Page 31 of Hooves & HeartStrings

The rest of the day and the next flies by in a blur of classes, assignments, and dodging Lucius in the hallways. Thankfully, I only have one class with him. Whenever he’s near, memories of our past flood my mind, leaving behind a persistent ache that won’t let go. To make matters worse, Steve, my project partner, is as annoying as they come. But I need to ace this class to secure the internship I want, so I’m putting up with him. The fact that partnering with him drives Lucius insane is just the cherry on top.

Today is Tuesday, and it’s time to meet with Steve and get this over with. I’m hoping he doesn’t want to do much, so I can take full control of the project. He’ll get the credit, and I’ll get the control—win-win

As I enter the library, I’m relieved to find a vacant table, where I take a seat and patiently wait for Steve. While I wait, I could start the project, right? At least decide what we’re doing.

We’re supposed to pick a disease and draft a plan to eradicate it. Well, not completely eliminate it since illnesses are inevitable, but make it easily manageable, like treating strep throat or pink eye.

Cryptosporidiosis is an ideal choice because it can be transmitted to both humans and monsters. Steve can just deal with it—he’s late, so that’s what he gets.

“Hey, Little Momma. Sorry, I’m late.” Steve drops into the seat next to me with a grin, and I roll my eyes.

What the hell is “little momma”? Is that supposed to get girls going?

“Hi, Steve. Since you were late, I got started and picked our disease. It’s not life-threatening, but the meds are super expensive and not all insurance covers them, so I’d like to make a plan to fix that. Sound good?”

“Sure, babe, whatever you want. I’m gonna be honest, I’m only in this class because art history was full, and this was the only class that fit my schedule.”

Great, just my luck to get the guy who doesn’t even want to be here.

“Okay, well, I’m trying to become a doctor, so this class is a huge deal to me. How about you sit back and look pretty, and I’ll handle the project?”

“Who’s pretty?” a familiar voice cuts in, and chills race down my spine.

I turn around and see Lucius standing behind our table, a small girl—Marie, I think—by his side.

“What are you doing here?” I snap, unable to hide my irritation.

“Meeting with my lab partner to do our work. Small world, huh?” He smiles that infuriating smile, the one that used to make my heart flutter. Now it just makes my blood boil.

He must have known I’d be here. He must have planned this.

I glare at Lucius, my eyes burning with a mix of anger and frustration, before turning back to the table.

“If you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.” I scoot my chair closer to Steve, trying to put as much distance between myself and Lucius as possible.

“So as I was saying, I’ll make the presentation and you just look good as always, okay?”

“Whatever you say, babe.” Steve winks at me, making my stomach roll, but I try to not let it show.

“Okay, I’m gonna go find some books.”

Steve pulls out his phone and starts scrolling as I head to the section of the library where the medical books are.

I collect a few books that are relevant to my needs and return to the table. As I get closer, I notice Lucius and Marie huddled together, laughing and looking at her laptop screen. She touches his arm and nods like he just said the smartest thing ever, and I grind my teeth together. Dropping the books loudly on the table, Lucius’ eyes snap up to meet mine. I curl my lip at him, but he just smiles and runs his tongue over his bottom lip.

Stupid, sexy monster.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that he dumped me, left me, and then gave me the silent treatment. Now he’s following me? And he’s partnered with Marie.

While it shouldn’t matter, if she giggles and touches his arm one more time, I swear I’m going to rip hers off.

I sit in a new spot on the other side of the table across from Steve so I can keep an eye on the little shy thing who is touching what isn’t hers.

It’s not mine either anymore, but it’s definitely not hers.

God, Marley, you need to get a grip; the hot and cold are even giving me whiplash.

I pull out my laptop and open a new document, outlining our project on Cryptosporidiosis. The more I type, the more I can feel Lucius’s gaze burning into my skull. I resist the urge to look up and confront him.

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