Page 8 of Never Enough

For self-preservation, I have to keep the charade of happiness. After all, I never left the coffin of my darkness, but at least I have friends talking to me through the dirt.

Chapter four

Daphne

Afew days have passed since I last saw Alex in class. He gave me his number the day before, for project purposes, but I haven’t mustered the courage to text him yet. So when I spot him alone in the dining hall, I nudge Eden. “Let’s join him.”

She scrunches her nose. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she mutters. I ignore her, determined to take this chance. Alex is alone, and I’ve always been drawn to him.

I remember a time, years ago, when Alex was eating by himself outside of Whitmore Institute. It felt wrong to see him isolated because he was so kind and exhibited an aura that instantly attracted me to him. The selfish part of me liked it, though. It meant he’d be more receptive to my company.

As I plopped down next to him, all my self-consciousness evaporated. He grinned at me, and we spent the afternoon snacking on popcorn and people-watching on the lawn. That day, he was so raw and vulnerable, yet he smiled through his pain. It’s a memory I’ve cherished ever since.

So yes, I’ll do the same thing I did before. I’ll take a breath and plunge towards my insecurities, all to get to him.

I collect my tray from the sticky counter of the drink station before heading directly to Alex. Eden joins my side. “Did you hear me? Celeste is—” We’re almost to Alex, and I don’t want to talk or hear about Celeste right now. I tell Eden so.

As we approach his table, Alex’s face lights up. He can pretend to be nonchalant all he wants, but his eyes betray him every time. I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart and flash him a small smile.

“Mind if we join you?” I ask, keeping my voice casual, despite fighting against the tidal wave of nervousness threatening to drown me.

Friends. Totally. He won’t object to our joining him.

Oh man, he looks so cute.

Without waiting for a response, I plop my ass on the chair across from him. Meanwhile, Eden nervously glances around the room.

“Not at all,” he says with an affable grin. For a fleeting moment, it feels like it’s just the two of us sharing secrets and popcorn under the summer sun again.

Eden sits next to me and then mumbles, “If you’re meeting people, we can sit somewhere else.”

I send her a quizzical look. He seems to consider her implication, and I swear I see him gulp. Must be because of Victoria. They’ve always been close. But if I want to be friends with Alex, then I have to tolerate Victoria too. Plus, she’s my roommate, so there’s no escaping her forever.

“Nah,” he says. “It’s fine.”

“So, about our project,” I begin but stop when Alex seems to stare past me. I glance over my shoulder to see what—or, more accurately, who—has caught his attention.

Celeste bounces with a food tray in her hand, looking absolutely stunning today. Her dress is a perfect shade of blue that compliments her eyes, and her hair is styled in loose waves that frame her face beautifully. I can’t help but admire her as she laughs and talks with her attached-at-the-hip friend, Victoria. I wonder if Alex has a crush on Celeste. He seems to watch her intently, but I dismiss the thought. There’s no way Celeste is his type. She’s so confident and outgoing, but also mean and completely entitled.

But then Celeste sees me sitting with Alex. Malice glints in her eyes, and she sends me a taunting smirk. My heart sinks because this is the face of a woman who has the upper hand. She knows something I don’t.

Cryptically, she holds up her fingers. 3. 2. 1. Then, she calls out to Alex with the one word that threatens to tear my soul in half. “Babe!” she hollers across the cafeteria. Alex winces while facing me.

“I’ve been searching for you.” Unlike me, she doesn’t ask before sitting; she just does. Directly in Alex’s lap.

I’m dying inside. Bit by bit. Inch by inch. If what Celeste is implying is true, consider me annihilated.

Victoria comes to a stop beside the table, with her arms crossed, her dark eyes narrowed in a look of disdain. “What are you doing here?” she asks me. Her harsh words bounce off my skin, but they linger in the air heavy and dense, impossible to ignore.

“I—”

Alex cuts me off. “Daphne and Eden were just helping me understand some parts of a class project,” he explains, voice steady. Eden isn’t even in our group.

Victoria’s gaze flickers to Eden and then back at Alex. “Oh,” she murmurs. “Of course.”

Celeste throws an arm around his shoulders possessively, giving me a fresh rush of embarrassment for myself. Everyone knew but me. Eden tried to tell me, and both Victoria and Eden hinted at it, but I ignored all the warning signs. Celeste now has a victorious glint in her eyes that bites like acid.

Oh.

---