“I’ll be right back. The soup over there sounds delish.”
She gives me a nod, and waves me away, too absorbed with her pizza being made. Wow, she really does like her food. I take a number from the salad bar counter but luckily don’t have to wait long. This option doesn’t seem to be popular, though going off the smells, it really should be.
I grab my huge bowl, filled to the brim with a cheese and potato concoction. I look around and see Jade at a table, waving me over. Plopping down beside her, I dig in. The groan that leaves my lips is almost orgasmic.
“This isamazing. I haven't had homemade soup in so long.”
Jade gives a grin, then continues to demolish her lunch. “The food here is actually one of the best parts of AA,” she says.
I scrunch my nose up in confusion. “AA?”
She rolls her eyes at me and lightly pushes my arm. “Alistar Academy, girl. Keep up.” She giggles, and I join in. “So what brings you to AA?” she asks with a wink, purposely using the abbreviation to tease me.
I set my spoon down and sigh. “Well, originally me and my sister Luna were supposed to attend together. We were contacted a few years ago and offered some sort of ancestry scholarship, as apparently a few generations of our family attended, a long time ago. Our father wanted us to study business so we could take over the family company. He was an author originally,who decided to start a publishing house.” I pause for a moment, getting choked up at the memories of us reading people's manuscripts. Some were so horrible we couldn't contain our laughter. I miss him. I clear my throat and discretely wipe my eyes.
“I don’t think I’ll be following in his shoes, but I’ve always loved to write poetry and songs. Now that he has passed on, I think I’m leaning more towards an English degree, but more as a professor than an editor.”
“That is so cool. No wonder Clara loves you. A lot of us are only in her class for an easy A.”
I scoff at that. “Singing in front of people is not an easy A. So what about you?”
She shrugs. “Not sure yet. I’m taking my core classes and I’ll decide next year. Maybe something in the medical field.”
I nod along with her and take another bite of my soup. It really is so good.
I’m halfway through my meal, enjoying myself and the conversation, when out of the blue my lunch erupts everywhere. “What the hell?!” I screech, jumping from my seat.
Everyone goes silent, then explodes into laughter—one table loudest of all. I look behind me and Winnie is sitting there with an innocent look, but her eyes show glee. Did she do this somehow?
That’s not possible, Silver.I shake my head and say goodbye to Jade, who for some reason looks pissed, before rushing from the hall. Thank god I don’t have a class scheduled for this afternoon, so I won’t be missing anything.
I quickly walk back to the cottage, listening to the squelch of my sandals with every step. How my lunch exploded all over me is a mystery, but now I’m filthy and smell like sour milk, thanks to the hot sun beating down on my potato soup-covered body. I run my hand through my hair and cringe. This is going to take multiple washes to get out—the curse of having such long, thick hair.
I make it to the side door of the cottage and take a deep breath, preparing myself to be confronted by the guys. I quietly open the door and listen, relaxing when all I hear is silence. I don’t think anyone’s home. I move forward, letting the door swing shut, and walk straight to the bathroom. I open the glass shower door, turning the water on but not bothering to undress. Stepping in under the spray, I rinse myself off as well as I can.
Once the water starts to run clear, I peel off my skin-tight clothing and toss it all into the laundry hamper. I’d placed it in here hoping the guys would get the hint, but they still leave dirty stuff on the floor in the corner. If they seriously think I’m going to be picking up after them like their mother would, they have another think coming.
I move back into the water and grab Donovan's shampoo. I squeeze a good helping out to try and get this pasty, soupy concoction out of my hair, lathering it deep into my roots. Maybe it's time for a haircut—I can’t even remember when my last one was. I lean back under the water again and rinse, and rinse, and rinse...Why is it not leaving my hair? I didn’t use that much, did I?The water is starting to run cold, and my hair is still thoroughly lathered.What the hell kind of witchcraft is this?I wipe the suds from my stinging eyes, and grab the bottle, flipping it to the back to see a customer service number. This is insane—you bet they’ll be receiving a phone call from me as soon as I leave this damn shower.