Page 9 of Ace of All Hearts

“I think I’m going to give up on Writing 101.” I smile at him while closing my book. “Wanna work on American History with me?”

His eyes widen and he points at himself. “Me?” He can’t believe it.

I’m guessing he doesn’t have too much experience with girls and especially not girls like me. He’s cute, but I can see his social awkwardness and public anxiety. I find it sweet.

I look behind him, pretending there’s someone else then back at him. “Yeah, you.”

He sits down right away, his back straight as a rod.

“Do you have what you need with you?” I ask him, noticing he doesn’t have any textbooks.

“Oh.” He stands back up in a sudden movement. “No, I don’t.”

“It’s alright,” I chuckle. “Me neither, but we can go to mine if you want?”

“Uh…”

“Let’s go.” I stand up, put my leather jacket on and shove my books in my bag.

I start walking away, and just like I expected…he follows.

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a God up there. If there is, do they do shit just to have fun? Like putting Simon’s car right next to Sam’s in our college’s parking lot. He must have come to pick Lik up. His windows are down while he’s smoking in the driver’s seat and patiently waiting for his boyfriend. I haven’t given him any news since his little trip with Rachel and Lik. Barely more than twenty-four hours.

I’ve ignored all of their calls. Rachel and Lik have been harassing me non-stop. Sam, however, seems to want to give me time to compose myself. He’s a calm man, but I feel his patience wearing thin as he observes me settling in Simon’s car with him.

His eyes narrow into slits as smoke billows around him. He doesn’t say anything, just observes silently as usual.

Despite the freezing cold outside, I ask Simon to lower both car windows as I light up my own cigarette. Once I’m sure Sam can hear us, I enunciate clearly the words that’ll hurt him.

“We’re going to my place, right? I’m in Silver Falls.”

If Lik had been in the car with Sam already, he would have probably jumped out, opened Simon’s car and dragged me out. He’s not used to dealing with jealousy.

But Sam has spent his entire life watching me with other people and stopping himself from acting out. He shakes his head at me, as if my attempt at making him jealous is pathetic. Just a stupid girl trying to get back at him after what he pulled. He still heard me, though. He knows we’re going to his penthouse I’ve been staying in.

And while I secretly hope he comes and finds me there out of pure jealousy, I’ll settle for simply hurting him.

3

ROSE

Rumors- NEFFEX

Simon is at the dining table next to me, sitting awkwardly. Everything he does is awkward.

Our books are open on the table, but we’ve only spent about five minutes on our lesson before quickly switching to talking about ourselves and what we want to do after college.

I prefer talking about the future, it’s safer than the past. Sometimes, I truly see myself growing older. Sometimes, I pretend so people don’t worry about me. The future isn’t so scary when you know it won’t happen, when you don’t plan on living long enough to see it through. Or when you know someone is going to steal it from you.

But today, talking to Simon, isn’t one of those days. I happily tell him about wanting to go to law school at Duke and that I want to defend defenseless kids in court. Children who have no one to fight for them. He tells me about wanting to be a history professor, about his passion for American immigration history and that he wants to write a thesis on the hypocrisy of American supremacism.

“Did you go to school around here?” Simon asks me.

“I went to Stoneview Prep,” I nod. I pick up the iced tea I’d poured, drink, and bite on an ice cube.

“My younger sister is trying to get in there for her senior year. She wants to study at Silver Falls University, and it helps to have attended Stoneview Prep.”

I always find it strange that two colleges in the same city can be so different. North Shore Community College, where we study, isn’t even the best of the worst. Silver Falls University, on the good side of Silver Falls, is one of the best colleges in the country. Many of the kids from Stoneview end up there.

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