Page 35 of Kept

There was only one person who could be responsible for this.

Dana had stopped talking and was smiling at me again, and I managed to pull myself together and invite her in.

Mom was already stirring when I shut the front door, and Dana immediately made herself at home. I went in to help Mom out of bed, weak as she was in the morning, but Dana was already there, pressure cuffand clipboard in hand and introducing herself to my mother.

Mom’s eyes shone in confusion when she glanced at me, and I found myself awkwardly standing in the doorway. I gave her a tight smile as Dana began her spiel again.

“How is this possible?” Mom asked, but as Dana wrapped the cuff around her arm, there was a lightness to the set of her shoulders I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Dana opened her mouth, but I cut her off. “I did some digging and found out that the scholarship clause has a medical necessity clause. It’s all taken care of, don’t worry.”

I gave them both my own bright smile, and Dana shut her mouth again. All I could do was pray that she somehow didn’t have access to the name of the person who was paying for this.

And it was all taken care of. I was sure Vincent would get his money’s worth out of me as soon as he returned, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel the tiniest bit bitter about it.

If Mom had a professional caring for her, I was going to be the best damn Pet they’d ever had.

I got ready for class as Dana conducted her first check-up, and kissed Mom on the cheek before I left. Mom patted my face, her eyes full of relief.

For as much as I worried about her, she worried just as much that she’d eventually become a burden before she died, her own worst fear. Nothing I said could convince her that I would never see her as a burden, but Dana’s presence seemed to lift that worry entirely.

My own steps felt lighter as I cut through the forest to Bourdillon, but I was dragged back to earth almost immediately as I mixed with the crowd traipsing through the Hall of Art.

Gabriel Spears’ door was open. At least one of my Demons were back.

He stepped out and leaned against the door frame as students filtered in, and like a laser-precise missile those crystal blue eyes landed right on me.

I realized I was staring back even as I kept walking and forced my head forward again, but the tingling sensation of my tell-tale flush spread over my chest.

To my disappointment, Rhett was still gone. Harrison, the professor who was originally meant to teach this class, was still at the podium when I arrived and slid into place next to Rachelle.

Today she was wearing electric blue tasseled earrings that hung down past her shoulders like locks of hair. Sean was on her other side, and for once he didn’t give me his usual sidelong glance. His new girlfriend must’ve really been something.

Even with Rhett gone, I cheerfully took notes all morning until the end of class. As soon as Vincent was back, I was going to throw my arms around him whether he liked it or not. No one had ever done something for me just because, and he had no way of knowing what a weight he’d lifted from us.

Rachelle snapped her gum when the bells chimed the end of the first hour. “You’re awfully bright today, sunshine.”

“You know when you have one of those days where everything lines up perfectly?” I asked. My phone vibrated somewhere in the recesses of my bag, and I took it out, seeing an unfamiliar number on the screen.

“It’s about time you had a lucky day. More energy to write about yours truly!”

I opened my messages, and that bright ball of sunlight in my chest imploded into a vacuum.

Thank you for filling in as the figure model for my night class, Pet. Leave your clothes at the door. They won’t be necessary.

I clicked my phone as Sean appeared to my left, hiding the message from view. My chest felt hollow as a drum.

Spears wanted me to pose nude in front of his entire Friday night art class.

There was no doubt now that he’d heard the flippant comment I’d made to Rachelle my first day here.I’ve always wanted the thrill of being naked in front of a roomful of strangers.

If I could go back in time and slap my past self, present me would’ve had a wired-shut jaw.

It was one thing to be stripped by one of them, another entirely for a classful of students to see me sitting on the art room pedestal in my birthday suit. When they’d made their ground rules for me, there was absolutely no implication I’d be asked to do such a thing.

I kept to myself for the rest of the day, my sunshine now seething rage.

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