Page 87 of The Deception You Weave
The three of us trail behind him as we make our way inside.
Ella says her goodbyes and disappears toward her class while Leon and I turn into ours.
Luca is already seated by the time we walk in, but by some miracle, he has left our two usual seats beside him.
Maybe he's not that pissed then.
As we walk across the front of the lecture hall, a different set of angry eyes burn into me.
My heart races as I continue to put one foot in front of the other
I take my usual seat next to Luca, but unlike usual, he's tense beside me.
I look over at him, wanting to say something but not able to find the words I need to say. He's aware of my attention because his jaw tics as I stare at his profile but he makes no effort to turn to me.
My lips part to apologize but the words die on my tongue before I even get the first one out.
Our professor beginning our lecture eventually drags my attention from Luca to what I should be concentrating on.
Feeling Leon's eyes on me, I glance over at him and he smiles, although it nowhere near meets his eyes.
I hate this. I hate that Luca is pissed at me and causing a rift between them.
I hate that Kane is pissed at me, although I really shouldn't give two shits about what he thinks.
Professor Whitman talks for the entire class, I focus on bits but I soon find myself drifting in and out, worrying about the guys sitting on either side of me along with my dad back in the Creek.
By the time class comes to an end and I look down at my notes, I realize that I didn't manage much more than the title and the date.
Transferring here was meant to be a shot at a fresh start but I can't help but feel like I'm just fucking everything up all over again.
The second he can escape, Luca is out of his seat and leaving the lecture hall without looking back.
I watch his every move with a heavy heart.
I wait for Leon to pack up before moving out and to the stairs.
"Coffee?" I ask, wishing it could be like my last few Mondays and the three of us could go together.
"You got it. I've been craving one of those cupcakes since I woke this morning."
"It's the sprinkles. They’re addictive," I joke, trying to drag myself from my dark mood.
I'm at the door when I feel his presence behind me.
"Trouble in paradise, Princess?" he whispers in my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine.
Keeping my head held high, I continue walking, not wanting to alert Leon who's a little ahead of me talking to Colt.
"So you're going to ignore me now, is that the game plan?"
"I don't have a fucking game plan," I bark, spinning on my heels and pinning him with a furious look.
All he does is smirk at me and I curse myself for reacting to him.
"If you're trying to appear unaffected by me, you're doing a really shitty job."
"I'm not trying to do anything, I am unaffected by you." It's a bare-faced lie and we both know it, but I'm not prepared to accept how I really feel with him standing right in front of me.
