Chapter 187
**Sara**
Tom got out, looking annoyingly put together in dark jeans and a navy t-shirt. "Ladies. Having an interesting evening?"
"Professor!" Jessica threw her arms wide. "We were just talking about your-"
"THANK YOU for coming to get us!" I clapped a hand over Jessica's mouth. "Such a lifesaver. Really. Let's get in the car now."
Jessica licked my palm.
"Ew!" I yanked my hand away. "What are you, five?"
"Five and three-quarters," she declared proudly, then turned to Tom. "Did you know Sara thinks you're-"
I shoved her into the backseat before she could finish that sentence. She sprawled across the leather seats like she was posing for a Renaissance painting.
"Your chariot awaits," Tom held the passenger door open, failing to hide his amusement.
"Sorry about..." I gestured vaguely at Jessica, who was now having an intense conversation with her reflection in the window.
"Don't be. I'm glad you called instead of letting her adopt more parking meters."
"You saw that?"
"I saw enough to know there's going to be some broken hearts in the municipal infrastructure community tomorrow."
From the backseat, Jessica's voice piped up. "The meter totally led me on! It was all 'insert coin here' and then ghosted me!"
Tom's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter as he started the car. "Home?"
"Yes, please. Before she tries to date a stop sign."
"Stop signs aren't my type," Jessica declared. "Too demanding. Always telling people what to do."
I caught Tom's eye, and we both burst out laughing. Maybe this wasn't the most dignified end to our graduation celebration, but it was memorable.
Jessica started humming what sounded suspiciously like "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" from the backseat.
Very memorable.
The car pulled up in front of Jessica's apartment building, the headlights casting elongated shadows across the cracked sidewalk.
"Home sweet home!" Jessica announced from the backseat that she'd spent the last ten minutes explaining her theory about why squirrels were tiny spies working for the government.
"Need help getting her upstairs?" Tom turned to me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"I got this. She's surprisingly coordinated when she thinks she's on a secret mission." I climbed out and opened Jessica's door. "Come on, Agent J. Time to debrief."
"Shhh!" Jessica pressed a finger to my lips, nearly poking my eye out. "The squirrels might hear you!"
I managed to get her out of the car without either of us face-planting on the sidewalk, which felt like a major victory. "Wave goodbye to Tom."
Jessica spun around so fast that she almost took us both down. "Goodbye Professor Thick-"
"OKAY!" I steered her toward the building entrance. "Time to go inside!"
"But Sara," Jessica stumbled against me, her eyes wide with conspiracy. "What if the elevator is working for the squirrels too?"
"Then we'll take it down from the inside. Like super spies."
"Ooooh, smart!" She pressed her back against the wall and started humming the Mission Impossible theme. "Du du... du du... du du..."
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Jessica gasped. "It's onto us!"
"Quick, get in before it reports back to its squirrel overlords." I guided her inside, hitting the button for the fifth floor.
"Wait!" Jessica pressed all of her fingers against the elevator wall. "I'm scanning for surveillance devices."
"Of course you are."
"The squirrels are very tech-savvy these days." She nodded seriously, then lost her balance and used her forehead to press floor six. "Oops."
"Here we go." I steadied her as we reached her floor, guiding her down the hallway while she provided commentary on which light fixtures looked suspicious.
Jessica tried to shush the doorbell at her door before I pressed it. "Don't startle it!"
The door swung open, revealing Emily in pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt that read, 'I'm not lazy; I'm energy efficient.'
"Special delivery!" I announced.
"The squirrels almost got us," Jessica informed her roommate solemnly. "But Sara knows their weakness - elevators!"
Emily's eyebrows shot up. "Do I want to know?"
"Probably not. She also tried to date a parking meter tonight."
"It was mutual!" Jessica protested as we guided her inside. "We had a connection!"
"Sure you did." Emily helped me navigate Jessica toward her bedroom. "Is there any other urban furniture I should be jealous of?"
"Just a trash can, but it wasn't serious." Jessica flopped face-first onto her bed. "More of a fling, really."
I tugged off her shoes while Emily grabbed a water bottle from the nightstand. "Drink this before you pass out."
"Can't." Jessica's voice was muffled by her pillow. "The squirrels might have poisoned it."
"The squirrels signed a peace treaty, remember?" Emily played along. "No poisoning allowed."
"Oh yeah..." Jessica rolled over and accepted the water. "Emily's so smart. She knows all about squirrel diplomacy."
"And that's my cue to leave." I straightened up, watching as Emily expertly maneuvered Jessica under the covers. "Text me tomorrow if she remembers any of this?"
"Bold of you to assume she'll be conscious tomorrow." Emily grinned. "But I'll keep you posted on any developments in the squirrel conspiracy."
"The squirrels are watching!" Jessica called out as I headed for the door. "Always watching!"
"I'll come by tomorrow to check if she's survived her parking meter breakup," I said, stifling a laugh.
Emily leaned against the doorframe. "You've been MIA for weeks. Did you move to a cave? Join a monastery?"
"Come on, it hasn't been that long!"
"Sara, I had to check Instagram to remember what you looked like."
"That's..." I winced, doing a quick mental calculation of my recent social life. "Okay, fair point. But MBA was kicking my ass! Do you know how many all-nighters I pulled this semester?"
"The squirrels know!" Jessica's voice drifted from her bedroom. "They counted them all!"
Emily rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the intel."
"I promise I'll be around more now," I said. "No more homework, no more presentations, no more-"
"Just the soul-crushing job search ahead?" Emily's grin was far too cheerful for someone discussing unemployment.
"Thanks for that reminder. Really needed that right now."
"Hey, at least you won't have time to ghost your friends anymore. You'll be too busy refreshing your email every five seconds waiting for interview callbacks."
"Is this supposed to be making me feel better? Because it's not working."
"Sleep deprivation and constant anxiety - welcome to the real world." Emily pushed off the doorframe. "Now go home before you join Jessica in her conspiracy theories. I heard her muttering about pigeons earlier, and I don't think I can handle two paranoid roommates."
"The pigeons are in league with the meter maids!" Jessica shouted.
"See what I mean?" Emily shook her head. "Get some rest. The real game starts tomorrow with those job applications."
"Yeah, yeah." I adjusted my purse strap. "Don't remind me. My LinkedIn profile is already having anxiety attacks."
"Go! Before Jessica recruits you into her urban wildlife surveillance team."
I headed down the hallway, Jessica's voice trailing after me: "The squirrels have eyes everywhere! EVERYWHERE!"
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