Chapter 47. Hunter’s Circuit

Tessa’s POV

He doesn’t tell me on Friday.

He tries. I know he tries. He texts me at 6:40 on Thursday night from a cab in New York, Can I see you tomorrow night?, and I say yes, and on Friday at 4:00 he walks into Daniel Park’s office in Boston with his midterm grades and walks out at 4:35 with a B-minus in Marketing, a C-plus in Ethics, and nothing below a C anywhere. He calls me from the sidewalk on State Street, so happy he can barely talk.

“You did it,” he keeps saying. “Lucky. You did it.”

“You did it. I just made the binders.”

At 7:15, he calls again. His voice is different.

The Pendant Athletics Fund has frozen the team’s travel budget, effective immediately, “pending a review of the program’s academic standing.” The bus to next weekend’s tournament in Vermont is canceled. Coach Noa has called an emergency team meeting at nine. The captain has to be there.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry, Tessa. I wanted to—”