Page 93 of Exactly What I Needed
“Selena is being mature about the situation. Is he not allowed to have a life? He’s a human, too, isn’t he?” I attempted to bring some logic back to the situation.
“So? That’s not how this works,” Madison said, and I slowly nodded.
“Oh. Okay, well, since we probably shouldn’t be talking about celebrities’ personal lives during class, let’s return to the lecture.” I tapped the whiteboard, and they all groaned.
“Guys. Seriously, this is my last day of lecture before I announce the essay assignment that’s about Void tomorrow. Please, just ten more minutes!” I begged, and that got their attention.
“She’s still a hoe,” Caralee grumbled, earning snickers around the classroom. I paused, as my stomach sank.
Realization hit me.
“Is that what everyone thinks?” I hesitantly asked, needing an answer.
“Yes? She’s turned our innocent Asher into a dirty man. Whom we still love and can totally forgive for his actions yesterday, but not her,” Madison answered, and I watched as almost everyone agreed with a nod.
“Yeah, not her,” Caralee added.
Except he’d started everything last night, so how was this fair?
My heart sank, despair ripping through me. I knew if I was caught with him again, I would be called worse things than a slut. Which meant I could not go see him tonight. Or tomorrow. Or any time right now, until things died down.
“All right, well, let’s get this lecture done.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat before returning to the lesson at hand. A slut. Maybe it was just Asher’s really intense fangirls that thought that. Maybe…
Or maybe I was one.
I mean, I’d gone and hooked up with him before I’d even learned his name. Then, even though I continually turned him down, we’d ended up hooking up. Over and over again. It didn’t matter that we were actually dating now; I was exactly what they said.
Wasn’t I?
I stared at the tray of food on my desk. Unable to eat as even my third-hour class had been talking about this slut that Asher was with. I wasn’t the one pictured with a hand down my pants.Hisown hand was down his pants. It washishand against the window, so why wasIthe onebeing labeled a slut?
“Did you hear?” Elysia’s voice snapped me away from my blank stare. My classroom door closed behind her as she walked my way and sat down on the desk closest to mine.
“Hear about Asher’s girlfriend?” I mumbled. Yes, I’d already heard about how slutty she was.
“Yes. I don’t get why these kids are so harsh on her. So much so that the band apparently put out a post asking that people stop slandering her on the internet. He’d been just as much involved. They reminded everyone that the band members are also people and deserve to enjoy relationships like everyone else.” She sighed. “Man, I’m jealous of this girl… Whoever she may be…”
I glanced up, knowing that tone. “You too?”
A smile slid across her face. “Me too? Someone else figured it out?”
“One of my students in second hour. She recognized the outfit.”
Elysia studied me carefully for a moment and then reached over, placing a hand on top of mine. “You’re not a slut, Cosi.”
“He handed me his hotel room key right after the first concert they had here. I went. I didn’t even know his name,” I confessed, and she giggled.
“So? We are allowed lives outside of teaching too. Besides, I actually love the irony of it all. Cosette Duval. The one person who never does anything out of routine. Who listens to classical music, wears dresses and heels, had a one-night stand with the lead singer of a metal band.” She grinned and took a bite of her food.
“And if any of our bosses find out? What then?” I asked, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“Who cares? You’re doing something exciting for once.” She took a drink of her water and rolled her head toward me. “I totally called this, though.”
“Called it? How?” I glared at her.
“Your birthday party. It was all there.” She began eating again, and I shook my head.
“Yeah, well, because of the internet, I don’t think it would be safe for me to try and see him tonight,” I grumbled, realizing that it wasn’t so much shame I was feeling but annoyance. I wanted to see him.
