been here a little over two weeks and already had a “usual” at the Kisspresso Café: an extra-large Americano, no milk, and a berry muffin. Raspberry, blueberry, blackberry—it didn’t matter. He liked that hit of fruity sweet with a strong-enough-to-punch-you-in-the-face coffee. He’d also returned to the secondhand bookstore to scour for Agatha Christie novels without a demonic llama hovering over him. Mr. Hart was a kind old gentleman and had promised to bring in a copy of The Clocks from his personal collection.
To his surprise, Kissing Creek felt like home. Or at least, as he kept telling himself, home until he decided what to do next. Part of him still felt as though he should be chasing the prestigious Ivy League tenured professor dream, but there was a smaller part of him that wondered what it might be like to stay in a small town like this.
The highlight of his week, of course, was his Wednesday night Brain-Changing Positivity class.
“One of the things I want you to take notice of this week in your journaling is the impact of positive and negative messages on your mood. Now, you might not think you’re so exposed to these messages, but digital-marketing experts estimate that the average American is exposed to between four and ten thousand messages a day.” Ronan swept his gaze across the room, heart full at the sight of so few empty seats. “If you’re an avid social-media user, then you’re likely at the higher end of that. Add in the conversations we have with friends and family, memes, TV shows, movies, video games, we’re exposed to—and absorb—so many more messages than we realize.”
Ronan let his eyes linger on Audrey for a moment, the top of her blond head forward as she scribbled in her notebook. Unlike a lot of the other students, who took notes on laptops and tablets, she was old-school. She used one of those four-color pens to neatly map out her notes in a simple spiral-bound notebook. There was something charming about it. And about the way the tip of her tongue edged out of her mouth as she wrote.
“I want you to keep your journals with you all week, and every time you notice a message that impacts your mood, make a note of it. Also make note of whether you’re seeing more positive or negative messages. As you all know, our brains are finely tuned relevancy engines, and we automatically filter out much of what we see. Some of us might be more wired to expect—and therefore notice—the negative. Next week, we’ll be talking about how you can actively change the way you see the world. On that note, I’ll leave you to your evenings. Don’t forget there’s a short personal essay due next week, and my office hours are available in your student portal if you need to come and speak with me. Thank you, everyone.”
The sound of bags rustling and laughter and chatter filled the room as the students started packing up to head home. Ronan sat on the edge of his desk, waiting for everyone to file out. Naturally, as they had the past two weeks, his eyes drifted to Audrey. He could always spot her in the crowd, no matter how full the classroom was. Today she wore her hair in a long braid, and it hung over one shoulder. She had on a simple white T-shirt, a pink cardigan, sneakers, and a pair of jeans with a rip at one thigh. That little flash of skin, framed by frayed denim, had taunted him all class.
As if she’d detected his attention, her gaze suddenly rose and met his, cutting all the way through the movement of people eager to get home. Ronan swallowed. He’d been thinking about her since the baseball game last Thursday night, about how vulnerable she’d been and yet how tough. He’d thought about her simple home and how her shame was palpable, even though she had nothing to be ashamed of.
Over the weekend, he’d looked into the scholarships. Sure enough, without a completed high school diploma, there was no way she could apply for any at Harrison Beech College. He’d contemplated seeing if there was anyone he could talk to. Maybe they might make an exception for her. Audrey’s thirst for knowledge was a professor’s dream. And she deserved to study if that’s what she wanted to do.
It’s none of your business.
Audrey took her time packing up her things, lingering while the rest of the students