Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 36

A tumble of exhaustion and anxiety were already setting in, and it was only the fourth day.

But this happened every semester, I reminded myself.

The first week was supposed to be relatively easy. Getting syllabi for each class, coasting through the first rounds of homework, and learning what you could get away with with each professor. Just generally getting back into the groove of structured days.

It didn't work like that for me, though.

It was always hard to see everything that would be expected of me for the next three and a half months on the page, to hear each professor detail all of the work they'd expect us to do over the course of the semester. I never failed to get overwhelmed. To think about everything I'd have to do, and start all-out panicking.

To myself, of course. At least until I got home. That's usually when it all poured out of me in a long stream of nervous word vomit.

But now I had another reason to be anxious. And that reason was currently chattering away in my ear.

"So I told him that he could come here to do their laundry. You know, with the three of them in that little apartment, something as simple as doing laundry can become complicated. And with Jenny pregnant, I'm sure she's not up to going to the laundromat in her spare time. She needs to rest, and -"

"Mom?" I interrupted, zipping my coat up and making sure my hat was snug around my ears. "As thrilling as all of this is, is there an actual reason why you called?"

Since Harry and I had left my parents' house a couple of weekends ago, my mother decided to take full advantage of our newly mended relationship. She'd called me almost every day—sometimes with a question, sometimes with a demand, and sometimes, like today it seemed, just to talk.

"Do I need a reason to want to talk to my daughter?"

I winced, cursing myself as I walked past the security guard of the building toward the doors. "That's not what I meant. I -"

"That's what it sounded like."

"Sorry, I just..." I sighed, pushing open the door into the frigid February air. "I'm just a little stressed with school, that's all."

"Are you getting a lot of work already? You're barely a week in."

The air was so thin, it was hard to breathe, so my breath came out in quick pants, creating big puffs of white that rose up in front of me.

"No, it's just, looking ahead—there's going to be a lot."

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle. You've always done so well in school, and I think a little bit of pressure -"

I gasped, my hand flying up to my mouth.

"What?! What is it? Madelyn, are you there? Are you okay? What's happening?"

"Harry," I whispered, completely shocked. His hair was tucked up into a beanie, and he was wearing his tan coat and a pair of jeans. His shoulders were huddled up close to his ears, and he was smiling.

"What?" my mother asked.

Harry's breath came out in a quick white stream as he breathed a laugh through his nose.

I smiled and moved closer to him. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I'm not there. Who are you talking to?"

Harry sniffled a little, his nose red, his cheeks dimpled with his smile. "Well, I missed you for one thing. And for another, I was bored to tears back at the apartment. So I thought I'd come pick you up."