Chapter 15

CANDACE

By the time I got home, I had decided that whatever happened today was staying exactly where it belonged.

At least for tonight.

I kicked off my shoes near the door, dropped my bag beside the couch and headed straight for my room. I didn’t bother changing properly.

I pulled on an oversized T-shirt, tied my hair into a messy bun and made my way back to the living room with a bowl of popcorn balanced against my hip.

I needed something mindless.

Something loud.

Something that didn’t involve professors, mysterious men, threats or humiliating conversations in dark corners of campus.

My laptop was already sitting on the coffee table, so I opened it, searched for one of my favourite shows and settled onto the couch. Within minutes, the familiar opening music filled the apartment.

Perfect.

For the next few hours, I enjoyed the show.

My phone faced down beside me on the couch.

Another episode started automatically.

Then another.

By the time I reached for the popcorn again, my eyes were already beginning to feel heavy.

My phone beeped.

I looked at it.

Probably Bridgette; I'd texted her I was leaving school before our dinner plans earlier.

Without really thinking about it, I shifted the laptop farther up my thighs and picked up my phone. The notification was sitting at the top of the screen, so I tapped it immediately.

I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth.

Then I looked at the message.

My chewing stopped.

A picture filled the screen.

For a second, I didn’t understand what I was looking at.

Then my stomach dropped.

A few pieces of popcorn slipped from my mouth and landed on my shirt.

No.

My thumb hovered over the screen.

I stared harder.

It was me.

There was no mistaking my face.

My eyes were closed, my arms were wrapped around the neck of the man I’d spent the last few weeks desperately trying not to think about, and his back was turned toward the camera.

Elias.

The picture had been taken at the party.

The same party where everything had gone horribly wrong.

The same party I’d convinced myself no one had noticed.

Apparently, someone had.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Another message appeared beneath the picture.

Oh, it’s Brad, the guy from earlier today :)

I stared at the words.

Then at the picture.

Then back at the words.

My fingers tightened around the phone. How the hell did he even get my number? I didn’t care.

Not right now.

My fingers moved before I could second-guess myself.

Mind your business.

The reply came almost immediately.

Touché.

I rolled my eyes so hard they hurt.

Seriously. Leave me alone.

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

Then appeared again.

I waited.

Nothing came.

Good.

I locked my phone and tossed it onto the other end of the couch.

I wasn’t giving him anything else.

I wasn’t going to panic.

I wasn’t going to ask how he got my number.

And I definitely wasn’t going to sit here staring at that picture until I drove myself insane.

I picked up another piece of popcorn and turned my attention back to the laptop.

For about thirty seconds.

Then I looked at my phone again.

No new message.

I exhaled and forced my attention back to the screen.

Whatever Brad wanted, I wasn’t playing along.

My eyelids grew heavier as the episode continued, the voices from the laptop slowly blending into background noise. I pulled the blanket over myself and sank deeper into the couch.

I made it halfway through the episode before sleep finally won.

The next morning, I regretted every decision that had led me to believe coffee could replace actual sleep.

Maybe three cups had been a bad idea.

Then again, considering where I was going, maybe three wasn’t enough.

The History building came into view.

By the time class ended, I almost convinced myself that yesterday’s encounter with Brad had affected me more than I wanted to admit.

Students began filing out.

I stayed seated.

The extra credit.

That was why I was here.

Not because I wanted to be near Elias.

I waited until the room had almost emptied before packing my notebook.

When I approached his desk, he was organising a stack of papers.

“Professor?”

His eyes lifted.

“Ms Winters.”

I held up the assignment sheet.

“I had a question about the primary sources.”

“Sure.”

He motioned toward the paper.

I placed it on the desk between us and pointed to the section I’d marked.

“I wasn’t sure if these two would work for the comparison.”

He leaned forward to look.

“These?”

“Yeah.”

“They’ll work, but you’ll need to establish why they’re useful for comparison.”

I nodded, listening as he explained the requirements.

It was normal. That should have made it easier.

I kept my eyes on the assignment.

He pointed to another section.

“Your argument needs to be stronger here.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t spend too much time summarising the sources. I want analysis.”

“Right.”

I nodded again.

“We’re done here,” he said quietly.

I swallowed.

“Right.”

I picked up my paper.

Neither of us said anything for a moment.

Then a voice suddenly echoed through the classroom.

“Surprise!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned.

Jake stood in the doorway.

His smile faded almost instantly.

His eyes moved from me to his father, then back to me.

His brows pulled together.

“You’re both here?”

I stared at him.

“Jake?”

He stepped into the classroom, his expression slowly changing into confusion.

“What are you doing here?”

I glanced down at the assignment in my hand.

“Extra credit.”

“Oh.”

He looked at the paper.

Then at his father.

Then back at me.

“You’re doing extra credit with Dad?”

“With Professor Elias,” I corrected automatically.

Jake gave a small laugh.

“Right. Professor Elias.”

Something about the way he said it made my stomach tighten.

He walked closer, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“I just didn’t know Dad stayed behind with students.”

Elias’s expression changed.

Barely.

But I caught it.

“It’s an academic requirement,” he said.

Jake looked at him for another second before smiling.

“I know.”

He turned toward me.

“I just thought I’d surprise you.”

I forced a smile. “You definitely did.”

He laughed and stepped closer. “I’ve been trying to reach you yesterday and all morning.”

My phone was in my bag and I hadn’t even checked it.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Jake glanced over his shoulder at his father.

Then back at me.

“I was actually hoping we could grab something to eat.”

I nodded.

“Sure.”

He smiled.

But before we could leave, his eyes drifted toward the paper in my hand.

“Wait.”

He pointed at it.

“What’s this about?”

“Extra credit,” I repeated.

“History?”

I nodded.

His smile returned.

“Good. I was starting to think you hated this class.”

My heart stumbled. I laughed quickly. “Why would you think that?”

He shrugged. “You’ve missed a lot of it.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Jake wasn’t accusing me of anything.

Not yet.

He was just talking.

Just being Jake.

But standing there between him and his father, with that photograph sitting in my phone and Brad’s message still somewhere in my head, every harmless question suddenly felt like something more.

Elias cleared his throat.

“You should get going.”

Jake looked at him.

“Yeah.”

He turned back to me and held out his hand.

“Come on.”

I slipped my fingers into his.

As we walked toward the door, I glanced back once.

Elias was still standing behind his desk.

Watching us leave.

As we reached the doorway, something about his earlier comment caught up with me.

I stopped.

“Wait.”

Jake turned around.

“How did you know I’ve missed so many classes?”

For a second, he didn’t answer.

He just looked at me.

Then a slow smile spread across his face, but there was something strange about it. Not enough to make me afraid, just enough to make me wonder why he’d looked so amused by such a simple question.

“Because I pay attention to you, Candy.”

I frowned.

“That doesn’t explain how you know.”

He shrugged, the smile still lingering.

“You’ve been different lately.”

My stomach tightened.

“Different how?”

His eyes searched my face for a moment before he chuckled softly.

“I don’t know. Just different.”

He reached for my hand again, threading his fingers through mine like the conversation was already over.

“Come on. I’m starving.”

I let him pull me into the hallway, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d looked at me.

Maybe it was nothing.

Maybe I was just tired.

Still, as we walked down the hallway together, I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

Jake was smiling again.

Like nothing had happened.