The Smartest Girl in the Room (24 page)

"Joe? Oh, you know, out on co-op, keeping up
with the parties, the usual here."

Why were they both lying? Maybe Zainab
would know.
Emily frowned. Of course not.

Mitch owed Martin his academic career. By
Thursday night, he had completed all of his work, due in large part
to Martin keeping him supplied with coffee as well as significant
help outlining and revising his papers. It was all a blur, but
Mitch was pretty sure that Martin skipped some of his classes to
help him. Mitch guiltily hoped that Martin could use it as intense
prep for his own exams the next week.

Martin made sure he made it onto his plane.
Mitch thanked him, boarded his plane and then passed out until it
touched down in Boston.

Mitch’s parents picked him up. His mother
seemed bewildered, but his father raised his eyebrows. "Let’s get
home," he said through gritted teeth.

Mitch fell asleep in the car and didn’t wake
up until the next day. At the breakfast table, his mother slid him
a bowl of cereal and waited until he was done before she began.

"Do you want to tell us why you left Ireland
two weeks early, or do you want us to guess?"

"Liz, cut to the chase," his father barked.
"What was her name?"

Mitch pushed the bowl away. "It doesn’t
matter, it’s over."

Mitch’s father couldn’t speak for a minute.
"I did not spend thousands of dollars over your regular tuition to
send you across the Atlantic so you could act like you were at
summer camp!"

"I made a mistake, Dad. Do you want me to say
I’m sorry? Fine, I am. Believe me. But you didn’t waste your money.
I went to the program and I did what I was supposed to. And maybe a
lot of my learning was crammed into three days, but I got it
done."

"This is not your God damned fraternity!"
Mitch’s father yelled. "You cannot just keep picking up and leaving
every time you get tired of something."

"Jake!" Too late. Mitch was on his feet.

"How long should I have stuck it out with
those sadists? How long should I have been around a girl who made
me sick to my stomach that I never should have been with in the
first place?"

"When is anything going to be good enough for
you? Nothing is perfect!"

"I’m out of here!"

Mitch found an apartment by the end of the
afternoon. It was a small basement studio right near the
Brighton/Brookline line, on the Brighton side. He could move in
immediately, but it was going to cost him. No problem- he’d already
found a buyer for his car and could cover it. Sometimes he was so
lucky.

The next day he registered for classes. On
his way to his new home, he walked past the library and looked up,
wondering who was in there.

His father was wrong. Some things were
perfect just as they were.

Emily aced her finals, but it had been her
most difficult finals week ever. She didn’t like working so close
to the line. Something had to change for the next quarter.

Emily hadn’t wanted to go out with Drew that
day. She was desperate to figure out how she was going to get a job
and get in the last of her classes. Thank God, she only needed four
now, not the usual five. She’d registered, but she didn’t have
money for books. She kicked herself for all of the time she’d
squandered when she could have been working to make the money she’d
need for books. And how was she going to eat? Her funds were
running low at this point. She wanted to be home to try and figure
something out, but he wouldn’t stop until she’d given in.
Go
, she thought,
or explain
.

They ate lunch at Legal Seafood- Drew’s
favorite place to go even though she could get very little there-
and then he wanted to buy her a shirt. "Fine, whatever." She was
tired of arguing with him, and she didn’t have time. She picked out
a shirt without trying it on. She was shocked when she saw him pull
out a wad of bills. "Where did you get all that cash?"

Drew grinned. "Didn’t I tell you? I got a
raise!"

"A raise? On co-op?"

"I am that good. I am so good, in fact, that
they asked me to stay on an extra quarter, so we should be flush
with cash for another three months. How would you like to
celebrate?"

No, she wasn’t that stupid. "I think... we
need to get dessert."

She was almost done; she just needed a couple
of questions answered now.

~~~

Emily called Zainab on Saturday. "Hey!"
Zainab answered. "What’s up? How were finals?"

"The usual."

"Yeah, me too," Zainab said absently.
"Someone at the Key Club is having a party tonight to kick off the
Spring quarter, and I’m trying to make sure we get as many people
from the clubs to show up. What are you... uh, never mind."

"Am I not good enough to make the invite
list? The geeks aren’t politically active enough?"

"What? No, you can come if you want to. I
just didn’t think you’d want to."

"I never want to, but you always invite me
anyway. What’s going on?"

"Well, I saw someone a few days ago. Someone
you’re not crazy about. And I know Joe invited him."

Mitch was back. Emily felt mad, and then
almost virtuous because she was entitled to be mad. "Yeah, you’re
right, I’ve got plans. And don’t bother giving my regards to
anyone- they’re pretty useless."

"Em-"

"I didn’t call about that. I wanted to know-"
deep breath. "Does your offer still stand?"

"My offer?"

"You know, the one you made when you helped
me move, and then repeated a bunch of times this quarter?"

"Oh! Oh my God- are you finally leaving
Drew?"

"I think so," she said slowly. "There’s
something I need to do first." She knew Zainab was too distracted
to follow up on that. "But I might see you on Monday."

"You know where I am."

Emily had tried all weekend to get in touch
with Richard. She finally asked Jessie, who eagerly told her that
he was out of town trying to shore up funding for his solar car and
would be back on Sunday night.

"Can you please have him call me?"

"Why, are you coming to your senses about him
finally? I have no idea why you’re with Mr. Psycho-"

"Jessie! Point taken, believe me. But can you
please have Richard call me? It’s really important."

Richard called at ten-thirty, when Drew was
in the room. He apologized for not calling her back before.

"I’d love to meet you for lunch tomorrow,"
Emily said as if she were responding to a request. Richard was
silent at the other end. "Yeah, the place we met last time is
fine."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I love those sandwiches too, but the
pastry you got me the last time was really delicious. I think I’m
going to try that one again."

"Okay. I’ll meet you there at twelve."

"Great! See you then."

Drew was glaring at her when she hung up. "If
you need someone to take you out to lunch, you should just say so
and I’ll give you money. It makes me look bad when you do that to
Richard."

"Sorry, babe. You caught me."

~~~

She ran to the café after class the next day.
Richard was already there, with a small teapot for her. She sat
down and stirred her tea, unable to look at him.

"Was there something you wanted to say to
me?" he said finally.

She looked up at Richard’s long, thin,
serious face. "I’m sorry," she said quietly. "You were right,
probably, and I was wrong." He didn’t say anything. "You were
right, and I was wrong. I should have listened to you, but I’m not
that bright. Because you’re much smarter than I am. And you’re much
better looking than I am-"

"Alright, alright." He held up his hand. She
couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused. "What’s going on?"

"Tell me you accept my apology first."

"What if I’m not ready to?"

"Then you’re not Richard, because he isn’t
petty. He’s generous- you’re generous. Otherwise you wouldn’t have
gotten me tea."

"I’m just nice."

"Have it your way." When she looked at him
again, he was smiling.

"What’s wrong?"

"I think Drew’s a liar."

Richard took a big long breath and sat back
in his chair. "I think he is too. Actually, I’m sure of it." He
leaned forward again. "Alright, tell me what I wanted to know
before. What did he tell you about Sophie?"

Emily tried to remember all the details. "He
didn’t love her, she glommed onto him first week of school, he
couldn’t leave her- because he felt sorry for her?- he was thinking
about marriage even though he couldn’t stand her.. ugh. Is this a
quiz? She’s Jewish, she’s well off, she’s much prettier than he
said she was... they ended it last year over a toothpaste cap."

Richard shook his head. "No. No. Yes, she’s
Jewish. Yes, her father is well-off. Yes, they got together early
on in freshman year, but everything else is wrong."

"How do you know?"

"Sophie was my friend first. I know her
through Miranda... Never mind. Long story. She’s younger,
obviously, but I kept an eye on her when she got here."

"You liked her," Emily said suddenly.

"A long time ago," Richard said. "But Michael
ruined that, so nothing ever happened."

"Go on."

"She told me she was seeing this guy. She
said he was clingy and possessive and wanted to be everywhere with
her. And he liked to talk, but not to her, more like at her. She
didn’t really like being with him, but she was confused. She hadn’t
dated anyone seriously in high school, other than me, I suppose,
and she thought that was the way it was supposed to be. So she
stayed. Rather, he stayed with her in her very nice apartment for
over two years."

"At 173 Mass. Ave, right? So what
happened?"

"I know Drew wasn’t telling the truth about
how it ended."

"How would you know about that?"

"Sophie had a miscarriage. You have to
understand maybe better than anyone; the things she said were so
bizarre I couldn’t believe them. She said he thought the baby was
his ticket. They’d get married and then he’d be all set. But then
she lost the baby and she was extremely depressed. Once she started
getting better, Drew was gone."

Emily was afraid if she opened her mouth she
would scream. She looked down at her tea, then looked at him. She
found her voice. "If he did this to your friend, why were you
friends with him?"

Richard clicked his tongue. "It wasn’t that
simple. I’d befriended him already, and then he was on the Solar
Car Team, sort of. I honestly didn’t know if Sophie was telling the
truth or if her depression had twisted everything for her." He
looked away, like he was remembering something else. "I stayed
friends with him because I wanted to be sure. Jessie started
repeating some of your conversations about him, and I was starting
to hear some familiar things. You’re lucky. Sophie lost a lot of
her friends once she was with Drew."

Emily couldn’t take it all in. "He isn’t the
Vice President of the Solar Car Team," she blurted out. "Or the
President." She remembered now he had said both.

"Hardly. He was never more than a
hanger-on."

She knew that. "Tell me about co-op."

"Co-op? I don’t think he’s even enrolled at
the school anymore. I think he ran out of money, and he’s been
working ever since."

"Working? Didn’t you get him a job?"

"No, just the apartment."

Emily blinked. "The apartment?"

"Yes," Richard said slowly. "I got him the
apartment when he told me he was having money problems. He’s
house-sitting for someone. They’re not coming back for another
three months. I’m not sure how he was going to get something else,
or-"

"Oh my God, I am such a clueless idiot." She
remembered their conversation on the quad. She'd thought she was so
clever. But Drew had been playing along, playing her, letting her
play herself. "He’s not having money problems. He wants to eat out
all the time. He wants to buy me clothes, food- anything."

"I don’t know where he’s getting the
money."

Emily thought about his old roommates and the
noises in the apartment the day she moved in. "He was living on
campus before? In a dorm?"

"Yes, I went to his dorm a few times."

"Drug dealers?"

"I don’t know, but that’s what Drew told me.
I don’t know what I can believe."

"Why didn’t you tell me any of this?"

"I didn’t realize until that night after
dinner how much you didn’t know. I’m sorry."

She couldn’t look at him, she was so angry,
mostly at herself.

"He didn’t rape her."

Emily sat upright. "What are you talking
about?"

"Michael didn’t rape Jessie," he said with
some difficulty. "I walked in before he could."

"Oh, Richard..."

"I’m not saying that makes things any
better." He closed his eyes. "She was drunk, Em. I thought he was
going to watch her, I didn’t think... He’s known her since she was
a baby. But then... I didn’t see either of them, and I knew. She
didn’t remember anything, so maybe she thinks more happened. I
can’t blame her if she hates me. I know she does hate me for not
kicking him out of my life. But for what it’s worth, I hit him that
night. I love him like a brother, but I’ll kill him if he touches
her again. I know-"

"Stop. It’s okay," Emily said. Richard looked
at her, and after a moment smiled. It felt like a thank you.

"What do we do about Drew?" he said at
last.

"Do you have a camera?"

The two of them walked to the apartment. "The
fireplace," she said. The brick that had looked funny was dirtier
than the rest.

He walked over with her and they both bent
down on their knees. Richard aimed a flashlight he had brought from
his car up the shaft.