Page 157 of Contempt

If he wants to storm out like a child, fine.

I have homework to do anyway.

___

I’m nearly finished with my history homework, but it has taken twice as long as it should have to get this far.

I can’t concentrate.

Two hours have passed since Landon left and he hasn’t come home. Hasn’t texted me.

Then, I gave in to my absolute worst impulses and looked at Brittany’s social media.

Her last post was an hour ago of her sitting on a beach with her pretty, pedicured toes dipped in the water, and it’s cryptically captioned, “heaven can’t help me now.”

Landon liked it.

I feelill.

The desperate urge to text him is present, and it makes me nauseous.

Well, message him. I don’t even have his goddamn phone number, so maybe I’m the crazy one for thinking he’s anything remotely close to my boyfriend.

But I want to reach out, to remind him that I’m so fucking serious about what I said to him. If he touches her, he’s fucking dead to me.

I don’t, because I shouldn’t have to remind him.

I don’t want a man I have to remind to act like he’s mine.

So, I leave it.

I deal with being slowed down and force myself to focus on work every time my mind tries to wander.

I also turn my octopus to green and snap a picture of it to post on my own social media account in hopes he’ll see it. Because honestly, I don’t want to see his stupid face. If he sneaks into my room tonight, I’m Tasing his ass.

My phone vibrates on the bed beside me and my heart lurches as I grab it, looking at the notification that just popped up on my screen.

Then my heart falls because it’s not him.

It’s Javi.

“Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while. You doing ok?”

“I’ve been better,” I shoot back. “How are you doing?”

“Good, just busy. I figured you have been too. Bookworms gotta bookworm,” he adds with a wink.

A faint smile claims my lips. “My head is buried in a book as we speak, actually.”

“Anything good?”

“Nah, just school stuff.”

“Aren’t you usually into school stuff?”

“Usually. Having a hard time concentrating tonight.”

“Sounds like someone needs a break,” he says.

---