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“Or maybe he’s just impressed with the work I’ve done?”
I roll my eyes.
Wrong move.
She glares at me, her jaw set. She straightens her posture and lifts her chin like she does every time she’s faced confrontation. I know this battle stance. In fact, it’s one of the things I find so attractive about Jessica. These moments when her grit and determination outweigh any uncertainty.
But her face wears an expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen from her despite the months we’ve spent together. There’s fire in her narrowed eyes, mouth tightened to a thin line.
She’s pissed.
At me.
“Are you saying I don’t deserve to be recognized for my hard work? This is exactly why I spent all those late nights at the office grinding all summer. Your father introduced me to someone at dinner who said he’d write me a letter of recommendation immediately, and he’s even gonna call his friend—the provost of UC San Diego—to set up an introduction.”
There’s a twinge of desperation in her voice. She needs to believe that all of this is real, that my father really would do this for her out of the kindness of his heart.
But what she doesn’t understand is that he doesn’t have a heart.
She sighs deeply, tilting her head back toward the sky before facing me again. “Look, I know you and your dad have issues and don’t agree on much. It’s just that, well, I’m really grateful for everything he’s done for me in such a short time. This will change the course of my life,” she quickly tries to explain.
No, I can’t let her buy into this. I won’t.
“He doesn’t mean it. He’s using you...” I say.
“So what?” Her words catch me off guard.So what?Jessica tightens her lips and breathes out of her nose, nostrils flaring like a bull ready to attack.
“...to get back at me,” I clarify.
“And you used me to get back at him.”
Her words cut like a knife. “What are you talking about?”
“You used me to get exactly what you wanted this summer, Elijah. You suggested I take this role so you wouldn’t have to do anything.”
“Are you serious? You of all people know I’ve worked my ass off this summer.” Has she forgotten how I took care of all the shit that no one wanted to do, the shit that no one gives credit for or notices? I did that. Fucking logistics. And I loved it.
And I loved that she noticed. She appreciated my work.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she backpedals.
But she can’t take it back. It’s out there. Now it’s my turn.
“And what? You didn’t get exactly what you wanted from this deal? You’re gonna receive that precious letter of recommendation. And it’s probably gonna be handed to you from the fucking CEO himself. Congratulations. You’ve sold your soul to Haneul Corporation. Have a happy life. We’ve seen how that’s turned out for everyone, including your dad.”
Jessica jumps to her feet and stares down at me, pointing a finger in my face. “Don’t you dare bring my dad into this,” she says.
“You can’t just pick and choose who’s dragged through this, Jessica. Have you even talked to him since yesterday? Or have you been too busy hanging out with my dad?”
Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to deny that she’s basically forgotten her dad is even in town. But she can’t seem to find the words. She knows there’s no excuse that she could say to me.
“Jessica, your dad fought for this internship program even though he knew the execs wouldn’t give a shit about it. And at the end of the summer, after all you’ve gone through at this crappy company, you’re siding with Haneul over your own dad?” I ask.Over me?
She lets out a long breath, drops her shoulders, and looks away from me. “I’m not siding with anyone. If anything, I’m choosing myself, and I shouldn’t have to feel guilty about that,” she says. The anger isn’t in her voice anymore. She sounds tired, resigned.
“Elijah, we’ve had this conversation multiple times before. You and I,” she says, then hesitates, “we’re, we’re not alike.”
I can’t take it. I stand up, and her eyes raise to look at me.
