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Well, he thought numbly. That couldn’t possibly have gone any worse. At least now he could stop worrying about screwing things up with Morgan… that ship had well and truly sailed.
Chapter 13 - Morgan
In the weeks that followed, Morgan threw herself into her studies with a single-minded zeal that seemed to worry her housemates more than it impressed them. Enough screwing around, she told herself every morning when she woke at dawn. Why had she come to Brisant University? To play stupid games, or to excel at her studies and earn her place here? She’d wasted enough time on stupidity, enough time on useless, worthless, meaningless men—no, not men. Boys. Children. Stupid, arrogant children, that was all they were. The whole stupid mess was embarrassing, but she was grateful that at least she hadn’t made the mistake of telling her housemates about what had happened with Archer. They knew about the rumors he and his stupid friends had been spreading, though.
“What an absolute asshole,” Keli kept saying, grinding her teeth as she stalked around the kitchen. “Honestly. It’s the money, you know? Nobody should have that money. It stunts your growth.”
“Your family has money,” Alina pointed out quietly. “It’s possible to be wealthy and a decent person.”
“Which is what makes it ten times worse,” Keli said, throwing her arms into the air with disgust. “He doesn’t have to be like this. He’schoosingto be like this.”
Morgan was grateful for their support, but she wished they’d just stop talking about it. Every time she was reminded of what had happened, her anger got worse… and there was nowhere to put it. Everyone in the school had heard the stupid rumors, but it didn’t seem like anyone actually believed that they were true… which, if anything, was even more aggravating. If everyone knew it was a lie, then why were they still spreading it?
The rumors even reached Callan, who came to check in with her a week after the disastrous party, joining her at her favorite table in the library. She’d been spending an unprecedented amount of time here lately, and she wasn’t alone—with exams coming up in a few weeks, even the less diligent students were beginning to intensify their study load. It didn’t matter to Morgan. There was plenty of space in the library, and nobody was ever there earlier than her, so she always got her preferred table. It felt good to see other people studying. It reminded her that she wasn’t the only person in this stupid place that cared more about learning than stupid gossip and rumors…
“Are you doing okay?” Callan asked her gently, and she set her pen down and rubbed her forehead tiredly. It was about time for a break, anyway. “I can’t imagine it feels good, being talked about like that.”
“It’s so stupid,” she said, keeping her voice low. “For one thing, it’s a lie. But even if it wasn’t… I mean, it’s the way they’re talking about it. Like it was some kind of competition he’s won. Men are disgusting. Present company excluded,” she added drily, patting Callan reassuringly on the shoulder. He smiled faintly.
“If it’s any consolation, that kind of machismo is unpleasant from this side of the fence, too. The fact that you and I are old friends seems to have put me in the firing line, too.”
She blinked at him, thrown. “What? Why? What do you have to do with it?”
“I’ve been wondering that myself. I think I’m supposed to be jealous.”
“Of the fake sex that Archer and I had.”
“Presumably.”
“Because even though you and I have known since we werechildrenthat we’re not soulmates, another man winning my affection is still a great slight against your manhood for some reason.”
“Exactly. I’m glad you understand my completely unjustifiable anguish.”
“I’m going to throw him into the volcano,” she muttered, gazing down at her books. Then she sighed. “A fire sign would probably survive that though, huh?”
“Only one way to find out.” Morgan chuckled weakly, and Callan smiled, reaching over to squeeze her arm. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. Please know I’m doing my best to put a stop to the rumors when I hear them.”
“It’ll blow over soon,” she said with a shrug. “Honestly, it’s fine.”
“I suppose it’s a compliment, in a twisted way,” Callan said thoughtfully.
“How so?”
“I mean… his choice of target. Of all the women at this university who’d love to be the object of his attention, it’s you he’s chosen to single out. Intimidated by your strength, that’s my suspicion.”
“Trust a Libra to find the positive spin on the situation.” She rolled her eyes affectionately, and Callan left her to her study with a smile. It did make her feel a little better, knowing she had a friend in her corner… but it wasn’t long before the situation started gnawing at her again.
What was really frustrating about the whole thing was the tiny piece of truth that was buried in all the stories. She and Archer had had a moment, up there on the mountaintop. That kiss still burned in her memory, despite all the unpleasantness that had happened since. Could she really have been imagining the connection between them? Was it wishful thinking on her part, this strange conviction she still couldn’t shake that he was a decent person under all that bravado… that there was a good heart in there, underneath all the bluster? That was the problem, at the end of the day. She just didn’t know. And the more she tried to put him out of her mind, the more those little glimpses of his true self seemed to haunt her.
Professor Reine would sense her preoccupation, she knew that much, and it was with a grim kind of resignation that she trudged down the beach to meet with her teacher for their last class for the semester. Morgan had long since given up on the prospect of getting a straight answer from the woman about how her grade would be calculated for this class… given that the woman seemed to laugh even at the prospect of the class having a set beginning and end time on her schedule, she had a feeling that there wasn’t going to be a formal written exam.
When she reached the water’s edge, it was to find the professor sitting cross-legged in the sand, facing out into the choppy but relatively calm ocean with a faint smile on her face and her eyes miles away. Morgan settled in beside her, remembering the drill from the last time. They’d spent a few classes like this, simply sitting in quiet contemplation of the waves. She’d always tried to meditate as best as she could, forcing her mind to return to a carefully blank state every time an errant thought crossed it, but right now, she couldn’t be bothered exerting that kind of will. Let the professor fail her, if she wanted to.
“Something’s changed.”
Morgan glanced sideways at the professor, wondering whether this was one of her cryptic little riddles, or the start of a longer speech. The elder dragon’s eyes hadn’t left the waves, though, and Morgan eventually took the hint, reluctantly returning her gaze to the water. They sat in silence for another few minutes.
“Well?”
