June sat at the kitchen table with her laptop open.
It was four forty-two in the afternoon. The application portal waited on the screen. Her art portfolio was zipped into its case beside her chair. The house smelled like coffee, though no one had made any.
I stood by the counter. Ben sat in the living room, close enough to hear but far enough to give us space. He had asked whether I wanted him to stay in the kitchen. I told him I didn't know. He had stayed nearby.
June read the final page of the offer again. "If I accept, I have to pay the deposit by next week."
"Do you have the money?" I asked.
"Most of it."
"Can your work-study cover the rest?"
"Not until the semester starts."
"Could you ask about an extension?"
"I did. They said they can hold the place until Monday if I pay a s
