Page 2 of Men Who Yearn
I tentatively nod.“Can’t tell for sure, but I think so.”
Felix sighs out loud.“For fuck’s sake, he really doesn’t have a fucking life.”
“What do you mean?”I ask.
“Work means everything for Mr.Rivera,” Penelope explains.“It’s just … the way he is.”
“Bullshit,” Felix says.“He just doesn’thaveanything else that’s interesting enough.”
I tilt my head, brows furrowed.“What do you mean … have?”
“Hobbies.Fun …” Dylan’s brows wriggle.“A girlfriend.”
Felix rolls up the wrapper of his sandwich and chucks it at Dylan.“Shut the fuck up.”But all Dylan does is laugh hysterically.
“It can’t be that bad, right?”Crystal asks.
“Oh, it is,” Alistair mumbles from the corner, avoiding Felix’ gaze as if he’s afraid of swift vengeance in the form of a half-finished sandwich smacking into his cheeks.
I take another glance at Mr.Rivera, the sunlight casting an eerie shadow on the pavement beneath him.But when he glances up from his work again, the unease that stirs in my stomach only grows wilder.
***
Days later
I put my laptop on the study desk in the library and throw my bag on the floor, breathing out a sigh from all the homework I still have to do for the finals.But when I come back up to open up my laptop, there’s a guy a few feet away from me that I really don’t want to see.
“Motherf…” I mutter to myself as he struts towards me with those hungry eyes.“Johnny, I’m not interested.Give it a fucking rest.”
“Girl, let me buy you a drink.Please.Just one drink.One.”
I raise a brow and lower my laptop screen.“No.”
“Oh, c’mon.It’s just a drink.Why not?”
“Do you know these two fucking letters?N.O?Learn ‘em.”
I roll my eyes and open up my laptop right in his face so I don’t have to look at it anymore.
“Hey.”Suddenly, he grips my screen.Too tightly.“I’ve been nothing but nice to you, and yet you’re being nothing but a—”
“A what?”My eyes rise to meet his in disdain.“Say it.Fucking say it … Bitch.”
His eyes twitch.
CRACK.
Just the tips of his fingers break through my screen.
Fuck it.Now he’s gone and done it.
I punch him in the teeth so hard one of them flies off, and my laptop drops to the floor.But after months of being bothered by this fucker while I’m trying to study, it was fucking worth it to see his face in shambles.
“Fucking bitch!”he growls, trying to punch me back, but I jump off the stool just in time.
The librarian is already screaming at us to stop, and I know she’s called the guards, but I can’t waste time waiting on help that’ll arrive too late.
This fucker deserved that pummel, but he’s bigger than I am, and I’m not risking my own goddamn life to win this fight, so I run off through the doors and out into hallways.
