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I roll my eyes, annoyed.
“Yeah, bad for you. You copied from the only person who can’t differentiate the elements in the periodic table. Tough shit, champion.”
Passing around him, I continue my way and take a look at the watch that hugs my wrist, making sure I have enough time before my next class.
Stanley jogs, skipping a couple of steps to catch up with me once he’s out of his stupefaction.
I admit that this whole situation is confusing. I’m the only one in the class that has a perfect score in the homework grade, but those are assignments that we take home. I don’t even touch them. My cousin Luanna does since she was the only one of the family to be good at chemistry—or any science.
“Do you think this is a game for me, Bree?”
I stop midway and cross my arms above my chest to adopt a position that reassures him that I’m as honest as I can be. I’m angry, frustrated, and hangover, a detail that only makes me more susceptible.
“Do you really want to know what I think of you?”
Stanley hesitates for a second, doubt clouds his orbs.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?” I insist, tilting my head.
“Just say it.”
“I don’t like you,” I establish and then catch a breath before letting out my ranting. “You’re too self-centered, and you think that everyone here revolves around you because you’re some kind of athletic god, which is absurdly cliché. I despise that you have it easier around here because everyone says you’re a lacrosse legend. So yeah, this is a game for you, one that you’re not winning for once.”
If I thought he was pissed before, now he’s about to blow off like a grenade. I can almost see the fire swimming in his green eyes. The image reminds me of a dragon about to burn a whole village.
“You have no idea how wrong you are,” he mumbles, there’s a warning in his voice.
“Am I?” The question is rhetoric because we both know it’s not like that. He reminds me of my uncle. They both have that egocentric energy around them. Silence. That’s all I get from him. “You’re bothered by the fact that this is the only professor that hasn’t bowed to you and the whole sports department that swears you’re some kind of god. I’m sorry that things don’t go your way, but that’s life. Deal with it.”
There’s a fog covering his gaze. For an instant, I think that I made a mistake by ranting about him when I don’t trulyknowhim. But I’m blind by the anger, by the frustrating feeling that doesn’t abandon my system, and it’s pushing me to the edge.
Stanley doesn’t utter a single word, and I know that he’s not going to reply or protest. He just accepted my terms without fighting them, without defending himself. Either he’s processing the blow, or he’s neglecting it.
I don’t care.
Flicking my tongue, I push him out of my way and resume my way out of the building. Taking a glance at my phone, I make sure that I have enough time to grab a bite before my next class. A call clouds the screen, and a photo of my mother pops as the phone vibrates.
“Give me a second,” I ask as soon as I answer, and fetch for my earphones in the pocket of my backpack. Once I have them snuck in my ears, I concentrate on her as I walk.
My mother, Sabrina Pierce, is a forty-three-year-old woman with dark mahogany hair, hazelnut eyes, and fair skin with a galaxy of freckles covering her whole face. I can’t see her entire hair now because she has it tied in a tight bun that she covers with a net, so strands don’t fall into people’s foods. She took off the hat, but she still has her chef’s coat.
Mom is the executive chef of the well-known restaurant in the center of the city that my family owns. It was my mother—the only daughter—that had a real interest in being in the kitchen after my grandmother was too old to be in that kind of stress. My uncle Parker, Luanna’s father, handles the finances of the restaurant, so he’s more on the administrative side along with the board.
I’m not sure who will take over the restaurant when my mother becomes too old to cook. Seeing that uncle Parker already trained my cousin Holly to handle things for him, the kitchen place will be empty. I know that I don’t want it, and James doesn’t either. He signed a contract with the MLB, and I can barely be next to the stove without it catching on fire. Luanna is probably going to be a great scientist. She doesn’t want anything to do with the restaurant or business in general.
“How did your test go?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Out of all of the things that she could’ve asked, she picked that one. I’m embarrassed to admit that I failed after studying so hard. I don’t know a more frustrating thing.
“It didn’t go so well.”
Her expression changes, morphing into an empathetic one. Mom’s eyes glow with a hint of compassion.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. I know you studied hard, but don’t worry, there will be more chances to pass the class. Plus, Lu is going to be able to help you after November,” mom cheers me.
The last bit catches my attention. My brows shoot up with curiosity. I’m intrigued to find out if she’s staying for real or just visiting. Mom had been pressuring uncle Parker to let Luanna rejoin society after being a castaway for over a year.
