for six hours straight. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“That’s true. I hated having to sit there while the teachers went on and on and on. Who cares who the twentieth president was?” She stopped to send a vicious glare Sage’s way. “I swear, if you utter his name, I will smack you right here and now.”
Sage closed her mouth. Grace knew her well—yes, she’d been about to blurt out James A. Garfield. But today her head was feeling better, and Sage wanted to keep it that way. She remembered the time Grace slammed Bobby Tetter’s head into a locker just for correcting her grammar when she had said seen instead of saw, or vice versa. Bobby was always correcting people. The guy was sure to be a teacher. And man, did Grace have a mean right hook.
“I wasn’t going to say it,” Sage lied.
“Good. But still, I’d rather be smart and have all the answers. I really wish I’d taken my education more seriously. I guess I always just thought I was going to grow up, get married, and have a dozen kids. I didn’t think I’d ever need to use a degree. But I’ve learned that what a person expects doesn’t matter. You could get your dream, live just the way you imagined, but you should always have a backup plan. Otherwise . . . well, otherwise, you might find yourself in a tight spot.”
The sadness in Grace’s eyes ripped Sage apart. Why wasn’t her friend telling her what had happened? Surely it couldn’t be so bad that the two of them couldn’t fix it. “We’ve always handled everything together, Grace. I know I can help if you’ll just let me in.”
“I will. I pinkie swear, best friends forever,” Grace said, holding up her hand.
It was the code. Sage took her pinkie with her own and shook, then kept her mouth shut. It was hard to do, but she’d respect Grace’s wishes, and right now Grace wasn’t ready to share. But it wouldn’t take her long.
“You know you have to move in with me, right?” Grace said. “I’m sure it’s been heaven living at home again, having Grandma serve you and wash your clothes and treat you like the princess you are, but I demand that we become roomies. After all, that was the plan after high school. If I’d paid more attention during school and could have gotten into Stanford with you, that might have happened. But at least we’re both still single and in the same place now, so we can carry out our plans. I can start packing you up right away.”
Sage’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I’d be more than happy to move in with you.” Heck, she wanted to leave this very minute.
“Why do I hear a but coming?” Grace asked.
“No. That’s not it. Let me wait a few days before I break the news to Grandma. A week at most. She’s missed me a lot since I left and I know my return and our time together have been special to her. If I move out while I’m still supposed to be resting, it will break her heart. I don’t know why she likes babying me, but she really does. And it is kind of nice, though I would like to have five solid minutes of awake time without being asked if I’m okay.”
“I get that. We’ve waited this long, I can stand to wait another week. Maybe I’ll just sleep here on the couch so Grandma can take care of me, too.”
“Did you say you need someone to look after you, Grace?”
The two looked over at the door as Bethel walked through with a tray containing her patented lemonade, special homemade granola, and two thick sandwiches.
“Always, Grandma. What’s that?” Grace asked, instantly sitting up, yanking one of Sage’s pillows from beneath her head so she could prop herself up against the headboard.
“Don’t worry about permanent brain damage,” Sage griped at her, and sat up much more slowly than she normally would have.
“I thought you girls might be hungry,” Bethel said, not hearing Sage.
But Grace had heard, if the smirk on her face was any indication. She ignored Sage’s grumbling.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Grace said, but she took the tray eagerly, grabbed one of the sandwiches, and bit in.
Sage was always amazed at the amount of food her best friend could put away without ever gaining a pound. No wonder so many girls in high school had despised her.