“Assemble the team!” Jasper pumped a fist upward like his invisible cape might carry him skyward.
“Shh.” I was laughing too hard to do a good job quieting him. “Dork.”
“You—”
“Love you. Yeah. I just might.” I went ahead and said it because maybe he needed to hear it. And maybe I needed to say it. “And yes, assemble the team. The dynamic duo rides at dawn.”
“Maybe not dawn.” He yawned wide. “How about first some sleep, then we save the world?”
“Deal.” I still didn’t have all the answers and neither did he. I had no idea how things were going to turn out—the car, the cards, Bruno, my living situation—all of it. But I knew I had Jasper, and that was what truly mattered.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jasper
“Oh, good. You’re here.” Professor Tuttle was laughing, expression sly as he opened his door. “What we need is a heist.”
As the professor moved aside so we could enter, Milo leaned in close, whispering, “When I said assemble the team, I didn’t mean criminal masterminds. We can’t let the old guys get arrested on my behalf.”
“They won’t.” Of that I was pretty sure, and I sneaked a quick pat on his back as we shed our coats. He was still a little jumpy after our late-night soul-baring conversation. Professor Tuttle being apparently ready for grand larceny was not helping matters.
“A heist?” I asked louder.
“A cookie heist.” Professor Herrera came into the hall, drying his hands on a dish towel. “They’re cooling. And none until after your game and after the snack I’m making.”
“Darn.” Professor Tuttle gave him such a fond look that my stomach cramped from the sweetness. Maybe someday. Despite the lack of sleep, Milo and I had lain awake, talking more until the sun was teasing the sky, and then we’d finally drifted off for a couple of hours. Waking up with him was fast becoming my favorite thing on earth.
“And Milo! Exactly the nongamer I was hoping to see!” Professor Herrera clapped Milo on the back. “Want to learn some new knife skills? I’m making a new sheet-pan nachos recipe with my homemade salsa.”
“Uh. Okay. Thanks.” Milo blinked, clearly not expecting this welcome.
“I want to hear all about this group-house situation Jasper mentioned to me too,” the professor added as he led a befuddled Milo toward the kitchen.
“They’ll be all right,” Professor Tuttle assured me as we headed to the dining room table. Apparently not needed for the revue that night, Kellan was already there, fiddling with the cameras.
“No Jasmine?” I asked as I set my stuff down.
Kellan made a sad face. “She had a paper to write. Not everyone has the cupcake of a last semester schedule like you.”
“By design.” I pulled out a deck and started shuffling while waiting for Professor Tuttle to get situated. “I front-loaded my year because I knew I’d be ready to be done.”
“Done?” Kellan shot me a skeptical look. “Thought you were the one who wasn’t ready to graduate and move on.”
“That was before…” My voice trailed off because so much had happened in only a few weeks. Milo. The cards. New certainty about what I wanted. “Yeah. I am ready. Bring on whatever’s next.”
“Absolutely agree. I’ve got two interviews for summer-stock costuming positions.”
“Seriously? That’s awesome.” I was going to miss my friends, no question. And I’d miss my family if I moved away, even a short distance, but I finally felt ready. Ready for graduation. Ready to see Kellan crushing it with Broadway and Hollywood costumes. Ready to let people move on even as I kept others close. Like Milo. As I set up my play mat, I could see us squashed into a chair together, scrolling social media, seeing where everyone else ended up. The future might still be big and scary, but it was way more hopeful now.
“Now, Jasper.” Across from me, Professor Tuttle slapped a deck down on the table. “I have a new gambit play I want to explain and then have you demonstrate defending against.”
The professor’s move was truly devious, and I couldn’t decide which I liked better: the play itself, which involved discarding an entire hand, or defending against it, which took a certain deftness.
“Aha!” I crowed as I finally mastered the timing for getting my block ready. “I see your plan and not today! Countered!”
“Excellent, Jasper,” Professor Tuttle cheered.
“Oh, this would be perfect against cheaters like George,” Kellan observed as he gave the signal that we were off-camera again.
Right then, Milo came to the doorway, his speculative expression revealing that he’d probably heard George’s name. I tried not to feel a pang of regret that I wouldn’t get to play hero for him, swoop in and restore Milo’s cards, and crush George in the process.
“Food’s ready.”
“Cookies!” Professor Tuttle skipped the nachos to take two cookies while Professor Herrera clucked at him. They were almost too cute. The rest of us made plates of food while Milo proudly explained what was in each component.