Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,22

of books strewn around and sighed. He was sick of studying. “Sure.”

In the dining room, he found only Wes and Ryan, and for that, he was at least mildly grateful. They’d discussed Ryan moving out the next day and Lauren, Paige, and Nelson moving back. It was like a giant game of Fruit Basket Turnover that Greg hadn’t played since he was in the fourth grade and wrecked his ankle trying to beat Zane Thompson out for the last chair.

“I was going to tell y’all, seriously, thanks again for letting me stay,” Ryan said.

“Well, we were glad to help out,” Wes said.

Ryan sat for one more second before detonating the bomb he’d been holding. “So, I know it’s none of my business, but what’s the story on the trial thing on Tuesday? Clara’s been talking about it. She’s trying to be cool, but I can tell it’s really tough on her.”

Wes’s gaze went over to Greg who nearly choked on his meatloaf.

“Uh, well,” Greg said. And once again, he was left trying to figure out what he could say of what he knew. “I think that’s when they’re doing jury selection. It’ll probably be at least that afternoon before anything gets started.”

“So you won’t be testifying right away then?” Ryan asked.

“Not… I don’t really know… No,” Greg said, stumbling through an answer. “They’ll have to do like opening statements and stuff first. I think the D.A. is first, so we’ll probably be… I don’t know… Wednesday morning? Something like that.”

“So, she’s going to go through with it then,” Ryan asked. “Taylor, I mean. She’s actually going to get up there and testify?”

Greg felt Wes’s gaze slide over to him, and he nodded slowly. “If it comes to that, yeah, that’s the plan.”

“I don’t want you to go,” Lily said Thursday afternoon when Taylor stopped by to tell her friend goodbye. “That’s bad of me to say, huh?”

“Not bad,” Taylor said, but she could get no more out.

“But you have my number, and we’re friends on that link thing on the computer,” Lily said. “And you know where I live. Come by any time you’re home.”

“I’ll do that.”

And just like that, Lily flung out her arms and wrapped them around Taylor. “I’m going to miss you so much. You have no idea.”

But Taylor wasn’t so sure about that.

Because he didn’t have work until two and because he’d stayed up way too late studying, Greg only made it out of his room in time to see Ryan headed out with his suitcase.

“You leaving already?” Greg asked, and Ryan stopped at the door.

“Sorry, man, I was trying to be quiet.”

“No worries.” Greg met Ryan’s hand top-side. “Can’t believe that month went by so fast.”

“Yeah. You and me both. Now I’ve got to deal with Issac and his obsession with the PlayStation all day long again.”

“Well, you’re welcome to visit anytime.”

“Cool. Oh.” Ryan dug in his pocket and produced his key. “This is yours.”

Taking it, Greg almost wished he could give it back. “Thanks.”

“I guess you’re headed back,” Taylor said to Paige when she met her sister coming out of her room with a hanging bag and a suitcase.

“Nels will be here any minute.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah.” Although she had stopped, Paige clearly had no intentions of sticking around. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yep. Guess so.”

The drive back to Tech was a fight to keep her mind off of everything she was driving toward. She needed to call Mitchell before five to see how things were looking. One glance at the clock, and the countdown to five started with four hours to go.

Nelson had arrived to collect Paige two hours before Taylor had left. Things were so awkward with them, she’d conveniently stayed in her room until they were gone. She wanted to call Greg just to talk, but he was probably working. Finally, her thoughts landed on his test the following day, and praying for him seemed a good use of her current time.

“God,” she said, “You know how great Greg has been through all of this. Please be with him tomorrow when he goes to take that test. Give him peace and wisdom so that he makes the right choice every time. Thank You for him, and please line things out for him in the best way possible. Amen.”

“Heard you’re applying for the tech position,” Zephani said when they met up in the anteroom. Her patient was inside. His was in line.

“Trying to,” he said. “I have to get a temporary thing first.