The Anti-Relationship Year Read online

  “Which parking lot are you in?”

  “I—we’re going right now?” asked Gracie.

  Jo finally paused and glanced at Gracie over her shoulder. The girl stood there panting, several strands now popping out of her buns. “Do you have something better to do?”

  “I—no.”

  Jo was beginning to think Gracie started every sentence that way.

  “It’s in the west lot.” Gracie pointed straight ahead. With a nod, Jo turned and continued across the quad, this time walking slowly enough that Gracie fell into step beside her.

  “Who do you have for Intro?” asked Jo.

  “Professor Sanders.”

  Jo grinned and fished around in her backpack for her sunglasses. “He’s a riot. I think I still have my study guide from the final too, if you want it.”

  “That—that would be amazing.” Gracie fisted her hands around her backpack, then dropped them to her sides, then regripped the straps again, not quite meeting Jo’s eyes. “Did you have to do the shadowing project too?”

  Jo bobbed her head. “The only photographer on campus I could find at the time was the old guy who did the ID badge portraits.” She glanced at Gracie sideways. “I promise I will be way more fun than he was.”

  This, finally, made Gracie smile, though the rest of her features were still pinched together in what could only be described as sheer terror. Her Honda was in one of the first spots in the lot, parked perfectly in the center of the lines. As Jo climbed into the passenger seat, she glanced around in amazement. The entire interior gleamed like the car was brand new, no trace of clutter or mess to be found anywhere.

  Gracie stared at her from the driver seat with wide eyes. “Is something wrong?”

  “No!” Jo leaned back in the seat, breathing in the fresh, citrusy scent coming from the air freshener strapped to the shade over her head. “Your car is just so clean. Thank God we didn’t take mine. You’d think I was a barbarian.”

  Gracie choked out a laugh that almost sounded painful as Jo punched the address into her phone’s GPS. She leaned forward and attached it to the mount on Gracie’s windshield so she could see. The car promptly fell into silence as Gracie pulled away from the school and headed for the interstate. Jo drummed her fingers against her knees, trying to figure out how to not be intimidating. She didn’t think she was in the first place, but apparently, that was the problem.

  “So are you a photography major too?” she tried.

  “I’m still undecided. But I’m thinking a graphic design major with a photography minor.”

  “Oh, cool. I’m a photography major with a graphic design minor. You’ll have to let me know if you need any recommendations for professors.”

  Gracie’s shoulders relaxed a bit as they merged onto the highway. “That would actually be great. I don’t know anyone else in either department.”

  “Cool. I’ll give you my number later. But you’ll have to remind me on your paper requirements since it’s been a while since I did the shadowing project. Feel free to ask whatever during the shoot.”

  Gracie’s eyes flickered from the phone to the road. “What is the shoot we’re going to anyway?”

  “Have you ever heard of Nature Yogis?”

  “The yoga studio?”

  “Yeah. I’m helping them with some marketing images—they shoot new ones with me every year. We’re gonna start down by the lake, then get a few shots at their studio. They only booked me for two hours, so this shouldn’t take too long. Do you have any photography experience?”

  Gracie ducked her head a bit. “Besides taking pictures on my iPhone, not really.”

  Jo laughed and pointed to the gravel road that split off toward the lake. “What have you guys learned in class so far?”

  The car jostled as they transitioned onto the gravel, and Gracie tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Both hands were clamped tightly enough that white split across her knuckles, and they were perfectly spaced at the ten and two marks of the clock the way driver’s ed taught. Beads of sweat had formed on Gracie’s forehead, and Jo’s gut clenched a little. Maybe asking Gracie to drive hadn’t been the casual favor she’d assumed it would be.

  “Just the basics,” Gracie finally said. “Aperture, shutter speeds—that kind of thing.”

  “You can pull in up there.” Jo pointed to the parking lot ahead where several cars were waiting. She waved through the window at Brenda, the studio’s owner, as they pulled up. Brenda was leaning against her minivan in a pair of velvet black leggings that tied like ribbons around her ankles and a white sports bra, her dark skin already shiny with the oil she liked to apply to make the photos a little more dynamic. A few other people from the studio were hanging out down by the water, all dressed in the same neutral color scheme as Jo had requested. With the lake and greenery in the background, she figured avoiding patterns and vivid colors would be the way to go, and luckily, today was the perfect day for the shoot. The sun glittered off the clear, blue water and rained gently through the canopy of trees. They’d even sent a team to clean up the sand beforehand, making sure there wasn’t any trash or rocks in the shots.

  Jo quickly listed off the names of everyone here today to Gracie as she pulled into a spot at the end, and gave her shoulder what she hoped was a comforting squeeze before she climbed out of the car.

  “Hey, Brenda!” Jo called and slung her camera bag over her shoulder. “Hope you don’t mind that I brought an assistant. This is Gracie.” Jo turned as she said her name and realized Gracie still hadn’t gotten out of the car. Slowly, the girl untangled herself from the seatbelt and joined Jo in the sand.

  Brenda met them halfway and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Gracie. Are you familiar with yoga?”

  “A little.” Gracie shrugged. “I used to go to some classes back home with my mom.”

  “Freshman,” Jo clarified.

  Brenda nodded, her warm smile never faltering. “Well, feel free to jump into any of the shots if you’d like. You’ll fit right in.” She gestured toward Gracie’s outfit, which did, indeed, match the color scheme—plain black leggings and a cream-colored sweatshirt.

  “Wow,” said Jo. “Two minutes here and you’re already trying to steal my assistant.”

  Brenda laughed and waved the others over, her long braids whipping around her shoulders as she moved. “Where do you want us first?”

  Jo pointed to a spot between the water and the trees, then sank onto one knee and peered into the camera to test the frame. She looked up at Gracie with one eye. “You want to help them with their poses?”

  Gracie quickly waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh, I wouldn’t know—”

  “That’s okay!” Jo insisted. “I’ll correct it when you’re done, but give it a shot. Here, look from where I am, and trust your instincts. What do you think would look good based on what you’ve gone over in class so far?”

  Gracie shot an uncertain look at the group, but without complaint, she walked over to them and started pointing around. Brenda took her spot at the front of the shot in some kind of backbend, and Gracie helped the others fan out around her. Jo slowly lowered the camera, watching as Gracie helped them each into a different pose of varying heights, making perfect levels for the photo while still making sure everyone could be seen. When she turned to head back toward Jo, she kept her eyes trained on the sand.

  “Feel free to change whatever—”

  Jo grinned. “Gracie, this is great. Let me get a few really quick.” Jo sank back into position and fired off a few shots before venturing a little closer. Once she was satisfied she had at least one good one, she waved Gracie back over and held out her camera. “You want to try?”

  Gracie’s eyes bulged. “I don’t—”

  “I already got a good shot. Go ahead, try it.”

  “Hurry!” laughed one of the girls toward the back who was up in a handstand. “My arms are shaking!”

  Gracie dropped down into a crouch beside Jo and took the camer
a with trembling hands.

  “Don’t worry about it being good,” said Jo. “Just do your thing. Then I can take a look at it and give you some pointers later if you want.”

  Jo stepped back, giving Gracie some space as she repositioned the camera. “Can you…” Gracie glanced up, squinted, and pointed to one of the girls in the back. “Could you move just a little to your right?”

  The girl sank back into a lunge as Gracie fired off her last couple of shots, rose to her feet, and handed the camera back to Jo.

  “You guys can relax!” Jo called out, and a chorus relief sounded as everyone unfurled from their poses. She squinted down at the view finder, the corners of her lips curling as she scrolled through Gracie’s pictures.

  “You can be honest if they’re really bad.” Gracie hugged her arms to herself.

  “Gracie, these look amazing.” Jo looked up and grinned at her. “I’m gonna have to force you to be my assistant more often. I might even have to give you some of my pay if I end up using one of these.” Jo turned back to the group and waved an arm toward the water. “Can I get three people over here?” Then, over her shoulder she added, “Can you keep an eye on the time? I want to make sure we have enough time to get some good shots at the studio, too, so we don’t want to be here longer than an hour.”

  Gracie nodded and followed Jo as she drifted closer to the water and instructed everyone where to stand. The water lapped against the beach, creating the perfect shot if timed well enough to get the water just over the models’ feet.

  As they cycled through locations and poses, after Jo was sure she got at least one good shot, she stepped aside and let Gracie try. After the third round of this, Gracie stepped up without being asked, her hands steady as she took the camera. Jo swapped out her lens halfway through and did some single shots with Brenda in a variety of different poses, then they split off in their separate cars to reconvene at the studio just down the road.

  Jo tied up her hair into a ponytail as she climbed into Gracie’s car and blew the air out of her cheeks. She was covered in a fine layer of sweat from standing in the sun for an hour, and cursed herself for forgetting sunscreen. Now she was going to look all crispy at the showcase tonight. Yet another thing for her parents to bitch about.

  Most likely right after they inquired for the millionth time if she was dating anyone yet.

  As if she could read Jo’s mind, Gracie asked, “Are you excited for the showcase?”

  Jo shrugged and dug around in her bag for her water bottle. “Yes and no. It’ll be great for networking, but my parents are flying in. And they’re a buzzkill, to say the least. Hopefully Mill and I will be able to come up with an excuse to ditch them afterwards.”

  Gracie shifted in her seat, her eyes flickering toward Jo as they pulled up to the studio.

  “So are you and Miller, like, together?”

  Jo nearly choked on her water. “Oh, God, no. We’ve just been friends since freshman year.”

  “Oh.” A light blush crept up Gracie’s neck, and she scratched at the back of her head before turning off the car. “You guys just seem really close.”

  “Best friends.” Jo shrugged and snapped the cap back on her water bottle. “That’s what happens when you see each other through all of the different awkward college phases.”

  “Oh, yeah, I bet.” Gracie cleared her throat as she hopped out of the car. “Do you know if he—is he seeing someone else then?”

  “You have a thing for Miller?” Jo blurted.

  The blush on Gracie’s neck intensified and spread all the way up her cheeks. “I just—he’s—well, he’s really cute, I guess, and—”

  “Sorry, sorry. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. No, he’s not dating anyone. Do you want me to, uh, talk to him for you or something?”

  Gracie’s eyes flew wide. “No, no! Sorry—just—forget I said anything.”

  Jo tucked her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “Already forgotten.”

  “Cool.”

  “Cool.”

  Brenda’s car rounded the corner, and Jo let out a deep exhale, her shoulders suddenly tense. She shook it off as the others arrived and they all headed into the studio. It was a beautiful building with intricate woodwork and an entire back wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the kind of place that actually had the potential to convince Jo to try yoga, but she already knew she didn’t have enough zen in her body for that. Or patience, for that matter.

  Gracie was quiet for the rest of the shoot, even once they finished with the models and went around to take pictures of the building. Jo struggled to think of a way to lighten the mood again. She’d been doing so well—Gracie had even seemed to come out of her shell and enjoy herself for a minute there. Jo hadn’t meant to embarrass her, and she supposed she shouldn’t have been caught that off guard. Plenty of the girls on the paper had a crush on Miller. Jo was willing to bet that was at least half the reason why they’d managed to grow their staff so much. And Gracie seemed nice. The last girl Miller had dated ended up being a nightmare, so maybe someone like Gracie would be good for him.

  “Thanks for all of your help today,” Jo said as they headed back to the car.

  “Thanks for letting me shadow you.” Gracie wrung her hands in her lap as Jo pulled up the directions to get back to school.

  “Do you have any other questions you need answered? Or you could always email me after if you forgot anything.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have to look over the assignment again, but I’ll email you if I need anything else. This was super helpful, so thank you.”

  A text flashed on Jo’s phone as they drove, and she suppressed the urge to groan at the sight of her mom’s number. Their flight had just landed, and they wanted to go grab dinner before the showcase. Jo punched in a quick reply, saying she was busy getting ready for the showcase, but maybe they could do it tomorrow night.

  Jo checked the time as Gracie pulled up outside her apartment and grimaced. She had less than two hours left to go through the pictures and get herself ready. At least her portfolio was digital so she didn’t have to worry about getting prints. She would like to edit the pictures at least a little bit, though.

  “Thanks again, Gracie,” Jo said as she jumped out onto the sidewalk. She froze before closing the door. “Oh! Do you want to give me your number?”

  Gracie stared at her for a second, seemingly stunned, before spouting it off. Jo sent her a quick thank you text so she’d have her number too and smiled. “See you around!” Then she sprinted up toward the building, her camera bag slapping against her side as she went.

  7

  Freshman Year - October

  A flash of pain sparked up Jo’s shoulder as she twisted her arm behind her back. She hissed through her teeth, and with one final yank, she pulled the zipper the rest of the way up. The dress was a loan from Addie—strapless, floral, and flared out just above the knees. Something that would never see the light of day in Jo’s closet. But when Jo had gone into their suite’s shared bathroom to curl her hair in her original date outfit—black skinny jeans and a maroon crop top—Addie and Liv had gasped in horror and quickly rifled through their closets until they found something more suitable. Jo frowned at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing herself. It wasn’t too late to change back—

  Someone knocked on her open door. She jumped and whipped around, sighing at the sight of Kayleigh leaning in the doorway in skinny jeans and a black tank top, her hair tied back in a low bun. Jo hadn’t even heard her come in.

  Kayleigh’s eyes swept over Jo’s outfit. “You’re awfully dressed up. Do I need to change?”

  Jo stared at her blankly.

  Kayleigh narrowed her eyes, her jaw setting off to the side. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

  A car honked outside the building, and Jo’s eyes darted from Kayleigh to the window. She grimaced, turned, and shoved her belongings in her purse on the desk. “I’m sorry! I have a date with Grey.” She leaned forward to
check her lip gloss in the mirror one last time.

  Kayleigh rolled her eyes so hard, her whole head banged back against the door. “Of course,” she muttered.

  “Kayleigh, I’m sorry—”

  “You were supposed to help me pick out a dress for my lacrosse induction ceremony, remember? It’s tomorrow. I have to get the dress today.”

  Jo froze with one finger on her lips. Shit.

  And Grey was already outside.

  It was too late to cancel.

  Her eyes widened as an idea formed, and she jabbed her thumb toward their shared wall. “Maybe Addie or Liv—”

  “Oh, please.” Kayleigh spun on her heel and headed for the door.

  “Kayleigh…” Jo’s phone dinged with a text from Grey, letting her know he was here. “I totally forgot. I really am sorry.”

  Kayleigh paused in front of the door, her back still to Jo. “You know, this is the third time in a row you’ve canceled on me for him.”

  That couldn’t be right. Surely it had only been once, maybe twice… “Kayleigh—” Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down.

  Kayleigh let out another impatient huff. “Just don’t be surprised if none of us are left when things don’t work out.” And with that, she disappeared into the hallway and slammed the door behind her.

  The entire campus had transformed with the turn of the season, and a crown of multicolored trees framed Grey from behind. Golden leaves crunched underfoot as Jo made her way toward him. He’d ditched the black-T-shirt-and-leather-jacket ensemble for a burgundy sweater and jeans today, his gold-framed sunglasses hanging from the neckline. His black Volvo sat on the curb behind him.

  A corner of Grey’s mouth lifted as he opened the passenger door for her. He circled the car and slid into the seat beside her. “Mind if we take the scenic route?”

  “Scenic route?” Jo asked.