Chapter 2
One of the grad students answers immediately. "Fifty percent per flip. Ten heads in a row is one in one thousand twenty-four, roughly 0.098 percent. Basically impossible."
I nod. I look at Vivian.
"Want to play a game?"
She smirks. "What kind of game? Who can stick more pins in a voodoo doll?"
I hold up the quarter. "If you have feelings for Jack, I flip heads. Ten times straight."
"Deal?"
The laughter dies.
Jack grabs my wrist. "Molly, what the hell are you doing?"
But Vivian just laughs, the kind of laugh that comes with tears.
She wipes the corner of her eye and casually hooks her arm through Jack's. "Relax, Jack. Let her play. It's just a game. I can handle it."
Every pair of eyes at the table bounces between the three of us. Nobody knows exactly what's happening, but they can all smell the gunpowder.
There isn't much room on the table, so I ask the waiter for a plastic cup. I drop the quarter in, shake it, and slam the cup upside down.
First flip. Heads.
Vivian scoffs. "Lucky. What, you think you're some kind of psychic?"
Second. Heads. Third. Heads.
She stops talking.
Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads.
Eighth.
The whole table leans in. I lift the cup.
Heads.
Someone shoots out of his chair. "What? That's statistically impossible!"
Jack's face has gone gray. He looks at me, jaw tight.
"Molly. Stop. This dinner is supposed to be fun."
"I am having fun." I smile. "Isn't everyone having fun?"
A few awkward murmurs.
Only Vivian glares at me, jaw clenched.
Ninth flip. I lift the cup.
Heads.
Jack slams his hand over mine. His voice drops low, a warning. "Molly Donahue. I said stop."
His grip is so hard it hurts. But I blink back the tears burning in my eyes and shake the cup again.
He sees I'm not stopping. He knocks the cup out of my hand.
The quarter rolls across the floor, spins in a lazy circle, and settles flat.
Heads.
Ten for ten.
Dead silence.
Vivian breaks it first. Her eyes are red, her voice shaking. "Jack. What the hell does this mean?"
Jack looks panicked. "Vivian, let me explain..."
She ignores him and turns to me. "Fine. Yes, I have feelings for Jack. But I never tried to break you two up. You didn't have to humiliate me in front of everyone."
She walks up to Jack, picks up her glass of orange juice, and throws it in his face. "You win. I'm done. Have a nice life together."
Jack doesn't move. But when she turns to leave, his hand shoots out and catches her arm. "Don't go."
Vivian rips free. A bitter smile. "Don't insult me, Jack. I'm nobody's other woman."
She looks at me, one long, hard look, then lifts her chin and walks out.
Jack presses his fingers to his temples. Then he turns to me, eyes sharp with frustration.
"How long have you known?"
"Happy now? Look at this mess."
So he knows. He's always known Vivian has feelings for him, and he hid it from me.
Which means every cruel thing she ever said to me, every jab, every insult, he understood exactly where it came from.
And he let it happen. Enabled it. Told me to be the bigger person while she tore me apart.
Something tightens around my chest like a fist.
Jack looks at me with disappointment. Actually disappointed, in me. Then he sighs.
"Take a cab home, okay? It's late. She shouldn't be out alone."
He leaves. Chases after her.
I stand there. I don't know for how long.
The restaurant has gone quiet. Other diners are staring, some with pity, some with secondhand embarrassment, most just entertained.
One of the new grad students, a girl younger than me, slides a napkin across the table.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
I wave her off. I'm fine.
"You're crying," she says softly.
I reach up and touch my face. My fingers come away wet.
I hadn't even noticed.
I wipe my eyes. I look at the silent, uncomfortable faces around the table. I pay the bill. I make sure everyone has a ride home.
Then I leave the restaurant alone.