I knew going home for the weekend would be a minefield, but it&quot;s even more treacherous than I imagined. All my dad&quot;s friends are in one house to celebrate his award, and the table is full of friends bursting with well-intention and dangerous curiosity. &quot;How&quot;re classes?&quot; Nina, my dad&quot;s former tour manager, asks me over dinner Saturday night. &quot;Hard, but at least they&quot;re interesting,&quot; I say. &quot;I have two essays and a project due before midterms.&quot; So far, so good. I take a congratulatory bite of fettucine, cooked to perfection by the chef Dad and Haley hired when Sophia hit two and Haley started working again full-time. &quot;How&quot;s Avery?&quot; Haley asks. My stomach untwists a little. &quot;Already planning her platf

<div class="flex">
 <div class="item-main">
 <div id="quillEditor" class="episode-content ql-editor">&quot;Where you going this early? Breakfast at Vanier?&quot; Jacob&quot;s voice comes from the kitchen Thursday morning. &quot;Nah, I can make use of the now-functioning fridge,&quot; I reply. &quot;There&quot;s some non-moldy cream cheese in there.&quot; I pack my guitar in its case and give myself a quick once-over in the bedroom mirror on the badly painted dresser that came with the apartment. My shirt is not only clean but ironed, and my hair&quot;s doing more or less what I want. I&quot;ll take it as a win. &quot;Yeah, but there&quot;s nothing to put it on. Except an overripe banana.&quot; Jacob peers inside as I pass him, guitar in tow. &quot;Figured you&quot;d be into that

&quot;How nervous are you?&quot; Andie asks me on the way out of Entertainment Management Friday. &quot;It&quot;s going to be great. I didn&quot;t even know Frank was on the faculty list until the fall,&quot; I admit as we start down the hall. &quot;He wasn&quot;t when I auditioned.&quot; &quot;Frank Harvey?&quot; I look up to see Jorge, the guy from the library, fall into step with us. &quot;Lucky,&quot; he goes on. &quot;The guy&quot;s a rising star. But I don&quot;t know anyone else who got Frank. It&quot;ll be cool to work with someone who knows how to bust in.&quot; Excitement works through me. &quot;Exactly.&quot; Andie jerks her head toward the dining hall. &quot;I&quot;m this way. Emily,

I knew going home for the weekend would be a minefield, but it&quot;s even more treacherous than I imagined. All my dad&quot;s friends are in one house to celebrate his award, and the table is full of friends bursting with well-intention and dangerous curiosity. &quot;How&quot;re classes?&quot; Nina, my dad&quot;s former tour manager, asks me over dinner Saturday night. &quot;Hard, but at least they&quot;re interesting,&quot; I say. &quot;I have two essays and a project due before midterms.&quot; So far, so good. I take a congratulatory bite of fettucine, cooked to perfection by the chef Dad and Haley hired when Sophia hit two and Haley started working again full-time. &quot;How&quot;s Avery?&quot; Haley asks. My stomach untwists a little. &quot;Already planning her platform for student government. And shopping like crazy.&quot; &quot;You&quot;re

CHAPTER 27