It's Too Late
1046 Words
AURELIA
Oh no.
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria as the clang of the tray echoed through the air.
Kenzie stood frozen, food smeared across her face while her hands hung halfway up, far too late to shield herself.
My fingers slowly loosened around the tray before it slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with another loud clatter.
Silence.
Complete silence.
I looked around, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
What have I done?
How did I lose control like that without thinking about the consequences?
Yes, I hated being bullied.
I hated it when people looked down on me.
But this was Westbrook Academy.
I barely knew anyone here.
From the outside, it looked as though I had attacked Kenzie for no reason. Everyone had witnessed me smashing a tray into her face, yet most of them had probably ignored the slap she'd given me moments earlier.
My stomach twisted.
Great, Aurelia. First week, and you've already painted yourself as the violent scholarship student.
“Did you just throw a tray at her face?” one of Kenzie's lackeys shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at me. “You're in serious trouble.”
Kenzie silently wiped the mashed food from her face.
She didn't scream.
She didn't cry.
She stared at me.
The look in her eyes sent a chill crawling down my spine.
Then, without saying a single word, she turned around and walked away.
Her lackeys hurried after her, throwing murderous glares over their shoulders.
Only after they disappeared through the cafeteria doors did my shoulders finally relax.
A shaky breath escaped my lips.
Maybe...
Maybe that was the end of it.
Almost instinctively, my eyes drifted across the cafeteria.
Straight toward Zane Miller.
He still sat exactly where he'd been before.
One elbow rested lazily on the table while a crooked smile played on his lips. His eyes never left mine.
It was almost as if he'd been waiting to see what I'd do.
The smug i***t.
Our gazes locked.
Without looking away, he slowly raised his thumb.
Another thumbs-up.
Heat rushed to my face.
Was he... encouraging me?
I narrowed my eyes before flipping him off beneath the table.
His grin widened.
Then—to my complete disbelief—he laughed.
Not loudly.
Just enough for his shoulders to shake.
What the hell was wrong with him?
I snatched my backpack from the chair and stormed toward the exit.
I had barely reached the hallway when hurried footsteps echoed behind me.
“Aurelia!”
I didn't stop.
“Aurelia, wait!”
Still refusing to look back, I quickened my pace.
A hand suddenly wrapped around my wrist.
I spun around so fast my hair whipped across my face.
“What?”
Zane immediately released me and took a step back.
His expression softened. “I just wanted to—”
“I don't,” I snapped, knowing what he was about to do.
He blinked.
“I don't want to hear it,” I cut him off.
“Aurelia...”
“No.”
His jaw tightened. “Please. Just give me five minutes.”
“You've had years.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Students continued walking around us, casting curious glances our way before pretending not to stare.
“You don't understand what happened back then,” he said quietly.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“Understand? You rejected me in front of dozens of influential families.”
His shoulders stiffened.
“You humiliated me.”
“I know.”
“You made me feel like I wasn't even worth looking at,” I whispered fiercely, poking his shoulder.
“Aurelia...”
“I spent years wondering what was so wrong with me.”
His breathing became uneven.
“I thought I wasn't pretty enough.” I stepped back. “I thought I wasn't good enough.”
His fists slowly clenched.
“I thought there had to be something fundamentally broken about me for my own mate to reject me without hesitation.”
“Aurelia, that's not—”
“I don't care.”
The words came out sharper than I intended.
“I don't care what excuse you have.”
His face fell.
“I don't care if someone forced you.”
“I don't care if you regretted it five minutes later.”
“I don't care if you've been miserable ever since.”
Every sentence chipped away at the confidence he'd walked over here with.
“You embarrassed me.”
“You destroyed my self-worth before I even understood what a mating bond meant. So whatever you're trying to fix now...”
I shook my head.
“You're too late.”
His lips parted, but no words came out.
For the first time since I'd met him again...
Zane Miller looked completely lost.
I turned away before I could see anything else in his eyes.
“Aurelia.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
I kept walking.
“Aurelia.”
I ignored him, quickening my footsteps.
“Aurelia!”
This time his voice cracked.
Even then...
I never looked back.
I hurried back to my dorm and shut the door behind me. I moved quickly and collapsed onto the bed.
“Ahhh!” I screamed into the pillow.
Why the hell did I do all that?! I should have lain low like I initially planned. Now trouble was going to come my way whether I liked it or not.
I gripped my hair tightly, ignoring the pain, as though that would knock some sense into me.
In a few hours, I knew I'd be called in and possibly expelled from the school.
I sprang up, sitting on the bed.
Maybe I'll just crawl on my knees and beg for forgiveness?
I bit my nails, my feet tapping repeatedly against the floor.
I grabbed my phone, but the signal was terrible.
The day was already over, and everyone else had already returned to their dorms.
“Let's worry about this another day, then,” I sighed in exhaustion.
I was about to lie down when my eyes caught a glimpse of someone standing outside the window, watching me.
My soul left my body in an instant.
- Writer
