AllFreeNovel
Share Us
SEVENTEEN
ROSE
Rose groaned into her hands and flopped down onto her bed, flinging her phone away from her as Dylan’s text came through.
Everything okay?
No,she wanted to reply back. But getting into it would be way too much to deal with right now.
He’d obviously figure it out the moment he saw her face. Not only was she terrible at hiding her feelings, but he was a shifter, and from what she’d read about them, they usually had a knack for sensing things like that.
It really bummed her out, though, because she’d been looking forward to spending time with Dylan again. She missed him. Even though she’d only just seen him a few days prior, there was still that familiar ache in her chest that didn’t go away until she was back in his arms again.
Rose took her hands away from her face and put them over her chest, feeling her heart thundering. She felt so guilty. Dylan’s text back to her made her feel even shittier for not giving him the whole truth.
But what was she supposed to do? Tell him, ‘Hey, some creep tried to intimidate me, and it really bummed me out’? It seemed childish. She didn’t need him thinking she couldn’t handle herself, especially when it came to a shakedown with some sleazeball manager.
Plus, even if she had gone on her date with Dylan and he had noticed her weird vibes, she’d have to tell him what happened andhowit happened, revealing the secret she’d been harboring since their first date.
It was all such a mess at this point that it made her not want to ever leave her house again. How was she supposed to face Dylan and admit to lying to him about something like that? He’d been so forthcoming with Jazzy, and now … she was the one being an ass and holding things back.
Just like she’d accused him of doing ...
Stupid … stupid …
Rolling over, she sighed and grabbed her phone, seeing her missed call from Dylan. It made her heart lurch. He was such a kind soul, protective and warm. It made her want to curl up into a ball and cry out of frustration.
If Dylan knew she’d gotten entangled with Slick, he’d freak. It would be his last straw, and who knows what would happen after that. She knew once shifters set their minds on someone that they liked, they were like wild beasts when it came to protecting them.
She didn’t want blood on her hands ... something she knew would happen if Dylan ever found out that his girlfriend was in contact with the person who’d gotten his other friend killed.
God … what a mess…
* * *
Heading into school on Monday,Rose tried to ignore the unsettling feeling in her stomach while she got to her classroom.
She’d barely texted Dylan back all weekend, eventually telling him that she wasn’t feeling well and giving him every excuse in the book as to why it wasn’t a good idea for him to come over and nurse her back to health.
As sweet as the suggestion was, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her face calm in front of him like that. Not when he would be caring for her so tenderly as his messages had suggested.
Lying to him and pretending like everything was okay was too much for her to handle at this point. She felt like her nerves were completely frazzled, and one wrong move was going to send her into a complete spiral.
Setting her tote bag on her desk, Rose ran her eyes over her lesson plans for the day. A full schedule ... something she usually dreaded, but today it would be a welcomed blessing. At least she’d get to distract herself for the rest of the day before figuring out how to continue to avoid Dylan for the time being.
Sighing, she folded herself into her chair, jumping when there was a knock at her door. She whipped her head around, surprised to see her principal standing there in the doorway. “Hey, good morning, Principal.”
He flashed a smile at her, stepping into her classroom. “Good morning, Miss Hauser.”
“What’s up?”
He held up a small package that had been tucked under his arm. “This came for you this morning. Not sure what it is, but it said priority.”
She felt her brows furrow, standing as he came closer to her desk. “I wasn’t sure if it was medication or not.”
“Oh …” She held out her hands, taking the package from him. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He flashed her another smile, glancing down at her lesson plans. “Big day today?”
