“I’m not okay with the secret.” The sliding doors rolled open and I walked out into the warm spring air. The sun feltgood on my skin. I paused on the sidewalk and closed my eyes, trying to feel the same calm I’d felt before Tally had walked into my office. Nope. My stomach was knotted so tight it felt like a fist of ice gripping my insides.
“You’re punishing her,” Anna said. “Because of the whole kiss thing.”
“No, Anna.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, waited for an ambulance to drive past, and stepped into the parking lot. “Does that even sound like me?”
There was a long pause. “No,” she said quieter. “But Ashton? She is beside herself. She promised her co-author she’d have this done tonight.”
“Then you can help her write it,” I snapped. My mental state was at capacity. I couldn’t deal with this.
Suddenly, the other end of the phone went quiet.
She hung up on me? I probably deserved it. I’d call and apologize. Later. I needed a few minutes.
But then my phone rang again. This time it was Brooklyn. I sent it to voicemail. She hung up without leaving a message and called right back. I did not want to talk to her. Because if Anna, who was as kind as they come, was mad enough to crucify me, I could only imagine what Bust Your Balls Brooklyn would be like.
After seven tries, she switched to messaging. I turned my phone off until I got home.
When I walked into my apartment, I turned it on and a string of messages greeted me.
Brooklyn: Okay, d-bag, I don’t know what you said to my friend but she’s been curled up on her bed, crying inconsolably for the past two hours.
Brooklyn: We all know you’re in love with her, so why won’t you help her write the scene?
Brooklyn: You’re being an A-hole because you’re mad about the kiss.
Brooklyn: If you don’t come make this right, I’m telling her you’re in love with her.
Brooklyn: That you’ve been in love with her since DAY ONE.
“Do your worst,” I muttered. It couldn’t possibly make the situation any more jacked up.
Brooklyn: Fine. I won’t do that. But only because it would freak her out. But you need to fix this.
That was the thing though. I couldn’t fix this. Not the way Tally wanted. There was no good outcome here. Not that I had the power to give her anyway.
When I booted up my computer and surfed to Incognito, there was a message waiting.
Austentacious119: Hey, I’m sorry I don’t have the scene done. I promise I’m not usually this flighty. I thought my friend could help me write the scene but he wasn’t available. Not sure what to do.
I stared at the message, conflicted. I shouldn’t talk to her on this site. It was inappropriate behavior for a professor. But it would be downright mean to leave her hanging. With my left hand, I typed.
Leggolas1012: I’ve got some personal stuff going on. I think maybe we need to put the book on hold for a bit. I need to head out of town. I’ll let you know when I’m back.
Then I wrote a notice on our page stating that there wereextenuating circumstances and this week’s chapter wouldn’t be coming out quite yet. I shut the computer down.
Leggolas1012 wasn’t getting on Incognito again until Ashton figured out what to do. Then I responded to Brooklyn.
Me: How is she?
Brooklyn: Not good. She won’t come out of her room. She won’t eat dinner.
It wasn’t going to make it better but I sent Tally a text anyway.
Me: Tally, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. If I could help, I would. I hope you know that.
She didn’t respond. And she didn’t come to Fiction Thesis Writing class two days later. Finally, when she’d missed her third class and Ashley had asked me if I knew where Tally was, I knew what I had to do.
Like a dead man walking, I knocked on her apartment door. Brooklyn was glaring before she got it all the way open. Clearly, she’d spied me through the peephole.
