CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

NADIA

Phil had called me that evening, making an awkward demand. "Hey, I want you in college tomorrow morning," he said, his voice firm, almost commanding. It wasn’t like him at all, which made me pause for a moment.

"Why?" I asked, my eyebrows lifting in surprise. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him; it was just that his tone was off like he was talking to one of his workers, not his friend.

"The team needs you," he replied, a hint of desperation seeping through his words.

I frowned, my fingers tightening around the phone. "But you know I'm working," I reminded him, hoping that...