Page 45 of Wicked Surrender

Even if she wanted to funnel it into general loathing, all directed at me.

15

LAURA

The minute my last class was over the day after I walked away from the tutoring session with Jason, I practically ran to meet Kristin where we usually met up.

She raised her brows high at my frantic pace to reach her, calling out for her to wait up.

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” She held up her hands to stop me from colliding into her with how fast I ran. “What’s going on?”

She still got up freakishly early to work out, so she still updated me with the all-clear over whether that breakup video was shared. I was still off social media.

But all day long, I didn’t tell her about what happened with Jason. Instead, I checked my phone religiously, so freaked out that I’d be punished for what happened.

“I had a breakthrough.” I announced it and sucked in a breath.

She narrowed her eyes and canted her head to the side, studying me. Then she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. “Yeah. I’m gonna need a little more than that to know what has you all worked up like this. I mean, a breakthrough with how you keep talking about those drug trials could mean you’ve discovered a cure to cancer and?—”

“I’ve had a breakthrough with the whole expectations thing.”

I cringed. “Wait.”

She frowned. “No?”

“Well, kind of. Or I will. I guess it wasn’t a breakthrough as much as it was finally having enough and just snapping.”

She nodded as we walked toward the parking lot. “That could qualify as a breakthrough. Back up, though.”

I drew a deep breath. “Last night at tutoring, he was being a jerk as usual, meaner even, and I just kind of, I don’t know. Snapped. It all blurted out, and I couldn’t keep it in anymore. He said I was pathetic, then I replied that he was pathetic. No. I said his paper was pathetic as I corrected it, and I mean harshly cut it up, by the way.ThenI said he was pathetic to be so smart and try to hide it. Because, yeah, I can totally see through that act. And then I was on a roll?—”

“Like now?” She teased.

“More sarcasm and more brutal, uncensored honesty than now. This is a ramble. I told him that he was pathetic to be wasting our time and then…” I let my shoulders sag as I caught my breath. “Then I walked out.”

“Bravo! Bravo!” She clapped and cheered.

“So maybe it’s not a breakthrough.”

“Yeah, it is. You were expected to just tutor him, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

“True.” I pointed at her. “My dad expected me to tutor him, and I still did, technically. But oh, my God. Kris, I’ve been a millimeter away from a mental breakdown all day. I also didn’t do as my dad would expect. I’m not supposed to snap and talk back like that to the guy I’m tutoring. That’s not proper or polite like he’d expect.”

“And now, how does it feel?”

I wasn’t sure. “I’ve been nervous all day that he’d discipline me for acting like that.”

She shrugged. “Assuming Jason would tell someone what you said. Which he deserved, anyway.”

“Yeah, but my dad said he’d make me drop my organic chem classes if I didn’t tutor. I did tutor him. I tried. But I also lost it to point out how pathetic it was for me to do so when he just wanted to target me for no reason. That was what got me. If he could at least give me a reason he wasted my time during those sessions or if he’d tell me why he targeted me, then I could suggest a different tutor for him.”

“I’m proud of you,” she cheered. “You stood up for yourself.”

“Yeah, and all day, I’ve been waiting for the fallout. That the academic recovery program coordinator would contact me. Or Jason would post that video. Or my dad would find out and… I don’t know.” It was exhilarating and terrifying.

“Keep me posted on how Jason reacts tomorrow.”

I cringed, unsure how he would. It almost seemed like I’d stunned him when I replied. But with a day to cool off, would he come back meaner and tougher now?

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