Page 29 of Treacherous
I watch him steady himself, his hands remaining submerged under the water. “Last night, I took it too far, and I’m sorry. Whenever I see someone over-consuming alcohol, it reminds me of Al–” He pauses before saying her name. “I took my fears out on you and I felt terrible that I caused you to have a panic att–”
“–I did not have a panic attack.”
Jayden passes me a plate, his eyes boring into mine. “You did. I know the signs. They’re practically engrained in my mind, but you don’t have to tell me anything. I know I’m the last person you’d want to talk to about it.”
He swallows the lump in his throat. “But if you ever need a listener, I’ve been told I’m pretty good at it.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. “Thinking pretty highly of yourself there,”
Jayden’s lips begin to curve but he stops before it becomes a smile.
“Thank you for apologising. I understand why you were frustrated–”
“–That doesn’t excuse it.”
I place the final plate away and turn back to him. “I know, but I'm sorry too. I realised when I woke up this morning, I went a little overboard.”
Jayden nods, acknowledging my answer.
A yawn escapes me. “I better get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jayden nods. “Goodnight, Red.”
I glare at him. “I still hate that nickname,”
He smirks. “Sure, you do,”
I walk away from him, sticking my middle finger up at him. Jayden’s laugh follows me into my room, and it’s only then that I realise I forgot to ask him about the pancakes.
A small smile pulls on my lips. Maybe some things should remain unknown.
Chapter 11
Willow Rogers
Fall has hit Lakewood University–the brown leaves fall from trees, only to be crunched beneath my boots.
The breeze cools my skin as I follow the path that connects the three major buildings of campus. There are two smaller ones on the outside, while the central building is the main place students attend classes.
The first of the smaller ones is where I spend most of my time, as it is the only building with laboratories. It works in my favour as Strong Beans is perfectly positioned between my classes and the library–my next stop.
I am craving a pick-me-up. Labs are my least favourite part of the degree, mostly due to my hectic schedule as sometimes I’m doing the pre-labs at the very last minute. So, I barely havetime to prepare which makes it even harder to understand the content.
Either way, I want to squeeze in a study session this afternoon before hockey training.
A gust of wind slams into me, forcing me to rush into Strong Beans. Despite, my love for cold weather, I’m not interested in getting sick. I order my coffee, before moving to the side.
I pull my phone out, checking my calendar. I need to add extra due dates for assessments before I forget. There are two weeks left in October, which sounds like a crazy thing to say. Last weekend we played our second and third hockey game of the season.
With Jayden and I agreeing that, for the sake of hockey and the team, we will try to get along. Most of the time this is avoidance or short, meaningless conversations, but I don’t care. It worked because we won both games, meaning we are three and zero for the season.
“Willow, iced vanilla matcha.”
I jump at my name being called. I smile and thank the barista, grabbing my drink from the bench.
The library is barely a five-minute walk, though I have to climb another three staircases to reach not only the library, but my preferred level. The quiet level is perfect for me, forcing me to do work and not become distracted by others.
I take a seat, unpacking all my supplies. I select my favourite playlist, placing my Airpods in each ear. After making sure my phone is on do not disturb–notifications are the second biggest distraction for me–I load my browser and get to work.
