Page 20 of Cruel Devotion

“Andthat’swhy I docked your grades,” the teacher said, opening her clasped hands she’d tucked under her chin while she rested her elbows on her desk. Pointing a finger at both of us, she furrowed her brow. “You argued way too much.”

“You’re grading me based on whether I get along with him?” I asked, not caring if I sounded as incredulous as I felt.

This is unbelievable!

“No one can get along withher,” Eli added.

“God, I can’tstandyou,” I muttered.

“Likewise,” he shot back.

“I don’t care what your opinions are of me,” I replied, clenching my teeth not to scream it. “I never have.”

“Maybe you should,” he scoffed.

“No. I care whatheropinions are so I can get the best grades possible.” I gestured at the teacher.

“And my opinion is that you both need the hard life lesson of getting along with others. For a paper composed about the value of teamwork in today’s society, it seems you both are failing to live what you learn.”

I held in a growl, ready to punch Eli’s amused expression right off his face. He thought this was all a joke! If I maintained straight As, I’d have a better chance of getting funding for grad school. But he didn’t care. He was just the dumb jock who got a kick out of seeing me suffer!

I thrust my arm down, not even waiting to look at the graded paper.

“If you would like to work together to redo the assignment and improve your grade, without arguing, then I’ll offer that option to you.”

“To work with her?” Eli huffed. “Again? Fuck no. No thanks.”

I opened and closed my mouth, too livid to even speak.

I hate you!

Crumpling the paper, I stormed away from both of them. That self-righteous teacher could kiss my ass. And Eli could go to hell. I was too damn mad, and maybe a little humiliated, to stand around here any longer.

I grabbed my bag and books, shot Davina acan you believe this bullshitlook, then left early.

I never missed a class.

I never ditched.

But right now, the mere idea of being in the same room as that careless, selfish ass was way too much to bear.

8

ELI

Haley turned away so fast, I couldn’t stifle the urge to laugh. She rushed away from me, fisting that paper in her hand so tightly that it wouldn’t ever be smoothed out again.

She was that pissed about aC? How comical.

“Aw, don’t be like that,” I called out, keeping my tone joking, mocking her hurrying out of the room in a snit.

She didn’t stop. She didn’t slow down. After frantically grabbing all her things in a rush and cramming her paper into the pocket at the front of her oversized hoodie, she ran out of class.

I’d never seen her play hooky, and she wasn’t prone to cutting class—at all.

No guilt crept into me about forcing her into so much anger that she’d run away like a crybaby. It was a fuckingC, not anF. We passed that assignment, and according to me, that was good enough.

As the class cracked up at my calling after her, though, I knew without a doubt that our grade wasn’t good enough forher.

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