line, and she waves me over to a table in the corner. I do a quick scan of the table and let out a sigh of relief when I see Seth isn’t sitting there. The way Brie talks about him makes them sound like close friends, so I figured he’d probably be here for breakfast. But he’s not, and it gives me one less thing to worry about as I slowly limp over to the table, concentrating on not dropping my plate while my cane and heavy backpack try to unbalance me.
Brie’s usual group of friends is sitting with her, and as I walk up, Landon is telling some story and waving his hands around in elaborate gestures. I can’t tell if the rest of them are laughing at his story or at Maddie, who’s interrupting every few sentences to swat at her boyfriend and tell him to stop exaggerating. I murmur a hello as I sit at the end of the table next to Brie, and the others echo it back at me. But then
Similar Books
