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Chapter Fourteen
Elena
Mylastnervewasa fraying tightrope by the time I walked into New Ventures on Friday. And of course, it was all Lachlan’s fault. He was the only human being who could rattle me. He’d done exactly as I’d asked and left me alone all week. But he was everywhere.Everywhere.
I walked outside, he was tinkering with his crusty truck in his driveway.
If I wanted sunshine on the deck, he was already onhisdeck, reading a book.
Our paths crossed incessantly on campus when they never had before.
And Spanish class was the absolute worst. He was just…there. So there. His presence was as massive as his shoulders and impossible to ignore.
There was no way I’d last an hour sitting between Kayleigh and Abby. Not that they were getting to me, but my fuse was so very short, they were liable to get a pencil to the eyeball if they looked at me wrong.
Therefore, I parked myself right beside my old buddy, Salvatore. He jumped in fright when I sat down and leaned as far away from me as possible without toppling over.
I pointed to his Leaning Tower of Pisa posture. “What’s that about?”
“Um. You’re sitting next to me. You never sit next to me.” His nose twitched. “Are you going to mess with me or something?”
Shaking my head, I pursed my lips in consternation. What was the use of reforming if dudes like Sal still thought I was the bad guy? “What gave you that impression?”
His eyes shot to the front as the douchelord posse walked into class. “I thought you were friends with them. Any class I’ve ever had with those guys, they find some way to go after me.”
I snarled. “That really sucks, Sal, but I’m definitely not friends with them. As far as they know, you have a horse cock and I’m pining to ride it again.”
He sputtered, barely keeping his glasses on his face from jerking back so hard. “That wasyouwho started that rumor? I thought Kayleigh was recording me or something when she asked if it was true.”
I bit down on my bottom lip, sort of pleased with myself. “Well…did you confirm it for her?”
Sal turned bright red, and it was kind of cute. If I were into skinny, nerdy types, Sal would totally do it for me. His glasses were stylish. His hair had a charming flop to it when he brushed it. It’d taken me a few glances to notice, but Sal could get it. Not from me, but from a lot of other girls, for sure.
“Uh, no. My—” he waved his hand in the direction of his crotch, “—junk is private. You know, between me and the girl I’m with.”
I nodded. “I respect that, but if I were you, I’d ride the horse cock wave, especially if it’s even close to true. You might not get another chance like this.”
He snapped open his laptop, sending me a glance out the side of his eyes. “I’m good how I am. I guess it was cool of you to say that, though.”
I looked over my shoulder as the Pi Sig boys chest bumped each other, and Kayleigh and Abby simpered at their antics. The fact that I’d been part of their group until far too recently made me sick to my stomach. Even worse, my mother was pushing for me to hang out with Kayleigh again since her dad did business with mine. If my mom knew I’d slapped Kayleigh silly last semester, she’d undoubtedly need to be locked back up in her favorite padded room.
Professor Seavers started class, tearing my thoughts from vapid girls, stupid boys, horse cocks, and Lachlan freaking Kelly—who, unfortunately, could have been categorized with the horse cocks.
Toward the end of class, Professor Seavers introduced our midterm project, which would be worth fifty percent of our grade. We’d be working with a real startup company, forming a business plan, including marketing, budgeting, visions for expansion—basically, lassoing the moon for them. During homecoming, alumni judges would watch and score our presentations. The most exciting part was in the past, some alumni had invested in the startups they were introduced to during the presentations. That raised the stakes on the assignment significantly.
Damn, was I excited. My head was bubbling like a bottle of champagne, ready to burst with ideas, and I didn’t even know which startup I’d be working with yet.
“Now”—Seavers braced her hands on her lectern—“you’ll be working in either pairs or trios. I encourage you to choose who you work with wisely. Don’t choose your buddy just because you have fun together. Imagine this is a real business—because it is—and pair up with someone who will be an asset.”
The classroom door swung open, and everyone’s head swiveled from the professor to the person entering the room. A sandy-blond head peeked in. When Seavers waved him in, the rest of him followed.
The bubbles in my head filled with lead, causing me to sink down in my chair.
Seavers grinned as wide as her no-nonsense style would allow. “Just in time. One of my former students agreed to come back and talk to you about his experience in this class. He also owns one of the startups a few of you will be working with. Give Oliver Bergen your attention.”
Oliver and Nate could have been twins. From my vantage, Oliver and Nate had shared height and build—tall and lean—with features that were strikingly similar. Oliver had a smattering of light stubble on his jaw, but it only made me think this was what Nate would have looked like in a few years if he hadn’t died. Sadness and fear twined in my belly, inextricably linked whenever I allowed my thoughts to turn to Nate.
Oliver grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. At least his smile was different from Nate’s. It actually reached his eyes and wasn’t rimmed with evil. Then again, he was older than Nate, so he could have had more experience hiding it.
