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I bristled.
I might have shared the same name as Anthony and Miranda, but they were not my family. The only family I had was back in Lancaster.
“Blake,” I replied curtly.
She smiled again and smoothed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She was one of those girls; the mean girls who thought they were above everyone else, just like the girls at Lancaster High who made Penny’s life hell. It practically oozed from her.
“I can show you to second period if you’d like,” she said sweetly.
“Blake, I trust you’ll be okay in Miss Arnold’s hands?”
Penny’s face flashed in my mind, and I wanted to close my eyes and lose myself in her chocolate eyes.
But I couldn’t.
Spellman was burning holes into my head, and Brittany was looking at me as if she wanted to do more than just show me to second period.
Fuck.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Penny
I avoided work all week.
Every time Mary called, I lied and said I was still attending to the ‘family emergency.’
I hated myself for it, and guilt weighed heavily on my mind, but the alternative was worse.
Much worse.
Part of me wanted to quit. I’d even written out my resignation message. Something held me back though.
My heart was ready to walk away, to shut itself off and live a life of meaningless solitude again, but this time, my head refused to accept it had to be that way.
When Friday rolled around again, I knew it was crunch time. I wasn’t being fair to Mary, and I needed to know if I was going to be looking for work again.
Not to mention the fact, I needed fresh air.
I’d avoided leaving the apartment for fear of someone from Touch of Class noticing me. Like now, as I hurried along the sidewalk en route back to The Oriental Garden from the store. I’d finally run out of lavender-scented candles and air fresheners and feared the smell of fried egg rolls was going to suffocate me.
In the short time from leaving my apartment to exiting the store, dusk had started to fall. I pulled my jacket tighter as I turned off from the high street into the alley leading to my apartment.
It was only a little after six, but it was a Friday night, and college students didn’t need an excuse to start their weekend early.
Usually, the crowds of students spilled out of Bernie’s onto the street smoking and drinking paid me little attention, but it didn’t stop me from holding my breath every time I had to pass the bar.
A couple of guys wolf-whistled at me as I moved past them, but I kept my head down and picked up my pace. So focused on getting back to the safety of my apartment, I didn’t notice the figure hiding in the shadows and walked straight into them.
“Shit,” a startled voice said.
“Marissa?” I asked, stepping back and blinking to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.
“The one and only,” she smirked, rubbing a hand where our heads had bumped.
Without thinking, I launched myself at her, wrapping my arms around her slender figure. She laughed and hugged me back. I didn’t flinch or step out of her grasp—I embraced the feeling.
Until now, I hadn’t realized just how much I missed her. Marissa had played as much of a role in my summer—my healing—as Blake had.
