Chapter 014
1393 Words
EDWARD’S POV
I know something happened to Layla this afternoon, even though she won’t tell me. And I know it has to do with her piece-of-s**t ex-mate because I could smell him all over her, like she rolled in his scent or something.
Don’t ask me how I remember his scent. That’s Zyarx’s problem.
[Hey, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pin your obsessive tendencies on me,] he snarls. [That’s all you.]
I don’t get to snap at him before Layla steps out of her room.
My eyes widen slightly and no, I’m not about to describe her in some sexy, sheer nightdress with glowing skin. Absolutely not.
She’s wearing pink pajamas with cartoon prints, clutching a book and a small purse, her hair down which is honestly the only thing working in her favor right now, considering the smudges of chocolate at the corner of her lips.
“Have you been waiting long?” she asks, settling beside me. “Sorry, I kind of dozed off after eating.”
Slowly, I lift a hand, gesturing toward her mouth. “You’ve got… there’s—” I pause, frowning slightly. “Why do you eat like a kid?”
Her face flushes instantly, and she wipes her lips, getting rid of the stain.
“Sorry. I binge-eat when I’m stressed,” she says, pressing her lips together. Somehow, the mark I thought I saw on her neck earlier is gone.
“Stressed?” I let out a breath. “It’s the first day of the semester, Glasses. What’s so stressful about that?”
She shakes her head, putting her book aside and there it is again. Deflection.
She’s hiding whatever happened.
I don’t know what’s irritating me more, the fact that she won’t tell me when she knows I’m clearly interested, or that it probably has something to do with her ex-mate, or the fact that I feel… entitled to know because she lives here now.
Entitled is a strong word but I like being honest with myself.
“I printed a tutoring schedule,” she says, holding a sheet out to me. “I was thinking we could do four times a week, and then—”
“Four times?” I cut in, and her brows pull together slightly. “Cut it down to two days a week. The rest of my time is taken.”
She goes quiet for a second, then reaches up to adjust her glasses. And I know it’s the wrong time to notice something like this, but does she not care how she looks in front of me? Or at least how I see her?
Most girls do.
They make an effort to dress better, fix their hair, and spray perfume when I’m around them like I won’t notice the difference. Some of them even reapply their lip gloss right in front of me, making sure it catches the light.
She doesn’t do any of that, not even a little.
“We can’t make it work with two days,” her voice pulls me back. She slips another sheet out from her book and hands it to me. “I’m getting good with the internet so I pulled this together.”
I take it, scanning through and to sum it up, it’s a breakdown of everything the top two people on the Alpha board are doing that I’m not.
And it’s a lot. A whole lot.
A frown pulls at my face, and she immediately shrinks back when I look up at her.
“As you can see…” she trails off, her voice dropping, “you’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
“The deal was to tutor me, not meddle in my business.” I toss the sheet back to her and she catches it immediately, glaring at me for a couple of seconds before her expression smooths out again.
“What’s the point of tutoring you if you’re not topping the list?” she asks. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, two days a week isn’t enough. You need extracurriculars too.”
She taps the paper. “Each volunteer society or campus job earns you twenty points. Five of those is a hundred points.” She pauses, then adds. “If you save someone’s life on campus, it’s a huge bonus but that’s unlikely for someone like you, so ignore that.”
My jaw tightens slightly.
“So you’re left with academics,” she continues. “I checked your opponent’s scores and they have mostly B’s, which is decent.” Her finger moves down the page. “If you want to beat them, you need straight A’s to close the gap. And I don’t think you’ve noticed, but the gap is… quite large.” She lifts two fingers. “Two hundred points.”
“I’m very aware of my situation,” I respond, hating how easily her words manage to push my buttons. “It’s still two days. I’ll figure out the rest on my own.”
She nods, looking a little sulky and I’ve never seen anyone look disappointed about not having more work on their schedule.
“I just feel like I’m not doing enough to earn the tuition you paid,” she says quietly.
“You’d have to work for years if you’re trying to pay that back,” I scoff. “You’re worrying about irrelevant things.”
“I’m not worrying… I’m just—” She pinches her fingers together like she’s trying to find the right words. “This morning, you gave me a ride on your bike and everyone was freaking out that you never do that. I don’t know why either, but you’ve been kind to me…”
“You’re not special,” I blurt out and it’s only when the words have left my mouth do I realize I’ve said them.
She recoils instantly, something hurt flashing across her face.
“I’d do that for anyone in need,” I add quickly. “And you’re in need. Don’t read meaning into it.”
Zyarx clicks his tongue. [That was rude.]
I don’t respond.
[No, seriously. That was just mean.]
“What days do you prefer we meet?” she asks, gathering her things quickly while avoiding my gaze.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays,” I answer.
She nods and starts to stand but before she can turn away, I catch her wrist out of guilt.
She winces and I let go immediately, my eyes dropping to the red mark on her skin before she pulls her hand back to hide it.
My frown deepens. “Who did that to you?”
She quickly shakes her head. “Not—”
“You answer me, or you leave this lodge,” I snap, standing up. “Layla. Who hurt you?”
Immediately, her lips tremble, her eyes filling with tears and she drops her gaze to the floor.
“Colt,” she whispers. “But I fought back. He didn’t—”
I reach out, gripping her shoulder and pull her closer. She stiffens instantly.
My thumb brushes along her neck and something comes off on my skin and I’m a dude but I know makeup when I see it.
And beneath it, the bruise I saw earlier. It’s red, and quite obvious someone choked her.
My jaw locks.
Rage that I haven’t felt in a long time hits me and I force her chin up to meet my eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demand. “Did you think I wouldn’t do anything? That he could get away with it even if I knew?”
Tears spill down her face.
“You said to stay out of each other’s lives,” she whispers. “And mind our—”
“Are you dumb? That’s not for when someone hurts you!” She flinches at my tone and I force myself to exhale, calming down before I release her shoulder. “Go to your room.”
She obeys immediately, turning away and her shoulders are low as she walks back down the hall.
The door closes and I suck in a deep breath, my teeth grinding together.
I pick up my phone from the table and dial Eliot. He picks up on the second ring.
“Meet me at the garage.”
- Writer
