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It's two A.M. and Lara Jean has been tossing and turning all night. She tried to read, to clean, even to count sheep like they do in cartoons but nothing worked. She picks up her phone to check Instagram. As soon as she starts scrolling, Trevor posts a picture of him doing a keg stand and she sees that Peter likes it right away.
LJ: Why are you still up?
Three seconds later, her phone rings. She picks it up immediately to see Peter's face looking at her through her screen, clearly lying in his bed.
"I can ask you the same question," he says, grinning. "We said 'good night' hours ago."
"I couldn't sleep."
He sighs. "Me neither. This whole college thing is ..."
"Overwhelming?"
"Yeah. Overwhelming. I mean... don't get me wrong, it's fun as hell and I feel incredibly lucky to be here but... sometimes it feels like too much is happening at the same time."
"I get it. I thought I'd be too nervous coming out here, being on my own, but no. I am having a blast. I really love it here, but it still feels a little... isolating." She casts her eyes down, already missing everyone so much in spite of having made several friends since she got here a month ago.
Peter's eyes are sympathetic. "You know you can call me any time. Everyone is just a phone call away."
"Yeah, I know," she says, not feeling particularly comforted by the idea.
"I'm sorry, Covey. I wish I was there with you."
"I wish you were here too."
Hoping to distract her, Peter gives her a suggestive smile and wiggles his eyebrows. "What do you think we would be doing right now if I was there?"
"Peter!" She blushes hard and bites down a smile.
He chuckles. "Didn't know you had such a dirty mind. You miss me that much?"
"I'm hanging up," she teases, then her voice goes soft, "and I miss you a whole lot."
A look of longing colors his face. "I miss you too. I can't wait to have you in my arms again."
"You're still coming next weekend, right?" She asks, looking anxious, her tone carries a subtle hint of pleading that Peter doesn't miss.
"Nothing can stop me," he tells her quietly but fiercely, wanting her to be sure, and sees her relax for the first time during this call. "Hey, how about we play a game?"
She perks. "I like games. What should we play?"
"Mmmm how about... 'Never have I ever'?"
She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I don't think a drinking game is the best choice at 2 in the morning when we are sleep deprived."
"We don't have to drink. We can make up our own rules. How about... if we've done something, we close our eyes for five seconds?"
She grins, intrigued. "OK!"
She sets her phone up against the night stand, freeing her hands, so she can lie sideways more comfortably and still be visible on the camera. Peter does the same.
"You go first," she says.
"OK. Never have I ever... pretended to be sick to get out of doing homework."
Lara Jean giggles and closes her eyes for five seconds.
"I knew it! I knew you had a rebellious side to you, Covey."
"Even I can feel like having a day off every now and then. My turn. Never have I ever watched a movie instead of reading the book to write a book report."
He huffs as he closes his eyes, "Oh please! Give me something less obvious. Never have I ever... told a younger sibling a mean lie for a laugh."
Lara Jean sighs in resignation and closes her eyes.
"Ooo," Peter says, "this should be good. Tell me."
"When she was three years old, I convinced Kitty she was adopted."
Peter's head jerks up and his eyes bug out. "What?!!! Are you serious?!!"
Lara Jean hides her face in her pillow and nods her head into it.
"How did she take it?"
She turns to the camera again. "It didn't have the desired effect. She thought being adopted meant that she was dipped in chocolate when she was born."
Peter howlers and can't stop laughing. "Who are you and what have you done to my sweet, loving girlfriend?"
"OK, OK. Never have I ever... crashed someone's party and left with their date."
"That wasn't my fault!" He exclaims as he closes his eyes while Lara Jean giggles. "She was crying because they just had a huge fight and asked me to take her home. What was I suppose to do? Say no?"
"Still. I think it's sweet that they think of you as the 'good boy'."
He raises an eyebrow and gives her a look like she should know better. "They don't. They just know I'm not interested in anyone that's not you." He watches her smile get so big that her dimples show, her eyes bright and happy.
"Never have I ever... uhmm..." he clears his throat and continues hesitantly, "felt like I don't belong."
Lara Jean doesn't close her eyes and shifts her focus to be entirely on him. "Is that how you feel?" She asks softly.
"Sometimes."
"Why?"
"Is college really for me? The only reason I got in is because of lacrosse but people here are very smart. I meet a freshman the other day who's already fluent in French. A girl in my Communication class interned at a PR firm in the summer. Even the classes that I was good at in school feel like they are on a completely different level." He's been harboring these doubts since his first week when he was shocked by how advanced his college classes were. It's almost a relief to finally get it off his chest.
"Don't sell yourself short. You worked hard to get to where you are and you're just as smart as everyone else if not more. Language is all about practice, that's all. So you didn't have a chance to practice, big deal! You always had high marks in Spanish class and when we would watch something in Spanish, I know you weren't the one who needed the subtitles. A PR firm sounds fancy, but I've seen you with customers in your mom's shop. You can sell them anything and they always come back because they know that they'll get exactly what they need. You really listen to them, figure out what they're not saying and find the thing that's a perfect fit for them. You didn't need an internship to teach you that, you're a natural at it. And college classes are suppose to be hard. I bet if you asked any freshman, they would tell you that they feel like they can't keep up, but I know you can do it. You're smarter than you think, Peter."
Peter smiles at her, feeling warm and uplifted. If his smarty pants girlfriend believes that he can do it, then it must be true. "Thank you, Covey."
"Any time, Kavinsky." Lara Jean yawns, her eyelids getting heavier.
"Why don't you go to sleep? I'll stay on the line."
"OK. Good night, Peter. I love you," she says, already drifting off, her last few syllables slurred.
"I love you too. Sweet dreams."
Smiling contently, he watches her rhythmic breathing through the screen until he can't keep his eyes open any more.