Page 5 of Dragon Fires Everywhere
Well. I did just see my boyfriendinsidea married woman I have never liked, and in afrenzy.That would put anyone off.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Sage.”
“Georgie, you don’t understand,” he begins in thatlectureytone, and all I can think is that I let this man talk to me like this. Formonths. I murmured assenting noises, tuned out, and told myself thatrelationships are about compromise, not sparks and romance.
“I don’t want to understand,” I reply.
Because he never understoodme. And the fact I stayed with him anyway? That’s on me.
But him cheating certainly isn’t.
That gives me the strength I need to get myself out of here. “I don’t want to hear from you ever again.”
Then I picture Wilde House, and let my magic take me there.
And once I’m home, I prepare to let myself cry.
But I don’t.
Which somehow feels even worse.
3
I lean against the front door of Wilde House, staring at the grand staircase that will lead me upstairs. I feel like I’verun a marathon. I feel an aching, awful pain in my chest.
It’s not my heart that hurts, though. It’s my pride. And a million other things.
I’m not sad I’ll never kiss Sage again, or hold his hand, or get one of his thoughtfully precise presents. I’m devastatedI’m going to have to admit to my friends they were right. I’m furious hecheatedon me, when I thought...
When Iknew.
If Sage was punching above his weight, that also means I was punching down. And I tried to convince myself that wasn’t true.Itried.
Because even though I’ve been trying so hard to heed my mother’s advice to let all my romantic dreams go, I still had thisfleeting thought that theremightbe something special about me, about the Riverwood Historian I’m going to be.
But a man I didn’t even lovecheatedon me, having the kind offunwith someone else he never had with me. Like I meant nothing at all.
That’s when the tears start. And it’s a relief. I’m not afraid of crying, unlike my entire family and most of my friends.I welcome the cleansing magic of a good cry. But I’m not going to let anyone see me cry overSage Osburn.
It’s better to get it out here and now while I’m still alone. When no one has to be concerned about my hurt feelings.
They wouldn’t understand them anyway. Wildes areimportant. Goods area scene. Norths and Rivers areupstandingandrespectable. I don’t know what Frosts are because our Frost has outlived them all, but I somehow doubt the arrogant former immortal everworried about who he was meant to be. He just... became it.
Meanwhile, I’m the only redheaded Pendell, which has always been viewed as an affront. As if my hair was a sign from day onethat I was going to disappoint my cold, buttoned-up family no matter how hard I tried to be the right kind of Historian. Anddaughter.
I push away from the door, wiping at my face. I need my room so I can have my things around me and my crystals glowing inmy hands. I need to feel and process these emotions and have them appropriately worked through before I see my friends tomorrow.
They’re going to be socareful, and that makes a little sob catch in my throat. They all told me, indirectly, that they didn’t think Sage was right forme. But no one is going to guess, no matter how little they liked him, that hecheated on me. With Cailee Blanchard, of all people.
So there will be outrage, but also confusion.Carefuloutrage.Carefulconfusion. Those shared behind-my-back looks ofwhat do we do?
I prefer to be part of said sharing looks behind backs. Being thesubjectof them sucks.
I want to fly back to Sage’s and punch him just for that. Or curse him and his inadequate genitals that I pretended were lovely.But none of those things will fixthis.
I want to turn back time, but I know better than that.If you steal time, you lose time, according to the nursery rhymes. The only choice is figuring out how to handle this so that my friendsaren’tcareful and sympathetic, because I know I won’t deal with that well.
And even my usual go-to routine of acting like a space cadet is unlikely to help.
