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“Don’t mess with me, Karlee. Go to your fucking meeting. I’ll see you after.”
“I thought you were going to escort me?”
“I changed my mind.”
He turns and stalks off, leaving me staring after him, blinking the tears that blur my eyes. It’s like he’s just abandoned me when I know someone is there, keeping an eye on me. Maybe him,maybe he walked off to come back a different way. Use me as bait or . . .
Or maybe I pushed him past his limits.
I’m tired, a little hysterical because I didn’t sleep much last night and . . . and I want . . . I want him to just look at me and say, it was good, special, something.
“And then what?” I mutter as I head to the meeting. “Happiness and balloons? You’re an idiot, Karlee. A bona fide idiot.”
“We have to stop meeting like this,” says Professor Walker as I head down to meet Laura after I finish my one-on-one. His grin is as ready and easy as ever, but his eyes aren’t. They spark with concern.
He motions to the grass, just off the campus path, out of the way of anyone coming along it.
“Is there a problem?” I ask.
“I hope not. Look, I might be overstepping, but considering the bites on your throat and that older man you were arguing with outside the arts building, I’m a little concerned. Is he your boyfriend? He’s a lot older than you, and you’re very young.”
“I’m old enough,” I say, cheeks burning.
“Of age, yes. You’re what? Twenty-one?”
“Twenty-two.” But, I add to myself, I’ve already lived a life.
“I just don’t want him . . . overstepping, hurting you. And if you’re not comfortable talking to me, there’s the counselor.”
“No, I have a boyfriend. Tizio’s my bodyguard.”
His brows almost meet his dark blond curls. “Why do you need a bodyguard?” He stops and doesn’t comment on the cut, and I’m grateful because explaining that . . . “I’m sorry, I?—”
“No, it’s fine. Something I ask myself too. Family, very overprotective family.”
He nods. “And not my business.” Then he checks his watch. “Glad you’re okay. I have to go, my girlfriend’s cooking dinner.”
He goes, and I turn to head to the English department, where Laura has her last class of the day. But she’s already coming toward me, a big grin on her face.
“Oh my God! I want all the tea, woman. Spill it and make it so hot it burns the roof of my mouth.”
I get the giggles at her. “He’s a teacher, nothing more.”
“That hot giant was here. The one who grabbed Hazard.”
I sigh. “No hot tea, I’m afraid. He’s my brother’s friend and now my self-appointed watcher because all the men in my life are overprotective idiots.”
“Okay, I know there’s tea there. Why?”
But before I can fob off the question, she rears back. “Speak of the devil. There he is, bearing down hard on us.”
“I’ve got work I need to do, anyway. Stall him? I’m going to the computer labs. I just had an idea about my issue. School work issue.”
I take off. I grab my phone and shoot a text to Tizio because I don’t want him shaking my friend down. Yeah, I don’t want him even thinking about putting his hands on someone else.
Me:Gotta do some last min work. Catch you later.
I know he won’t be pleased, but I’m not lying. I’m sure he can work out where I am and hang outside. I need to bury myself in work.
