13

LUCIA

Jeremy promised to leave me alone, and he kept to his word. Other than the unreadable stares that had become minimal, he wanted nothing to do with me.

I should have been ecstatic. I should be jumping up for joy. If things continued this way, I would have nothing to worry about. My life would finally become normal again.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I tried to convince myself that Jeremy and I were speaking for the best, I could not help but feel otherwise.

Not speaking to him did not feel like the best at all. It felt like the absolute worst. As much as I tried to tell myself that not speaking to him bothered me, I knew I was only lying to myself.

It bothered me a lot.

I was in a bad mood all day, and the mere thought of staying in my apartment all by myself did not seem so appealing to me.

I decided to go out and since I had nowhere else to go, I decided to visit the restaurant and despite the fact that I was supposed to be ignoring Jeremy, I found myself hoping that I would run into him at the restaurant.

My heart did a flip when I spotted him at the corner of the restaurant with his friends and a girl I recognized as one of my students.

It was clear that she was interested in Jeremy, but he didn’t seem to feel the same, which for some reason made me feel slightly relieved.

I snuck glances at Jeremy, and I made sure not to get caught every time I did so. It appeared that he was getting teased by his friends, and the funny faces he made did not hesitate to put a huge smile on my face.

It was crazy how adorable he was.

I slowly turned to look at Jeremy once more, but my heart instantly sunk in my chest at what I saw.

The girl beside Jeremy appeared to try to feed him a french fry, and he looked slightly confused for a moment, but he eventually took the fry in his mouth.

The gesture looked so strangely intimate that I couldn’t help the jealousy, which shot up my insides. What was the girl doing, feeding him french fries?

I had been so carried away that I realized a little too late that Jeremy had met my eyes. The moment I realized that, I quickly averted my gaze, seething under my breath as I chucked a bit of food roughly in my mouth.

I tried my very best not to look his way, but I couldn’t resist and to my utmost embarrassment, I ended up looking again, and I almost had a heart attack at the sight before me.

The girl was still feeding Jeremy fries, and he took them while looking straight at me. I couldn’t contain the sullen expression which made its way onto my face as I quickly looked away.

It was clear that Jeremy knew what he was doing. He did this on purpose, and the fact that I knew deserved it did not make it any less painful.

My heart clenched in my chest as I managed to finish up my meal, glad that I didn’t throw up before getting up and storming out of the restaurant.

As I made my way back home, a million thoughts raced through my head. I knew I had no right to be upset.

This was what I wanted. I asked Jeremy to leave me alone. It was only right that he moved on. I still couldn’t help the ache, which grew larger and larger in my chest.

I half hoped that he would come after me and I could not help the disappointment which flooded my chest when he didn’t.

I rolled my eyes, smacking myself on the forehead like the idiot that I was. Why would he come after me when I made it clear that he was to leave me alone?

Just as I began unlocking the door to my apartment, I heard my phone ring loudly. I fished the phone out of my purse and, on the screen, flashed Beth’s name.

Despite my sour mood, I couldn’t help the small smile that made its way onto my face.

“Hey, bestie.” I said as chirpily as possible once the call connected. I didn’t want her to think there was anything wrong.

“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice turning concerned, and I couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh.

Damn it. I couldn't even hide anything from my best friend. She knew me a little too well to the point where it was borderline terrifying.

“Uhm–nothing?” I answered in an uncertain tone, hoping that she would let it go, but deep down, I knew that the chances of that happening was almost zero.

“Come on, Lucy. Talk to your bestie. What is bothering you?” She asked, and I could hear the tinge of curiosity in her tone.

I let out another sigh, reluctant to answer.

“Hold on. Is this about Jeremy again?” She asked, and I let out a whoosh of air, pressing my fingers to my temple, which was beginning to ache.

She knew all about the drama between Jeremy and I now because she managed to squeeze all the information out of me whenever she had the chance.

“It is, isn’t it?” Beth asked, and I could hear her smile through the phone, which made me even more frustrated.

I had become so predictable to the point where my problems had to involve Jeremy somehow.

“It is.” I finally admitted, my expression turning downcast.

“What happened?” She asked, and I wasted no time telling her about everything that went down at the restaurant.

“Phew. That had to be so difficult. I’m sorry, Lucy.”

“Thanks, Beth.” I answered, sniffing as I ran my fingers through my hair. I had been pacing about the living room a moment ago, and I managed to collapse on one of the couches, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

“I know it hurts, Lucy, but I think it's for the best. If being with Jeremy is going to harm your career, then it's best to stay away from him. And if he has found someone else, then it would be easier to do so.”

It was necessary for me to stay away from Jeremy. I knew how much Crawford University frowned on teacher and student relationships. I would lose my job if things went south.

I knew how much was at stake, and it was crazy that I still wanted Jeremy so badly. There was no denying it. I had lost my damn mind.

“Thanks, Beth. I’ll do what I can.” I answered, letting out a resigned sign.

“Cheer up, okay? When I get back, we’ll relax and have fun like we always do, alright?” She said, and I couldn’t help the smile which made its way onto my face.

“Looking forward to it.” I replied, and she let out a delighted chuckle. We said our goodbyes, and once the call disconnected, I was left to my thoughts and a silent apartment.

I let out a sigh, unsurprised that my thoughts slowly drifted towards Jeremy once more. I couldn’t understand how he could just manage to invade my life and turn the entire thing upside down.

How could he invade my thoughts so much? A person who was younger than me at such. How was that possible?

After moping around on the couch for a few more minutes, I managed to drag myself into my room before taking a quick shower and preparing for bed.

The next morning, as my eyes fluttered open, my stomach dropped at the thought of seeing Jeremy in school again.

His class was the first class I would be teaching today, and I knew he would be there. I had no idea how I was even supposed to behave after what I saw yesterday.

I managed to get dressed for work anyway. A college student was not enough to stop me from fulfilling my duties.

I clutched my bag tightly as I alighted from the cab, making my way into the school and straight to my first class.

When I flung the doors to the lecture hall open, my eyes darted around, and my blood instantly froze at the sight that greeted me.

A couple of students had already taken their seats, but what caught my attention was Jeremy, and once again, he was with that girl who fed him french fries yesterday.

This time, they were in a deep conversation and the smiles on their faces showed that they were probably flirting with each other, but what hurt my heart most was the fact that he had his hand around her waist and the other hand stroking her chin delicately.

My heart shattered in my chest, and a silent gasp escaped my lips. Once Jeremy’s eyes found mine, I was not mistaken to see the corners of his lips lifted up in a smirk as he slowly made his way to his seat.