«Oh,» I said, shaking her hand. My own nails were bare and short, the skin around them rough from cleaning chemicals. «That’s wonderful.»

«Brandon is incredibly talented,» Veronica continued, not really looking at me, but at Brandon. «We need brilliant surgeons like him. The salary package we’re offering is extremely competitive.»

Another classmate, a guy named Thomas, joined the conversation with his wife, a woman in a designer dress who I’d overheard earlier talking about their recent trip to Paris.

«Pierce, you’re set for life, man. Elite salary plus the reputation, you’ll be unstoppable,» Thomas said.

Thomas’s wife smiled at me, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. «And you must be so relieved, Grace. Brandon told us you’ve been working while he was in school. Retail, wasn’t it? You must be exhausted.»

The way she said «retail» made it sound like something dirty.

«I worked several jobs,» I said quietly, «whatever was needed.»

«How charming,» she said, and turned back to Veronica to discuss some restaurant I’d never heard of.

I stood there for another twenty minutes, invisible in my discount dress while Brandon talked and laughed with people who belonged to a world I couldn’t enter. Finally, I touched his arm again.

«Brandon, I’m going to head home. I have a shift at the diner tonight.»

He frowned. «Tonight? It’s my graduation day.»

«I know, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t get anyone to cover and we need the money.»

«We need the money,» he repeated, but his tone was strange. «Grace, I’m about to start making six figures. Do you really need to keep waitressing?»

I stared at him. Six years of three jobs, six years of four hours of sleep, six years of sacrificing everything. And he was asking if I really needed to work.

«Yes,» I said, keeping my voice steady. «Until your first paycheck clears and we know we’re stable, yes, I need to work.»

He sighed like I was being difficult. «Fine, I’ll probably be out late anyway. Veronica invited a bunch of us to some celebration dinner.»

«Veronica invited you?»

«Us. A group of us. Networking, Grace. It’s important for my career.»

I went home alone and put on my diner uniform. That night I served coffee and burgers to people who tipped poorly, and I thought about Brandon at some expensive restaurant with Veronica Ashford, talking about things I couldn’t understand.