“I will. Now I have to get ready for class.”
“Have a good day.” He nods, stepping into the bathroom.
I change quickly. Putting on a cute dark brown skirt and a beige turtleneck. I’m used to the skirts, but I normally wear low-cut shirts. Charles liked when I showed off my skin, which is ironic given how he made it impossible for me to show any for weeks.
I lace up brown boots and grab my textbooks off the desk. Stuffing them into my tote bag, I slide in headphones before heading out the door. Turning on Haunting Memories, I find myself trying to isolate Ben’s parts.
After last night, I know I shouldn’t be thinking about his lips on me, but I can’t help it. They felt so good. His hands on me may have brought back my own haunting memories, but for a second, it was nice.
Walking into class I ignore the whispers that follow. You’d think after a few weeks they would’ve found something else to talk about, but no. I think the scene Ben caused just added fuel to the fire.
The idea I had the guts to leave Charles is probably the highlight of the circle. There has always been a layer of toxic behavior in our group, but no one brought attention to it. There would be some talk about so and so having an eating disorder or drug problem, but for the most part we kept things lowkey.
You learn in these groups it’s best not to cast stones. All our houses are made of glass. The more attention you put on someone else, the brighter the light gets put on you.
We are supposed to have each other’s back, but of course there is always one person you don’t cross in the group. Theleader. The glue keeping us all on top. I crossed him and now I have to face the fall out.
Since leaving Charles, school has been harder. I can almost physically see my grades dropping. I was allowed to take two weeks off, but those weeks put me behind. Plus, it’s hard to focus on class when I share half of them with Charles. There is at least one person from his friend group in every one of my classes. The whispers are distracting. Knowing they all know what happened but pretend I’m the crazy one eats away at me. I find myself doodling or spacing out.
I make my way to my normal seat, pretending not to hear someone whisper slut at me. Another rumor Charles has added to the list after Ben’s scene is that I cheated on him first. Can’t be surprised he would use that to sway even more sympathy his way.
I freeze when I see Charles sitting in my spot. I glance around, trying to find somewhere else to sit, even as he spots me at the end of the row and smiles.
“Prue.” He beckons me. For some reason, my feet carry me to him. It’s like I have a death wish or something. His voice never made me feel good, but it never felt like razor blades cutting at my ear drums until after, until now. “No Ben today?”
“It’s not what you think.” I sigh, pulling out a single headphone. “He was just messing with me.”
“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow as his eyes fill with a fury I’ve only had directed at me once before.
“Not like that.”
“You just keep digging yourself a deeper hole, you know that, right?” He shakes his head. “Anyways, I have a thing tonight and I just happened to put your name down as my plus one before everything happened between us.”
I stare at him blankly. There is no reason for him to be telling me this. Surely, he could go alone, bring one of his friends orfind some other girl to take. No one would question it. You don’t question a change when it comes from the Davenports.
“So, I’ll pick you up at 7.”
“Excuse me?” I don’t mask the shock in my voice. He has to know better than to think I would go anywhere with him.
“Don’t be difficult, Prue. Maybe this could be our second chance. We can put all this behind us. You can admit you were just hurt. It would be in your best interest to finally apologize so we could move on.”
“What would I apologize for exactly?”
“Listen, my parents like your family. They think we’d make good babies and shit. They are willing to look past all this. It’s good for business. For both of our families.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Prue,” he says sharply, “be ready at 7. You’re staying with Cameron, right?”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever again.”
“Yes.” He stands up, towering over me. His head bends to the side of my face. I can’t move as my heart pounds in my chest. “You fucking are.” The threat is webbed into his words.
“Fine,” I say softly.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He smiles, pressing a kiss to my cheek, before walking to his normal seat.
I’m not going with him, but I know if I push it now, I will pay the cost the moment he can get me alone. Best to let him think I’ll go along. When he shows up at Cameron’s tonight, I won’t be there for him to collect, though.
