Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,2

possibility, I keep thinking, you know, could I even really do that? I mean, the pay would be outstanding, but they probably want someone who can be full time, someone older than me with more experience...”

“Well, how do you know that if you haven’t asked them?” Clara asked in that sweet way she had of peeling back your skin to expose what was underneath all those excuses you thought were so logical.

“Yeah, but with school and everything…,” Greg said.

Ryan puzzled at that. “But I would think that would look great on a resume down the road. I mean, you are thinking med-school eventually, right?”

This sigh was even slower. Yes, he had thought about it. A lot actually. And if he wasn’t working toward that, what was he working toward? “I don’t know. I was already going to have to get them to shift my hours around for the new semester.”

“Perfect,” Clara said, smiling as she folded her hands. “You go in to talk about the new semester, and you remind them that you’d be perfect for the job. Easy-peasy, lemon-sneezy.”

If only…

One bad thing about not having class to go to was the interminable number of hours one had to do absolutely nothing. Taylor realized that sad fact Thursday night when once again, Paige and Nelson were afoot and she was left to rot in her room. She didn’t want to bother Yoli again, and her other go-to, Lily, was out with Mitchell.

She didn’t want to read, and she hated painting in artificial light. With all other options exhausted, she picked up her phone, hit two buttons, and thought seriously about hanging up before he even answered. What was she going to say to him anyway? Hey, I’m bored out of my mind, I need you to keep me company? Taking the phone from her ear, she was one second from hitting the off button when she heard his, “Hello?”

Too late.

Seeing who it was, Greg stood from the table and stepped away with an “I’ve got to take this.” He hurried down the hallway so Clara and Ryan wouldn’t hear. “Hello?” he said once, then again when she said nothing. “Hello? Tay?” he asked just as he got into his room and shut the door. Worry pounced on him. “Are you okay? Is everything all right?”

“What?” Taylor asked, feeling terribly silly for placing the call. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” She laughed softly at her own penchant for calling him when she was freaking out about life. “And before you freak out, I really am fine. No need for your corny jokes.” She grinned at the memory of him telling jokes the night she had called freaked out from having to walk darkened streets by herself.

“What? You called to insult me?” he asked in mock-injury. “I’m hurt.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No guilt trips.”

“Okay, then, to what do I owe this honor?”

Taylor sighed. “Just bored. Thought I’d call and check up on you, make sure you were still on the planet.”

One knee on the bed, Greg nosedived onto the pillows. “How thoughtful of you.”

“Yeah, well, don’t be too impressed. Truth is, I’m locked in my room, trying to stay away from you know who.”

He didn’t, for sure, but he could guess. “They aren’t that bad.” But even he knew they could be even if they weren’t even trying to be.

“I know, but why bait all the drama if you don’t have to, you know?”

Yes, he did know that one. However, he decided without thinking about it too much that talking about it was pointless. Changing the subject sounded like a much better plan. “So, have you been painting?”

“Some. I did one yesterday. I was trying out my new paints and brushes.”

“Cool,” he said, genuinely happy for her. He flipped over and stuffed a pillow behind his head. “You keep this up, you’re going to have your own gallery at Meow Wolf.”

“Ugh.” Her voice dropped into the dream-like quality he so loved to hear. “I love that place.”

“Huh, I would’ve never guessed.”

“I was trying to tell Lily about it, and I just… how do you even begin, you know? Can you imagine how many artists had to be involved in that? I mean, it’s like walking through someone’s imagination, like falling into the rabbit hole without chasing the rabbit.”

“So have you thought about where we’re going next?” he asked. Of course, this whole arrangement they had going on could disappear in a heartbeat and probably would if and when she met her next