Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,63

her, he went toward Clara and Ryan. There, Clara gave him a big hug, and Ryan put out his hand.

“Man, I’m glad that’s over,” Greg said, putting his hands on his hips. He glanced over at Taylor who was still tip-tapping on her phone, and he knew his relief couldn’t be anywhere near hers.

“Yeah,” Ryan said as he put his arm around Clara’s waist, his gaze, too, cut over to Taylor. “So what’s next for you two?”

That surprised Greg and he folded his arms and shook his head before scratching the back of it. “Just school and work.”

“Oh, yeah,” Ryan said, “have you heard back on the test yet?”

“Oh. Uh. No.” Uncoiling, Greg pulled out his own phone only to find a text from Nelson. How’s it going? He realized he really should let all of his friends know, so after checking to find no news on the test results, he went to work texting the others the great news.

“Yoli and Lily say hi,” Taylor said, coming over to them with her parents in tow. Mitchell had already headed back.

“I’m really going to have to meet these people,” Clara said, and she stepped over to give Taylor a long hug. One step back and she leveled her gaze on her friend. “How’re you doing?”

Taylor nodded but with a slightly wild twist to it. “Good. A little overwhelmed, but good.”

“Listen, hun,” her mother said as Greg finished the texts and put his phone in his back pocket, “we really need to get back.”

“Oh.” Taylor looked from one to the other of them. “Of course. Yes, go. I’m fine.”

With that, the goodbyes commenced and didn’t really end until they were all out in the parking lot.

“Thanks again for coming,” Taylor said to Clara, giving her yet another hug.

Greg kept a careful eye on her even as he shook Thomas’s hand and Ryan’s.

“Take care of her,” Thomas said.

Nodding at the command, Greg breathed it in deep. “Will do.”

When the gathering broke up, Greg helped Taylor into his car. The sun had come out for a small game of hide-and-seek, but at least they weren’t flirting with freezing rain and drizzle anymore. As Greg got in on his side, Taylor put her head back, letting the feeling of freedom wash through her.

She laid her head to the side and looked at him with a growing smile. “Man, I’m glad that’s over.” Shaking her head, she let her thoughts spiral away from all things Chris. Was there really life after all he had put her through? Only a few thoughts in, she remembered classes. She’d missed two today, but at least it wouldn’t be a week down the black hole of a whole trial.

“So what now?” Greg asked.

“I’m actually thinking I should go see if I can talk to Professor Peters,” Taylor said. “I missed his class this morning, and with my track record in there, he’s probably ready to throw me out.”

“I doubt it, but we could go over and see if he has office hours.”

“Do you mind? You could just drop me off. I could go by myself.”

“Mind?” Greg asked with a sarcastic raise of his eyebrow. “When have I ever minded?”

She laughed. “Good point.”

Because it wasn’t yet five o’clock, they had to park and walk.

“Is it weird?” Greg asked, sticking his hands in the pockets of his coat.

“That it’s over?”

“Yeah. Is it weird not having to think about it anymore?”

Taylor wasn’t walking fast, more ambling along, and not seeing any reason to hurry, Greg matched her pace. It really was nice to just take a breath and remember what living felt like.

“I think it’s going to take me a while not to think about it anymore,” Taylor said. Her gaze only brushed across him. “It’s like my whole life has been wrapped up in that junk for… well, forever kind of. I’m not even sure who I am anymore. I’m not Taylor who came to Tech three years ago, and I’m not Taylor who was back home with Lily and the art class either.”

They crossed the street.

“Okay,” Greg said, “then I guess the question is, who do you want to be? If you could choose, what would you choose?”

She didn’t say anything for a very long moment. “I don’t even know.”

That surprised him. Out of everyone on the planet, Greg would have thought Taylor would’ve been the most focused, headstrong, going-there-if-I-have-to-run-someone-over person he’d ever met. To see her so aimless worried him.

“So have you heard about your test yet?” she asked as