“You are nothing but a miserable asshole.”
“So that’s a yes? I told you so, I?—”
Finn rips the phone from my ear and places it against his own. “I told you to leave my girlfriend alone.”
I blink at his statement. When did they talk?
My eyes study Finn’s darkening expression.
“I swear to god,” he murmurs venomously. “Speak like that to the mother of my child again, and you’ll regret it.”
Without hesitation, he hangs up and throws my phone onto the table.
“What just happened?”
“Has he been harassing you?”
I stare blankly at him for a moment. “We just have a project together, and the other day he was being a complete dickhead. I don’t want to be his partner anymore, but my professor said that I’m not allowed to change if I want a grade in that module.”
Finn purses his lips and shakes his head subtly.
“When did you talk to him?” I ask.
“After my football training. He cornered me and basically said I’m going to let you guys down again.”
I shift onto my knees. “Please tell me you don’t believe him.”
Finn sighs and then shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know what I believe anymore, Maya. My head is fucked.”
“You’re letting the bad thoughts in,” I say with a plea in my voice. “He wants to hurt you, and he’s winning. You’re so much better than that asshole who doesn’t know anything.”
“I’m struggling,” he admits.
“I know,” I whisper before wrapping my arms around him and holding on tightly. “But you don’t have to suffer alone. I’m always going to be here.”
Finn buries his head into my chest. “I want to be better for you, but I don’t know if I can. A couple of words from some guy I couldn’t give a fuck about have messed with my head, then that incident with Skye yesterday. It’s just so fucking triggering.”
“Breathe,” I murmur into his hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“What if it’s not?”
“It is,” I say, gripping onto him tighter. “I refuse for it to be anything else.”
We hold onto each other for a while as his heart crashes against mine and pray that whatever demons are holding him hostage eventually give him peace.
CHAPTER 51
FINN THOMPSON
“Ihave no idea what’s happened since last year and now, but this isn’t a paper up to the standard I was expecting, Finn,” my professor states as I stand at the edge of his desk.
My stomach twists painfully at his words. I thought I was catching up and finally bringing my grades to where they’re supposed to be. Now I feel like I’m back at square one.
“Can I redo it?” I ask desperately.
He shakes his head sternly. “Unfortunately not. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get a 2:1 overall with this assignment, Finn. I’m sorry.”
Everything inside my chest starts to crumble at his words. Everything I’ve been working so hard for. What has gone wrong? I don’t understand.
