Page 47 of Penalized Love

I sigh, lifting my head from her shoulder. “I know, and I’ll just have to take it one day at a time. We should probably talk at some point, but for now, I’m going to keep it professional. I can’t let him get under my skin again.”

Which sounds hilarious because he’s already there.

“Damn right. You’re stronger than that. And if he tries anything you don’t like, I’ll kick his ass myself.”

I can’t help but laugh at the image of Selene taking on Asher. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You better.” Selene glances at her phone, checking the time. “It’s getting late. Are you staying here tonight or heading back to your place?”

I consider taking Selene up on her offer. The thought of returning to my dorm room doesn’t give me warm fuzzy feelings, but there’s a chance that Tessa will either be out or asleep.

“I’ll stay here. I don’t want to cut our hangout, now slumber party, short.”

Selene claps her hands together and says, “That’s my girl! Now let’s get back to talking about everything Asher did to you, because I want more details.”

19

ISLA

The sound of my name being called jolts me awake.“Isla, wake up! You’re going to be late!”

Nothing makes sense, however. Who is that? It’s not Tessa. She wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire. I open my eyes to see Selene standing by the side of the bed, already dressed and holding out a cup of coffee.

It takes a second for me to sit upright. I swear, my heart skips a beat as I scramble to grab my phone. I glance at the clock time shining on my phone. 9:00 a.m. Crap, I’m supposed to be meeting with Bailey at ten.

I’m late.

“Here,”Selene says, pushing the mug into my hands.“You need to go now!”

“Yeah, I’m up!”I reply, jumping out of bed. I try to calculate how much time I have. Fifteen minutes to walk back to my dorm, another twenty minutes to shower and change, and then I have to drive over to Bailey’s office. It’s not ideal, but it’s doable.

“Thanks for waking me,”I mumble, taking a sip of the coffee as I try to shake off the sleepiness. The warmth of it does littleto calm the anxiety growing by the second.“I can’t believe I overslept.”

“It happens, but you’re fine. You’ll get there in time.”

I nod, but my mind is already elsewhere. I grab my things in a rush, thankful that I’d packed most of my stuff last night. On the bright side, I slept in the sweatpants and t-shirt I wore here, so at least I don’t have to change.

I grab my bookbag and hug Selene before running out the door. The crisp morning air hits me like a slap in the face as I power-walk across campus. This is the last thing I need, but I can’t deny that my brain is firing on all cylinders bright and early this morning.

By the time I reach my dorm, I’m slightly out of breath. My nerves are frayed. I burst through the door, relieved to find the room empty. Tessa must have already left for class.

Thank fuck.

I drop my things, pick up the items I need to shower, and hurry to the bathroom. If there was a timer, I am confident I could prove I took the quickest shower on record. I even remember to shave. As I dry myself off, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My blonde hair is a tangled mess, and some dark circles are under my eyes.

Great. Just great.

I rush back to my room, throw on a clean pair of jeans and a sweater, and put my coat over it. I run my brush through my hair to make it somewhat presentable. With one last glance at the time on my phone, I grab my camera bag, bookbag, and keys and head out to my car.

The drive to Bailey’s office is a blur. I barely register anything outside of obeying traffic laws as I clutch the steering wheel. Since there aren’t many people there, it’s easy to find a parking spot near the entrance of the arena and make it to her office with just minutes to spare.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I knock on Bailey’s door. When I hear her call out,“Come in,”I push open the door and step inside.

“Isla, good morning! I’m glad you could make it,”Bailey greets me with a warm smile, gesturing for me to take a seat across from her desk.

“Morning, Bailey. Sorry, I’m a hot mess. It’s been a... hectic start to the day,”I admit, setting my bags down and sinking into the chair.

“No worries, we’ve all been there,”she says, assuring me slightly.“Now, let’s get down to business. First, I want to thank you for all of your hard work so far this season. You’ve far exceeded my expectations.”

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