Charming by Haig Moses (1st Draft)

Chapter Twenty-Two

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Revolutions and wars, war crimes and crimes against humanity, my mind was starting to throb every time I looked down to read a word. "Come on Beau," I chimed pulling out another flash card. We'd been studying for six hours straight for our last midterm and I knew I was just about to drain every last bit of strength from him. "We've got like six more topics to get through."

He groaned in response.

"We can take a break when we finish."

"I'll be dead when we finish Harry" he shot back through his teeth. "I'm tired, I need sunlight I think I've lost all semblance of time in here. What year is it?"

I pursed my lips as a sarcastic laugh dripped from my lips. "What year was Carson versus Lancaster and what was the defendants m.o.?"

"Twenty-twenty," he groaned. "And his m.o. was a lack of sleep."

"Beau!"

"Harriet!" he snipped back.

Exhaling and set down my cards and breathed. "Fine, we're done for the day I guess," I said looking over at all the material we'd gone over. At this point it wasn't so much as understanding the content, but relearning everything Professor Todd had taught us at the beginning of the semester and trying to get a hand of his exam style. This was a man that like to write essays for the fifty multiple choice questions and demand a four page essay all to be done in an hour and thirty minute class time frame. "We might be able to squeeze in a short little power study on our way to class tomorrow, if you like." Not wasting anytime, Beau had already started haphazardly shoving his things into his backpack and was finished before I completed my last thought.

"I'll agree to anything as long as you let me leave," he said half-jokingly.

Waiting for me to pack up my things, we walked out of the library together. The softening sun making me look at the time. "Seven fifty-three already," I said. "Seems like we just got here."

"Really, that felt like an eternity to me," Beau teased and I softly nudged him in his side promising he'd eat his words when he passed his midterm with flying colors. "How was your big debate with Harvard's very own Regina George."

I huffed. "It was fine."

"Just fine."

"It just got a bit personal in the end," I said recalling Ana's veiled comments about my mother. "I don't know. If I'm being honest I could've just been paranoid about it all. I've kinda had a lot on my plate this semester, then with this whole sorority thing. I think I'm losing my mind."

Beau nodded as we turned into Harvard Yard, our slow pace easing my restless mind. "I get that, hey rushing is hard especially when you're a legacy. It kinda feels like there's added pressure on your shoulders."

"Yeah, but look how good it turned out for you," I joked only for him to shed me a half-hearted smile.

"The point is, don't go doing things you don't feel comfortable doing just to be apart of some organization."

"But it's not just an organization," I said. "It's my mother's organization, plus do you know how many connections into the legal work Kappa has... Getting into this isn't about being popular or cool, it's literally my future Beau."

"I know," he sighed. "Just be careful."

I smiled and threw my arm around his shoulder. "Have you ever known me to do something I regret?" I ask only for him to roll his eyes.

"I'm not feeling I should advise you to be less careful," he said. "Maybe then we could lower that ego of yours."

We laughed and walked to my dorm as I tried to slip in a few questions for our midterm and he tried to evade each one with one frivolous topic to the next. "Stop asking me questions Harriet or I swear I'll never talk to you again!"