25. Faith
After Oaklynn, Alec, and Keene left Jezebel’s Nest, looking distinctly disappointed, another customer, fortunately, entered, seeking Mirlande’s assistance.
So I took that moment while she was distracted and her back was turned to escape because I already knew she’d ask me why I’d hidden behind the stairs, and I really didn’t have a good answer for that.
But now I was legit running late.
There would be no fifteen-minute prep time to organize my desk or my thoughts. I’d be lucky if I flew into class right on time.
“Crap, crap, crap. Move your ass,” I sang to the school bus in front of me as I got caught in traffic.
But then it turned, and I zipped forward, only for a red light to jerk me up short.
“Oh my God, I’m going to bomb this test so hard. I’m going to freaking fail.”
As I waited for the light to change, however, I rested my elbow on the side window seal and gripped my head, thinking about Hudson.
So apparently, a sensitive might be able to draw the ghost out of him. Or they could steer the damn thing straight into taking control of him while killing themselves in the process.
Not a desirable outcome if things went awry. But if it did go okay, then Hudson would be okay. To me, it was almost worth the risk to try it.
Except…
The light turned green.
I pressed on the gas to enter the intersection, only to gasp and slam on the brakes when a truck went blowing through it, running its own red light.
“Asshole!” I called and bleeped the horn, right along with a couple of other vehicles who’d been trying to go as well.
Once the coast was clear, I accelerated and bit my lip.
Even when you played it safe and followed the rules, bad things happened. Assholes blew red lights and turd ghost children refused to come out of the body they were hiding in.
Either way, Hudson was in danger. Which meant…
Fuck it. I was going to get that ghost out of him one way or another. Danger be damned.
Once I reached campus, I felt more settled about my plans, so I was finally able to turn my mind to finals, specifically Statistics. As soon as I found a place to park—which felt as if it took freaking forever—I flat-out ran toward the Business building.
I was panting and out of breath, sweating up a storm, by the time it came into view, but I still had a minute to spare before the test began so I kept going, so focused on the door to class, that I didn’t even realize anyone else was near there until he turned toward me and away from the entrance just as I tried to rush inside.
“Oof,” I uttered, getting the wind knocked out of me when I rammed my face flush into his chest.
It was a solid, rather nice chest. And it was connected to a nice, pleasant smell and an even better voice that said…
“Whoa there.” He clutched my arms to steady me. “Where’s the fire?”
Knowing that voice and loving that voice, I took a moment to shudder and breathe in his scent as deeply as I could before I tipped my face up and peered into Hudson’s blue eyes.
He grinned back. “Missed me that much, huh?”
I sucked in a startled breath as I gazed at him, unable to look away…or speak…or think for the longest moment before I lamely mumbled, “I’m late.”
His eyebrows arched in surprise. “Oh! Well…” Stepping back, he swept out a hand to let me pass. “You better go, then.”
I nodded dumbly and vaguely turned away to enter the room, only to stumble to a stop at the entrance.
Genesis was sitting in my chair.
“The fuck?” I said.
Not once had she ever taken my spot, and I’d sat there every day for the entire semester. We didn’t even have assigned seats. I just had to sit at the same exact desk for every class. It was probably an obsessive-compulsive disorder thing. I mean, I didn’t have a severe case. I’d never even gone to see anyone for an official diagnosis, but…
I had a few repetitive habits of things I had to do routinely, and I did need everything in a specific order with a specific balance. Throw that out of whack, and I started to panic.
So, for her to sit in my seat before the fucking final was absolutely unacceptable.
I could actually taste the anxiety bubbling up my throat.
Behind me, Hudson asked, “Hey, you okay?”
“No…” I whirled around to snap, “That juvenile bitch stole my chair.”
His eyebrows arched in surprise at my tone. “What’s that, now?”
“Genesis,” I seethed at him. “She went and sat in my chair.”
Shifting to glance past me into the class, Hudson furrowed his brows in thought, then glanced back at his bench and returned his attention to me. “That’s where you sit for every Statistics class?”
“Every fucking class,” I snarled, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Except today…for my final. Oh my God, this is going to mess up everything.”
“Hey. It’s fine. If you studied, you’ll be okay.”
I scoffed.
As if he knew anything.
Dropping my hand from my head to scowl at him, I growled, “Couldn’t you have kissed her just ten seconds longer today?”
“Excuse me?” His eyebrows lifted in offense.
Realizing I was snapping at the completely wrong person, I whimpered out a sound of defeat and waved away my behavior.
“Sorry. Don’t listen to me. I just… Damn. I need to go.”
And with that, I whirled away and rushed into class. But as I entered, I noticed Genesis watching me. Except she didn’t look all smug and proud of herself for absolutely ruining my test. No… She was narrowing her eyes and glancing past me toward the doorway before zipping a scowl my way.
She’d just caught me talking to her boyfriend, and the way her face darkened promised retribution.
I slumped into my chair and shook my head in utter disbelief. She was the one who’d taken everything from me, and yet she was going to act as if I’d slighted her. I just knew it.
Beginning class, the professor started to pass out our tests. When the person in front of me handed me the stack, I turned to give the person behind me the rest, only to realize I was sitting in the back of my row.
I hadn’t been the last person in my row in my previous seat, which only reminded me that everything was out of order.
My pens weren’t lined out. My mind wasn’t clear.
I couldn’t even think straight enough to focus on a single word on the sheet.
Trepidation made my hair follicles prickle. Goosebumps coated my flesh. Black spots clogged my vision. I was heading for full-out hysteria.
When my hands fisted, I set them on my desk and closed my eyes.
I was going to bomb this test. I was going to fail out of college. I was going to owe thousands and never get a job good enough to pay off all the debt. My life, as I knew it, was fucking over.
“Oh, come on now, Stalker,” a familiar voice entered my head. “Check the drama. It can’t be as bad as all that.”
But it was, and I was doomed to fail. I’d been insane to think I could come to Westport and start over fresh with a clean slate.
“Hey, if you studied all semester, then shouldn’t you know this material like the back of your hand? It’s like muscle memory at this point,” the voice persisted.
Yes, it should be. Except?—
“No excuses. You’ve got this. Now open your damn eyes and take the test. Take the test, Faith.”
Hudson’s imaginary taunting seemed to do the trick. I opened my eyes.
After a long exhale, I was able to blink the words into focus and read the first question.
I actually knew the answer, so I scrambled for a pen that was sticking out of the front pocket of my bag, and I got to work.
* * *
Nearly an hour and a half later,I was finished.
Thanks to the voice in my head, I’d been able to concentrate enough that I knew I’d done well.
I turned in the test with a big smile, and strolled out of class, feeling pretty damn good about myself.
Until a voice from behind me hissed, “Think you’re all that now, don’t you?” as soon as I stepped from the room.
Jumping out of my skin, I slapped a hand to my chest and tried to regain my breath before realizing it was only Genesis who’d accosted me.
“Oh,” I said dryly. “It’s you.” Rolling my eyes, I pushed past her and started away.
I had one other test to take this afternoon, and it wasn’t until two, so I was hoping to get in some time at the library and have Robin help me with some serious research.
But Genesis dogged my heels as I started away. “What were you doing, talking to my boyfriend?” she demanded.
I sent her a puzzled look over my shoulder. “Excuse me?”
“I saw you. Through the doorway. You were talking to Hudson.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to play dumb, but then I decided I was better than that, so I countered, “No. He was talking to me.”
“About what?” she snarled as if she should be privy to every conversation he ever had.
Not feeling like I wanted to accommodate her, I answered, “Why don’t you go ask him?”
“Because I’m asking you.”
“Oh my God.” Stopping in my tracks, I whirled around to glare at her. “I don’t have time for your insecure drama. I accidentally ran into the guy while he was leaving and I was trying to enter. We did the usual excuse me—sorry about that—and that was literally it. End of story.”
“Well,” she huffed, faltering for a moment because she really didn’t have a reason to stay upset. Then she scowled and pointed. “Stay away from him.”
“Or,” I countered, sending her a stern glare. “Tell your slimy boyfriend to keep himself away from me. I was just trying to go to class.”
She eyed me a few seconds longer before murmuring, “Oh…my goodness. You’re jealous.”
“What?” I cried with incredulous outrage.
“You are. I remember you having a thing for him, you know. I remember how much you wanted him.”
My gut burned with fear because this only confirmed my first suspicion that she’d hooked up with him just to piss me off. She’d known this whole time who he was. She’d known how much I craved him. And she’d taken him so I could never have him.
I wondered if she’d ever had any feelings for him at all or if she’d just used him to make my life more miserable.
He’d been roped into this situation that he felt trapped in because of me. Because I had wanted him, and Genesis hated me so much that she wanted to hurt me.
He’d never forgive me if he learned this.
Feeling like ice had coated me from head to toe, I focused on my enemy’s victorious smirk and forced a derisive sniff. “Maybe I might’ve noticed him freshman year,” I allowed. “But that was way before he lowered himself to be with you. Now he’d have to dip his dick in turpentine before I’d let it anywhere near me.”
Genesis’s expression faltered, but then she decided to call my bluff. “Talk shit all you want, boo. I know how you really feel. And I’m warning you now. Stay away or you won’t like the consequences.”
As she turned and strolled off, I seethed, and my collar started to steam with all the heat rolling off me.
Unable to help myself, I called, “Or what? Are you going to lie about me again and get me kicked out of school for real this time?”
The smirk she sent over her shoulder told me that was exactly what she was going to do.
I deflated, cursing, “Fuck,” under my breath, and I whirled away to stomp toward the library. She definitely knew how to put me in a bad mood.
* * *
An hour later,I’d put Genesis out of my mind and I felt as if I had a pretty good handle on how to avoid demonic possessions, but most of the materials Robin brought me fell short of the exact steps it took to be an exorcist. And I couldn’t delve too far into the subject on the internet. I’d always had a fear that if I went too dark online, I’d accidentally invite something ominous into my life. And I had enough bad shit to worry about that I really didn’t need to heap any more on top of it.
A little frustrated that I hadn’t come up with something that felt helpful, I closed my books, packed away my pen and notepad, and hefted my bag over my shoulder to leave the library.
I still had nearly another two hours before the next final, but I was hungry and thought some brain food might help me think better.
I hiked up the backstairs and pushed my way out of the stairwell, intent on the exit, when a familiar voice called, “There you are.”
I only glanced over because it sounded like Hudson’s voice, but when I looked and it really was him, I had to do a double take. He was walking straight toward me from the direction of the coffee bar.
My steps faltered as he strolled forward without any hurry, and I blinked, utterly confused.
Then he came in close enough to hook his hand lightly around my arm and murmur, “We need to talk,” before he tightened his grip and yanked me backward away from the exit and back into the main part of the library.
“Wha…?” I mumbled, stumbling until I was able to spin around and walk forward with him. “What’re you doing?”
If Genesis saw us now, she’d really go off. And I did not relish another helping of her crazy.
But Hudson was determinedly marching toward a door positioned between the two bathrooms that read Personal Health Room.
When he yanked open the door, I started to resist. “I really don’t think this is a good…”
He tugged me inside and shut the door behind us.
So I lamely finished, “…Idea.”