Page 4 of The Chemistry of Us

“Are we good?” I questioned. “I have somewhere to be.”

Complete and utter silence from her.

“Want me to send my schedule to you via email or text, and you can let me know what works for you?”

Still nothing.

I continued. “How about you give me your Venmo, and I’ll send you the money you painfully deserve for standing in front of me glaring at me like I’m nothing more than a piece of shit to you?”

Finally, she answered, “You really want to do this?”

“I have no choice. It’s either you or I don’t graduate.”

She smiled, cocking her head to the side. “I guess that means I hold your future in my hands?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Cinderella.”

Through a clenched jaw, she demanded, “Stop calling me that.”

“Trust me, you don’t want me to call you what I’m really thinking.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

I snapped, “Don’t act like you don’t need the money.”

She winced, quickly recovering.

It wasn’t like I wanted to be there, and she clearly didn’t either.

“As much as I’d love to stand here and proceed with this foreplay of banter between us…”

She rolled her eyes. “You wish.”

“You want to play hardball, Tru? I can play harder, but for now, I have to go. I’m already late.”

I snatched her cell phone out of her hand, texting mine from hers before tossing it back to her.

She caught it midair as I ordered, “Text me your schedule, and we’ll go from there.”

“I can work around what you have, and?—”

“I. Literally. Do. Not. Care. Just text me.”

“Fine, dickhead.”

“Great, princess.”

“Perfect, asshole.” She nodded. “I have someone to meet anyway.”

I scoffed. “Some things don’t ever change, do they,Trudence?”

Her head lifted, and her eyes locked on mine. “I guess not, huh,Vaughan?”

We stood at a standstill, but I was the first to leave this time.

After all, wasn’t that what I was owed when she did it to me the first time?

I sidestepped her and kept walking, refusing to stop until I reached my car. I’d probably not even remember how I got home had I not been so pissed off. And by the time I did, the guy who was supposed to move into the room next to mine in the apartment I leased wasn’t even there.

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