Chapter Seven
Rosie
“I’ve been calling you all weekend!” Ellie leans against the brick wall outside the philosophy lecture hall and narrows her dark gaze like I’m in trouble. “I even stopped by and banged on your door. If I hadn’t seen your car in the driveway, I’d have thoughtProfessor Hot Stuffhad kidnapped you.”
“Oh hush.” I grip her hand in mine and walk down the empty side hall with her.
“Hush? I can’t hush. You disappeared all weekend! You totally left your very best friend on the entire planet hanging. I don’t know if I’m getting a free dinner or planning your funeral.”
“I texted you back. You just didn’t like the answer.”
She pushes her glasses up dramatically. “I thought maybe that was your captor texting me.”
“To tell you I was working?”
“Yes!”
“Wouldn’t he have asked you for ransom or something?”
“You’re deflecting again.” She pauses and lands her hand on her hip with a sigh. “What happened this weekend?”
“Nothing.” I shrug. “I just went to Professor Wilder’s house, came home, found my dad all drunk and spiraling about my mom, talked him off a ledge, went to work, did my homework, and tried to compose myself for today.”
She stares at me for a solid second before dragging in a long, heavy, very deep breath. “I’m sorry about your dad, but this is getting out of control, Rosie. He needs help you can’t give him.”
The scent of cafeteria pizza wafts through the hallway. It doesn’t smell that bad, like there might be some rosemary or oregano in their seasoning. It’s that, or I’m starving. I missed breakfast this morning.
“I know you’re right. He needs rehab. It’s just… he’s all I have in the whole world, and deep down, I know this isn’t him. He’s sick, Ellie.”
Ellie pinches her lips together, attempting to close the dam before her opinions come flying out. I’m thankful, because though I know she’s right, I don’t know how to get him to go. We’ve talked about rehab a million times. He’s not interested.
“Anyway,” she huffs, “what happened withProfessor Hot Stuff?”
I bite back a smile I don’t mean to crack. “Nothing. It was innocent.”
“Innocent, my ass!” she barks playfully. “I need to know right now, or I swear to high heaven I’ll tell everyone in this hallway how much you love watchingBluey.”
I roll my eyes. “Everyone likes watchingBluey.It’s for grown-ups, too. Just last week there was an episode about Bluey learning to ride her bike and—”
“Tell me about your night with Professor Wilder!” Ellie brushes her hair back into a pony while she yaps out her demands.
“Okay, okay!” I grin. “Well… I may have had a really nice time with a very sexy, very off limits, man on Friday night.”
“And he pulled your hair, bit you, and spanked your ass?” She leans against the window seat at the back of the hall as she talks.
“No, but we sort of… I don’t know, we were trying not to do anything and accidentally did things. It was hot.”
“Like you’re not in the club anymore hot or…”
“Still in the club,” I laugh. “Very much so. We just did like,” my face turns red, “I sat on his face.”
“Oh my God!” She slaps her hand over her mouth. “I knew he was a freak?”
My smile turns straight again. “I’m pretty sure he regretted it immediately. He took the whole event back right after, saying he needed to do theright thing.” I glance down at my phone. “We really should get to class. I don’t want to cause a scene by being late.”
Ellie hops off the windowsill, tugs down her black skirt, and walks beside me, peppering me with questions. “What do you mean he took it back? You can’t take something like that back.”
I raise my brows. “He tried.” I shrug. “I don’t know. Who cares, right? It was fun, and you were right. I’ll totally fantasize about that forever and ever. He’s very good at what he does.”
