Four Girls and a Guy - Suzanne Jenkins Page 0,8

medical student can do is call attention to himself.”

“Sure I can. But if we’re going to be living together…”

Someone knocked at the door, so Alison opened it. It was Joan.

“You’re back,” Alison stated, remorseful. “Are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry, but my parents are here,” she moaned. “Get out, will you? I’m sick.”

“Again?” But they vacated the bathroom for Joan, who went inside and shut the door.

“What happened?” Edwin asked, concerned.

“Tequila,” she said. “What else?”

“Yeah, I can’t handle it either.”

“You’ve met Joan’s parents, correct? Don’t say anything yet about moving in. They’re pretty conservative.”

“I won’t say a word.”

They came out into the kitchen together. The Greenways were at the table, and Laura was serving them food. Samantha had left the room.

“Where’s Sam?”

“She’s lying down,” Laura said.

“Joan doesn’t feel good either,” Mrs. Greenway said. “Something must be going around.”

“I’ll go see how Samantha is,” Alison said. “It was nice seeing you, Mr. and Mrs. Greenway.”

They nodded, curious about the boy. Alison pulled Edwin along with her.

“Knock, knock. Are you sleeping?” Alison whispered when they got to the room.

“No. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“We have news.”

“I can’t take any more news, either.”

“No, this is good. Eddie needs a place to stay, and since Laura is as good as gone, he’ll move in.”

“Good. You’re a good fit, Eddie. So I guess that means I’ll move in with Joanie.”

“Yep, that’s the plan if you’re okay with it.”

“Are you two going to give it a try?”

“No, not yet,” Alison said, glancing apologetically at Edwin. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, I always say.”

“Three medical students living together should make it easier to get through,” Samantha said. “We can study in our own little group.”

“I’ll help in any way I can,” Edwin said, pushing up his glasses.

Dear Edwin, Alison thought, watching him. He was truly an innocent, and it would be so easy to take advantage of him. They’d been friends for a long time and she’d fight the urge. But after that bathroom hug, maybe having him in her bedroom wouldn’t be such a good idea.

Sounds echoed from the hallway, the main door opening and closing, footsteps to the bedroom next door. “I wonder if mom and dad are gone?”

Laura peeked her head in. “Coast is clear,” she said. “I’m opening a bottle of dry white, said to be good for hangovers.”

“Ugh, none for me, thanks.”

“I’ll take a glass,” Edwin said, following her back to the kitchen. “So I hear congratulations are in order. I’m jealous, actually.”

Laura twirled around. “Why, Edwin? You have so much going for you. Believe me, if I could afford it, I’d stay right here.”

“I want my life to start now,” he said, taking the bottle and the corkscrew from her. “I can do medical school for four years. I can even do a residency. But I want to be married. I want kids. I don’t want to live in a crappy apartment.”

“I thought you liked it here,” Alison said, entering the room.

He watched her, trying to gauge her expression. “I don’t mean here. I love it here, you know that. But what happens after we graduate?”

“Eddie’s moving in when you move out,” Alison explained to Laura.

“That’s great! There’s a perfect symmetry,” Laura said. “I won’t worry about leaving the women flat.”

She took the open bottle from Edwin and poured, handing him a glass.

“To us. New beginnings, new paths, new friendships.”

“To us,” Edwin said, touching her glass, but winking at Alison.

He was pretty sure he knew everything there was to know about Alison. They’d met the first day of college in biology lab. The shared bio and chemistry labs and their collaboration had worked out wonderfully because they shared notes and information from a different perspective. They were lab partners, swearing that without the other they’d never have gotten through it.

“It’s not that it was difficult. We’ve both had honors science in high school,” Edwin had said. “It was the volume of work they asked for. Ridiculous.”

He’d never forget the first time he saw her. Two students were arguing with the teacher about the pre-class assignment when she arrived a minute before class began. He was sitting in the second row from the back, long black tables dotted with Bunsen burners and faucets, shelves of microscopes to the right, tall windows to the left.

Edwin watched her walk into the room like the scene from Twilight where Edward can smell Bella from across the room. Only he couldn’t smell Alison. With halo hair standing out from her head, he was smitten right