TWENTY-THREE
VIOLET
Campus never ceasesto amaze me. Twenty-one buildings spread wide on a 25-acre plot of land and I’m always finding new ways to get to a lecture hall or stumbling across one of the many mysteries I haven’t seen in the years I’ve been here.
Today, it’s the library.
Adorned with beautifully engraved oak bookcases, the place has three floors. Big enough to play hide and seek without ever being found. Too many books to count, help desks, and study areas galore with enough space to sprawl out and study for hours. Purple and gray banners are pinned wherever possible, Chatham U’s badged mascot, the formidable coyote, engraved in the delicate fabric. It’s the kind of library a book lover would kill for, and I can’t say that I don’t adore it, though Ev is probably more infatuated. The girl lives and breathes books.
I pass the library director at the checkout counter and head for the stairs that lead to the area where I’ll find the others. When I ascend the stairs, I find the loft area adorned with twinkling holiday lights. With Thanksgiving around the corner, there are various spaces decorated with pumpkins, burlap ribbons, and carnations.
I slip into a chair next to Everleigh and whisper, “It’s so pretty up here.” My messenger bag drops to the ground, and I look around, finding everyone else immersed in their studies. Sebastian tips his head at me, a charming smile on his face that takes me back to the night at Lucy’s. I wave back, mistakenly catching Web’s eyes next to him when I do.
“I love it. It gives off all the comfy vibes I grew up adoring when I fell in love with reading,” Ev whispers back, quietly sighing. She seems less stressed than the night at the club. Probably because it got back to her that Tristan came out to make things right with her. He’s in the chair next to her and mouths out a hello. I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to her about them reconciling, but I make a mental note to ask later to make sure she’s good and Tristan hasn’t done anything else to upset her.
Turning toward my bag, I collect the stuff I’ll need to get started. This afternoon was the only free one I have all week, so I want to make sure I use it wisely rather than getting behind.
Just as I settle in and pull out my early education textbooks, Web’s voice comes over my shoulder, startling me. “Can I steal you away for a minute?”
My eyes fall shut for a second, unsure of what I should do but I don’t want to leave him hanging. We used to spend a lot of time together, and no matter what he’s been doing in his free time, I owe it to the both of us to at least be cordial.
Everleigh grabs my hand as I stand, giving me a questioning look. I nod, giving her the okay. I can deal with this even if I might not want to.
I follow Web toward the back of the library where the bookshelves are plenty and there isn’t anyone around to disturb.
“What is it, Web?”
“Is the annoyance in your voice necessary, Vi? Jeez.”
I didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but he did hurt me. I look away, folding my lips into my mouth before saying, “I’m sorry. Do you need something?”
He relaxes back against the endcap of a bookshelf, resting his shoulder on it effortlessly. I can see why I spent so much time with him, why I put up with him dumping me every summer. It was nice to come back to this, to see his handsome face and kind smile.
If my summer hadn’t gone so badly, I would’ve taken him back like every other year. I would’ve put my needs aside and been happy to be with him again.
“I’m not lying when I say I care about you. A lot. I wish you’d see that and believe it.”
He wants me to know that he cares for me?
Deep down, I know that he does. He’d skip parties when I wasn’t up to going. He’d cuddle and binge Netflix with me after midterms. We’ve leaned on each other since freshman year. We’ve been through bickering and come out on top. On bad days, he’d show up at my dorm with a bundle of daisies—a favorite ever since Dad brought a bundle home for me and my sister after every work trip he went on.
If he didn’t truly care, he wouldn’t have done all of that. But then he also wouldn’t have dumped me after finals two years in a row. He wouldn’t be strutting around campus with different girls on his arm, either.
“You can at least hear me out,” he pleads. “Give me that much, if anything.”
Bothered, hurt Violet doesn’t want to be that kind. Doesn’t want to give him the benefit of the doubt and hear what he has to say. I’m already doing that for one man in my life. I don’t have the energy to do it for a second. Besides, it’s better I get this over with now.
I look into his eyes. “You broke up with me before summer. More than once, just before going home, Web. I don’t deserve to be cast to the side so you can fuck freely. This conversation is pointless.”
His brows roll and I can tell my statement hurts his feelings. “So, what we had is pointless? We were together for two years.”
“We had fun, but it’s over.” I don’t want to say it, but I do. “You’ve moved on.”
“That’s not fair. I was there at the beginning of the semester. Ready to pick things back up where we left off.”
I sigh. “That’s the problem, Web. You were ready to get back into it. You shouldn’t have ever walked away to begin with. Not if you weren’t ready to let me go.”
“We agreed to take a break over the summer. You never once objected to the idea of being on our own for those months.”
