Page 46 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, shh, the professor is here."

I shook my head and lifted up my pen. At least if I never got to see Kins again, I'd know I'd impacted her life in some way. When we had first met, she dreaded sitting in the front row. And now she seemed eager to learn. Darkness seemed to follow me everywhere, but it didn't mean I couldn't still make a positive impact.

***

I was one of the first people to my psychology class. Focusing in sociology had been almost impossible. I couldn't stop wondering if vengeance was the right path. Don deserved to die. That wasn't the question. The issue was whether or not it was worth giving up the rest of my life in order to get revenge.

With my mind so preoccupied, there was no reason to sit in the front row. I wound my way through the desks and sat down in the back. I couldn't stop thinking about the concept of borrowed time. My parents had died too young. What if I was about to follow in their footsteps? What if I didn't want to? There had to be another way. Right?

"Hey," Eli said.

I turned my head toward him just as he was going in for a kiss on my cheek, I assume. And his lips brushed against mine. I immediately titled my head away from his. "What are you doing?"

He sat down and leaned close to me, his lips right against my ear. "We need to pretend everything is normal. This would appear normal for us, right?" He slipped his hand into mine.

I pulled my hand away from his. "It's probably more normal for us to be fighting, don't you think?"

"Sadie." He put his hand on my knee. "You believe me, don't you? I swear I didn't know he was hurting you."

I thought about what Kins had just talked about, how you could never truly know if someone was telling the truth. Was it possible that he'd push my issues aside for the greater good of putting Don away? "I don't know what to believe."

"I had no idea," Eli said. "If I had known, obviously I would have done something."

"How am I supposed to believe anything you say? You've been lying to me since we first met."

"You've been lying to me too."

"That's different. You knew who I really was." People were starting to filter into the room. "We can't have this conversation here."

"Then let's go. We really need to talk about this."

"You waited two years to talk to me. You can wait another hour."

"Sadie, please..."

I pushed his hand off of my leg. Just thinking about him not stepping in made my blood boil. And not just because he could have helped me. But because I needed him to. I had been too fucking weak to be able to help myself.

"How are everyone's projects coming?" Professor Bryant asked.

I hadn't even noticed him come into the classroom. I tried hard to keep my attention on the front of the room instead of on Eli's stupid face. I didn't care how sorry he looked, I still hated him.

"Yes, Mr. Hayes?" the professor said.

My eyes snapped to Eli. He was just lowering his hand.

"Is it too late to change our topic?" Eli asked.

"Eli, what are you doing?" I whispered.

He ignored me, his eyes

glued on our professor.

Professor Bryant laughed. "Let me guess. You want to change your topic to James Hunter?"

Eli laughed too and shook his head. "No. But we're having a hard time getting the necessary information about the New York City vigilante. We thought someone would have discovered his true identity by now."

"Eli, stop it," I hissed.

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