Page 74 of Forbidden Lessons

So it shouldn’t catch me off guard when Haven walks into class with a smile, Melissa at her side like they’re suddenly BFFs.

But it does, and I hate her for that.

In the fire it goes.

That heat is physical, crawling up my neck, down to my cock. It flips a switch inside me, and suddenly I’m glowering at her as I think about all the ways I can make her whimper in pain.

But there’s a spark of admiration deep inside me, too. I’ve forgotten just how easily she dusts herself off.

We’re both resilient like that.

Maybe that’s why we were such good friends when we were kids.

We both knew exactly what we needed to do in order to survive.

Rooke is late again. Second time this semester. Does that mean all the other urban legends are bullshit too?

Like how he goes through two thousand-dollar bottles of whiskey a weekend and gives a hefty cut of his paycheck to an animal shelter?

My eyes find Haven and latch on, but she’s oblivious as she talks to Melissa.

I smile as I think about the library book sitting on the shelf in my dorm room. Every time I see it, I give it a little pat. It makes my heart sing to know she’s not passing this class because I?—

Haven’s attention is still on Melissa as she puts a hand in her tote bag and pulls out a copy of The Lucifer Effect.

Motherfucker.

A message comes through on my phone, but I’m glaring at Haven so hard I’m loath to look at it.

@rooke.bastian

Running late.

Refer to attached notes and start class.

A PDF comes through a few seconds later. I’m so fucking stoked, I even forget to hate Haven for a hot second.

I tap on the file and give it a quick scan.

Then I run a hand through my hair as I get to my feet. It shouldn’t feel different, but it’s as if there are suddenly a hundred kids in class, not forty.

You got this, Kai.

“Hey, so, Rooke’s—I mean, the professor is running late.”

My voice starts out shaky and thick. Barely anyone even looks over at me. Have to swallow because it feels like there’s something stuck in my throat. I clear it, cough, and everyone just carries on while I’m trying to keep calm.

“I’m going to start the class while we wait.” Now the only person looking at me is Haven. Frowning, actually. Like she’s waiting for me to pull a fucking rabbit out of my non-existent hat.

“Quiet.”

But the assholes in the back just keep talking, and Haven just keeps frowning, so I stride over to the lectern and bang it twice with my fist.

“Yo! Shut the fuck up!”

That gets everyone’s attention, especially Haven’s. When I glance at her, those puppy eyes are as wide as little blue saucers.

“Right. Hope you all finished your assignments this weekend?” I glance down at the file open on my cellphone. “You need to upload your videos to this shared drive.”

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