CHAPTER 38
Bone Of Contention
Gabriela
Friday afternoon, I was in the spacious WIB student association’s office on the eighth floor of Vesta University’s business school.
Everyone was gone for the day, including Hera, who left a few minutes ago after handing me some cheques from our sponsors.
I needed to pass by the bank before closing time to have these deposited, since we’d be using the funds to cater food for our upcoming event.
I was answering a last-minute email from my teammate, who asked if we had the budget to purchase customized USB flash drives to hand out during our next team bonding activity, when I heard the unmistakable sound of keys jingling on the other side of the office door.
A few seconds later, the door swung open and Morgan Huxley entered.
My spine stiffened.
The particles in the room shifted to accommodate her infuriating energy. All the previous tranquility I felt was siphoned out. Now I was tense and doing my best not to glance away from my laptop screen.
I pressed send on my email while she headed for the desk opposite mine.
Of all the places she could have situated herself in, she chose the one closest to me…
Ignoring her, I opened up my spreadsheet with an overview of our upcoming expenses.
“Rude,” she remarked with snark, throwing her bag loudly across the desk and stationing herself on the office chair. “You don’t even say hi.”
My temper flared.
Did she get off on being a bitch to everyone or was I the only one unfortunate enough to be subjected to her ire?
Since the mixer at MacGregor’s, where she made a complete ass out of herself by hitting on Cade—while he repeatedly expressed his uninterest—and forcing Hera to berate her for her disgusting behaviour, Morgan had ignored me.
During our weekly team meetings, she gave me the cold shoulder, speaking to me only when necessary. Which was fine by me. Morgan and I would never be friends. She ensured that from the get-go. But that didn’t mean I had to put up with her draining envy when I’d done absolutely nothing to her.
If me holding the financial coordinator position—the one she vied for at the beginning—pissed her off, then that was her problem. Not mine. I couldn’t control people’s treatment of me. Just my own reactions to their actions.
Even now, I was choosing to be the bigger person by tonelessly saying, “Hi.”
Crickets chirped in the air.
Against my better judgement, I looked up from my spreadsheet.
And found her eyeing the cheques sitting next to my mocha cup with a grimace.
There it was—that ever-present jealousy.
Unbeknownst to her, she didn’t have the guts to handle my position on the team.
To remain angry over Hera’s decision to place her in another role, instead of being grateful that our president had even found her worthy of being on the team, was beyond me.
I was going to stay quiet, but then her gaze veered over to the other item on my desk.
The rhinestone bedazzled fantasy book that Hunter and I were buddy-reading.
She scoffed. “What are you, five? Looks like a kid’s arts and crafts project gone wrong. So fucking tacky.” She shook her head. “That book sucked, by the way. The hero dies trying to save the heroine.”
That’s it.
My anger boiled over.
I slammed my laptop lid shut and stood up, the wheels of my office chair scraping back loudly.
She jumped in her seat, surprised.
I was tired of dealing with the Morgans and Francos of this world. Acting like I was beneath them. Acting like they could walk all over me. Acting like my kindness was a weakness. For some reason, I had the tendency to attract the most unhealed scums. Screw them.
I rounded my desk to the front and perched on it, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m only going to ask you this once. What’s your fucking problem, Morgan?”
Never once did I raise my voice at her. Alone or during our team meetings. Usually, I let her shitty behaviour slide because I couldn’t be bothered. But if there was one thing I truly loathed? It was people with hater energy that was a disguise for their jealousy.
“What did you say to me?” Morgan drawled with a mean smirk in a vain effort to appear unaffected.
I caught the slight shake in her limbs. The wobbling of her chin. She was all bark, no bite. Confrontations weren’t her style. Unfortunately for her, she had it coming.
“You heard me,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I refuse to put up with your animosity any longer. I’m tired of your bitchy attitude.
Either you tell me what your fucking problem is, or I’ll get your ass kicked off this team faster than you can snap your fingers.
” I edged forward, placing my hands on either side of the desk, my expression downright menacing.
“And make no mistake—I can make that happen.”
It was no secret that I was close to Hera.
Our relationship wasn’t born from being in the same student association.
In fact, we’d been friends for years, given that she was Layla’s cousin.
Without a shadow of a doubt, if I told Hera the extent of Morgan’s discomforting behaviour and comments towards me behind the team’s back, she would kick her off without a second thought.
I mostly kept silent because I didn’t want to cause any discord, least of all any disruptions in our team’s dynamics.
But that wasn’t fair to me either. Now, if necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to wield the favouritism in my benefit and get this girl removed from the team.
Even if it meant taking on more responsibility and filling in her role as well.
And me taking Morgan’s place would really suck for her.
Being part of a student association during your academic career looked stellar on your résumé.
“You’re threatening me?” Morgan enunciated each word like she couldn’t believe I’d said what I said.
“About time, don’t you agree? However, like I said, if you tell me what your problem is and we come to a truce, I won’t spill a word to Hera about the rude way you’ve treated me for the last few months. Really, the choice is yours, Morgan. I’d pick wisely if I were you.”
We stared at each other for a moment.
She watched me, appalled.
Clearly, she didn’t think I’d ever stand up for myself, let alone have the balls to call her out. Maybe she didn’t even realize what a bitch she’d truly been until now.
I kept my steady gaze trained on her, not backing down.
Morgan squirmed.
“I’m tired of making myself smaller so it’s easier for you to digest my presence, Morgan. I’d rather you choke on me at this point than to put up with your bullshit any longer.”
Morgan hadn’t seen my bad side. I rarely showed it.
My legacy was tainted with violence and bloodshed.
Having grown up as Papà’s daughter, I was acquainted with the darker side of life.
That’s why I chose to live as positively as I could, see the glass as half full, and always be kind to those around me.
But if I had to get nasty with Morgan…I would. It was overdue.
“You want to know what my problem is?” She leaned forward on her elbows and pointed a finger at me. “You are my problem.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved my hand dismissively. “You made that abundantly clear when you tried hitting on a guy I was talking to platonically, mind you. I know I’m your problem. I’m asking why.”
Morgan’s face flushed red, a combination of humiliation and anger.
“I hate girls like you,” she spat. “Who get their way with everything in life because of their pretty privilege. Any position you want, any man you want—really, anything you want. It’s yours and you barely have to work for it.
Opportunities naturally gravitate towards you and you have it so fucking easy, you don’t even realize it. ”
Of all the things I expected her to say, this wasn’t it.
I thought she’d say something juvenile like she hated the colour of my hair, hated how talkative I could be, hated the way I typed during our meetings—hell, even hated the way I breathed.
But not this.
I blinked out of my stunned state and mulled over her words.
And all I felt for Morgan was pity.
I wasn’t just dealing with someone who was jealous, but one who was entirely too insecure in their skin.
Physically and from society’s standards, Morgan would be considered gorgeous. She was tall and slim, beautiful-faced, and her long hair a pleasing light shade of brown. Begrudgingly, I would also admit that she was book-smart, even if critical thinking failed her in certain situations.
I didn’t think Morgan realized her own worth.
Otherwise, she’d know that she was also a recipient of this so-called pretty privilege.
I also didn’t think Morgan was surrounded by female friendships that empowered her.
Because if she had been uplifted by the women in her life, I guarantee she wouldn’t see others as competition.
Harbouring bitter feelings towards a peer whose only crime was occasionally existing in the same vicinity as you was…well, quite fucking sad.
“First of all?” I began, collecting my wits.
“You think I’m pretty? Flattered. Second of all, Morgan, look in the mirror.
You are beautiful and smart.” My compliment caught her off guard and the venomous expression swiftly wiped off her face.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think this is something you see.
Insecurities are normal. We all have them.
But when yours start to negatively impact the way you view and treat the people in your surroundings, then that’s a problem.
” She seemed uncomfortable with every passing second of my gentle-toned monologue.
“Thirdly, you think I can have any man I want? Thank you for stroking my ego, but there’s only one man I’m interested in and he’s currently mine.
Lastly, you are correct in saying that I can have any position I want.
But that’s because my GPA and work ethic speak for themselves.
Hera knew I had the skills to thrive in this role and she picked me—not you and not any of the fifty candidates she interviewed—for a reason. It’s nothing personal.
“And contrary to your belief, I don’t have it easy.
To insinuate that the only reason why I’ve had opportunities tumble my way is because of my looks?
That’s extremely rude and dismissive of the years of hard work I’ve put into my academic career.
I get that you’re pissed because this is the position you initially wanted, but hating me for something that was outside of my control?
” I shook my head. “That’s unfair and honestly?
Very petty at your age. For the sake of the team, I’ll be grateful if you kept your spitefulness to yourself.
It would be a shame to lose you when you’re so good at your role and do deserve to be here.
But I’m not going anywhere either, so I’d appreciate it if we could come to an agreement.
I also can’t change who I am just to appease you, nor will I ever do that.
I’m comfortable in my skin, and I hope you get to heal the parts of you that prevent you from being that too. ”
The only sound in the office was the heating unit’s light droning.
Wide-eyed and parted lips, I rendered Morgan speechless.
I glanced down at my watch. Anna’s class was ending soon and we were carpooling. She was driving me to my apartment first so I could get ready and then dropping me at my childhood home since Hunter was coming over for dinner tonight.
I was already anxious over him meeting my family for the first time, and I didn’t want to waste my energy worrying over a resentful peer too.
Taking her silence as an answer, I packed my bag in record speed and strode towards the closed office door.
Morgan finally spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Gabby.”
I closed my eyes. Those words did nothing to assuage the past. But I wasn’t into kicking a woman when she was down. And this confrontation was Morgan’s rock bottom, I could tell, from her barely audible voice, layered with guilt and something like self-deprecation.
Glancing over my shoulder, I gave her the olive branch she never once extended my way. I smiled weakly. “Water under the bridge, Morgan. I’m already over it.”
I proceeded to walk out of the office with my head held high.