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“That’s cool. Has he found a new job yet?”
I had told Sasha via text message my brother had quit his job one night while we were texting back and forth.
I shake my head. “With the holidays he hasn’t started looking. He said he’s going to start sending out his applications this week.” Biting my lip, I add, “I think he’s worried his old boss will block him from getting in somewhere new.”
“Oh, I hope not.” She frowns, smoothing her hair down. “That’d be completely unfair. Is his old boss really that much of an asshole?”
“Apparently.”
She looks around hesitantly. “Did you see Ansel any on break?”
“Yeah?” I arch a brow. “Why?”
She blows out a breath. “No reason.”
“Come on, Sasha, you can tell me.”
She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I know I wasn’t even home, but … he hangs out with you outside of school, but not me. It’s dumb.” She blows out a breath, giving me a sad smile. “I wish I could get over this stupid crush when he clearly doesn’t like me back and never will.”
I touch her elbow, trying to give her some sort of comfort. “You’ll move on eventually. Or who knows, maybe he’ll get the stick out of his ass and give you a chance.”
I don’t tell her, but I don’t think he will. Honestly, I don’t know why she likes him. They’re total opposites with basically nothing in common.
She snorts, rolling her eyes. “I doubt that. Maybe some hot new guy will transfer before the end of the year. You never know.”
The warning bell chimes and we say our goodbyes.
I give myself a short pep talk as I walk through the halls, assuring myself I’ll get through today, tomorrow, next week, and all the months after that leading up to graduation. I’m better now than I was at the beginning of the year, and while the last day I was here felt like a major set back, I’m here and that’s what matters.
Lachlan takes one look at me when I enter his office and senses the rising panic inside of me.
I thought I was okay when I got here, and I was for a little while, but murmurs echoed through the halls all day about the shooting before break. It was a harder pill to swallow than I expected hearing the conversations, names of friends injured passed around. It’s a relief that no one died, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Principal Gordon even had all the teachers pass around papers with information on new safety measures that had been put in place while we were on break. Like more cameras, and extra security checks on anyone that’s not staff trying to enter the building. I’m glad they’re taking this seriously, but at the same time it’s tragic that it’s come to this.
The door closes behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Somehow, without me noticing since I was so lost in my head, Lachlan has appeared in front of me. In a blink his arms are around me.
“What’s wrong, baby?” He stiffens the moment the words are out of his mouth.
“It seems like everyone is talking about the shooting.” My words are muffled by his shirt. I step out of his embrace, giving him an apologetic smile. Guilt clings to me, because if someone walked in on us I would know in my gut that there’s nothing innocent about us touching.
He steps back, leaning his butt against his desk and crossing his muscular arms over his chest. I try not to think about the fact that only a day ago I saw that delectable bare ass in his shower.
I take a seat on the loveseat, away from him. My backpack falls from my arm to rest on the carpeted floor.
Drawing my legs up, I wrap my arms around them and rest my chin on my knees.
“I feel so stupid for getting upset about it.”
“Why do you think it made you feel that way?”
I arch a brow. “Don’t go all shrink on me.”
A laugh bursts out of him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound like one. But I think the best way to move forward is to figure out why hearing about it upsets you—is it the way people speak about it? Is it because it happened at all? Is it because it’s too close to home?”
“All of it?” The words come out as a question for some reason. He gives me a moment to sort through my thoughts. “I think a lot comes back to the fact that it shouldn’t be a conversation that’s happening at all.”
He nods in agreement. “That makes sense.”
