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“Claudia is one of our best managers. She cares a great deal about her groups and attendees. But she can be… precious.” We reached some sunny yellow double doors. “This is our cafeteria. It’s open daily and offers a range of light lunches and snacks. Staff and volunteers get a discount. And I’ve heard the lemon cake is particularly good.” She winked, pulling the door open.
I slipped inside, my stomach rumbling at the burst of smells. But the feeling quickly passed as dread flooded me.
For sitting in the corner, with a scowl on his face, was Zane.
Zane
The universe enjoyed fuckingme over.
That was the only explanation for the fact Celeste Rowe was standing by the door, looking like a fish out of water.
“Celeste?” The woman commanded her attention, and Celeste blinked up at her, forcing a smile.
“I could use some coffee.”
I snorted. She followed the woman to the service counter, and the two of them ordered, paying me no attention.
There were a few other people in the cafeteria. Nobody had bothered me while I’d been here, waiting. But I was used to people giving me a wide berth. The residents this side of the reservoir usually took one look at my tattoos, my piercings, and black hoodie, and deemed me suspect.
Once they had their drinks and cake, the woman led Celeste to a table within earshot of mine. I could have gotten up and left, waited outside in the car. I could have gone to the restroom or even waited in the hall.
But I didn’t.
Because despite hating the fact that she was here, inserting herself into yet another part of my life, I was curious about why the fuck she was here.
“Your mother said you could commit to three sessions a week? Is that correct?”
“Yes, I should be able to do two evenings after school and some hours over the weekend. But my course load is pretty heavy since I’m taking a lot of AP courses, so I don’t want to overcommit.”
“Of course not.”
I fought the urge to tsk. Little Miss Einstein was quite something.
Her eyes flicked to mine as if she heard my thoughts, and instead of looking away, I held her stare with a glower of my own. Her cheeks flushed as her breath caught at the strange crackle of tension that rippled between us.
Hatred. That’s all it was.
I hated everything she represented.
Celeste broke first, ducking her head as she pushed the piece of cake around her plate.
If she was going to be volunteering here, I’d need to find out when so I could avoid her. The last thing I wanted was to cross paths with her any more than I already had to, given that Chloe seemed insistent on keeping her around as a friend.
“That’s great,” the woman said. “It’s so exciting for us to have Sabrina’s daughter joining our team of volunteers. We’re very lucky and grateful to have her on the board this year.”
My fist curled against my thigh. These people, the world they lived in. I knew the center relied on and benefited greatly from donations such as the ones I’m sure Celeste’s parents made on the regular. But it seemed so unjust, so fucking unfair, that they had enough money to give to charity like they were handing out candy, when some families in The Row couldn’t afford to put a hot meal on the table.
I shot up and stalked toward the door. I needed some air.
“Excuse me, young man,” the woman’s voice stopped me.
“Yeah?” I glanced back.
“Are you… attending one of our groups?”
“What’s it to you?”
She blanched, and for a second I felt an ounce of guilt. But fuck her and this place and fuck Celeste Rowe for sitting there, pity shining in her eyes.
