2: 2
I turned around, my heart slamming against my ribs.
It was my neighbor, Basil Harding. He wore a patched vest that left his lean, sun-browned arms bare, and right now his face was dark with anger as he stared Cliff Walker down.
At the sight of him, Cliff's expression soured, and something guilty crept into his eyes. "You misheard. Harper's the one who got into college."
"Isn't that right, Isabel? That acceptance letter in your hand is Harper's."
Basil had shown up at exactly this moment in my last life too, asking whether I'd gotten into college. By then Cliff had already talked me around, so I lied and said I hadn't.
Said the one who got in was Harper Cobb.
I remembered the flicker of quiet disappointment in Basil's eyes back then. He hadn't said anything more.
And afterward, to keep me in line, Basil—no, Cliff had gone through a simple little wedding with me, and to make me believe it, he'd handed me a forged marriage certificate.
Cliff gripped my wrist hard, eyes locked on mine, and spoke in a voice only I could hear. "Isabel, just say yes, and we'll get married tomorrow."
Basil came closer, watching me with concern. "Isabel Henson, this decides the rest of your life. Think it through."
Cliff jabbed a furious finger at Basil. "What business is this of yours?"
"Don't think I don't know how you feel about Isabel. But you can give it up. The person she likes is me. She'd never fall for a country hick like you."
Basil's face went red at that, his chest rising and falling, the shame of a man whose secret had just been dragged into the open. "What are you talking about?"
Seeing him like that, I couldn't help the ache in my chest.
I yanked my hand free and slapped Cliff across the face with the back of it. "Who likes you? Don't flatter yourself."
"To me you were nothing but a fellow city kid I was sent down to the countryside with. And we came here to be reeducated by the poor and lower-middle peasants. You're looking down on farmers now?"
"If the village head heard you say that, do you think you'd get to keep your college spot?"
Cliff stared at me, stunned, the color draining from his face in waves.
I opened the acceptance letter in my hand and kept talking, loud, timing it so the neighbors heading home from the fields could hear.
"This college acceptance letter has my name on it. I, Isabel Henson, got in. Not Harper Cobb."
Aunt Gail Chavez, out on the road, heard it and came hurrying over, thrilled. "Isabel, you really got into college? Congratulations!"
Harper's eyes reddened as she tugged at Cliff's sleeve. Cliff shot me a warning look. "Isabel Henson, think carefully."
The corner of my mouth curved up. "I've thought carefully. I'm going to college."
Aunt Gail cast a suspicious glance around the group. "Did something happen here? Why do you all look so grim?"
She had a big mouth and loved digging into other people's business. I'd raised my voice on purpose to draw her over. Once she knew, the whole village would know that Isabel Henson was going to college.
I smiled. "Nothing, Aunt Gail. They're all just congratulating me!"
Aunt Gail laughed. "Then I've got to spread the word for you. You count as someone who tested out of our village, so it reflects well on all of us."
Once Aunt Gail was gone, Cliff grew more frantic. "Isabel Henson, what are you trying to do? If you broadcast this everywhere, what happens to Harper?"
I spread my hands. "You marry her. You can still take her away with you afterward, can't you?"
At that, Cliff put on a face of sudden understanding. "So you're jealous. You've misread how I feel about Harper. What I feel for her is only a brother's concern."
Harper came over and grabbed my wrist too, her eyes eager. "Isabel, you've really got it wrong. I only ever thought of Cliff as an older brother. The one he likes is you."
I didn't want to waste any more words on them. I just shoved them both out the door. "I don't care who he likes. I already said I don't like him."
But I knew they wouldn't give up that easily.
I looked at Basil, and at the gloomy weather, and made a decision.
