THEA
When he left, I slid to the ground and drew my knees to my chest. I wanted to ask him to stay. I didn’t want to open the damn door. But if did, then I would be that girl who couldn’t let go, and I rather let him go than risk him thinking that I was that girl.
“I’m pitiful, aren’t I, Shadow?” I whispered to my cat, as she came to lay on my lap.
This must have been how Cinderella felt after the clock struck midnight and all the magic went away. This had been the best week of my life, and now, it was over.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LEVI
Class began, and I walked in to find her seat empty. I could hear the remaining students whispering amongst themselves that they had successfully wiped her name off the board. It would take more than one missed class to derail her status, or was I just being nice because I’d fucked up so badly? I wasn’t really sure anymore.
The image that I had created in my mind of Margaret Cunning had shattered before my very eyes at Thea’s revelation. Just thinking of her made me sick. What kind of woman does something so despicable to her children?
“To me, she is The Shark because she eats her young,” Thea’s voice rang out in my mind again and again.
It was like that one horror movie that I couldn’t get out of my head, no matter how many comedies I watched afterward.
The class droned on without anything significant happening. Usually I would be pressing them harder, trying to get reactions out of them. However, today, I felt like I was the one off my game. They couldn’t tell, to them I was being an even bigger dick than ever, but I knew it wasn’t because of anything they had done. I was pissed off at myself.
Truthfully, I had no idea how I managed to make it without dismissing class early, but I didn’t linger any longer than I had to.
“Have a good evening, sir,” my driver said to me as I stepped out of the car. I only ever used him when going to see clients or heading to the city.
“Thank you, see you tomorrow evening.”
“Very well, Sir.”
Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed my keys, heading towards the stairway of my townhouse, when I stopped short. There she was, sitting on the third stair, waiting for me.
“Hi,” she stood up, “I know it’s late, but can I come in?”
Unsure of what to say, or how to react, and somewhat afraid that I would once again stick my foot into my mouth, I nodded and opened the door for the both of us. Once inside, she didn’t move from the doorway.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her hands together. It was an action I knew she did when she was nervous. “It was completely wrong of me to explode at you like that, not to mention inappropriate. My mother— she was superstar lawyer, it would make sense that you would talk about her in class. My feelings should not—”
“Stop,” I said. I couldn’t take her apologizing to me. I cupped the side of her cheek, and took pleasure in the fact that she still leaned into it. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”
“How could you have? Why should you have? You did what you—”
“I did what I wanted to do, without caring how it would have hurt or affected you. I didn’t have to bring up Margaret this early in the year, I only did it because of how you reacted to the mere mention of her, and the fact that Tristan told me how much you hated her.
“I did it because I wanted to know more about you, and so I pushed you when I shouldn’t have. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you, I’m the one who’s sorry,” I said before she could interrupt me.
Her head dropped, along with my heart. “You’re an ass.”
“I know.”
“You didn’t have to follow me.”
“I know.”
“Don’t look at me like I’m damaged,” she whispered, not meeting my gaze.
Lifting her chin her up, I forced her to look at me. “I’m not.”
“You’re thinking it.”