12. Olivia
Olivia
The smell of stale coffee and old books permeates the small room as I sit across from my academic advisor. Dr. Temperance Moreau. Again. Only this time, there are no stacks of papers with my name on them or class schedules to go over.
Only her. Me. And a tension hanging so thick in the air, I might choke on it.
I sigh, shifting in the uncomfortable chair opposite Temperance. Who looks like she’s on the verge of ripping me a new one. Redness coats her cheeks, and veins protrude from her forehead and neck.
And she hasn’t said a word yet.
I adjust my thick-rimmed spy glasses, making sure I track every flicker of emotion that crosses her face for later.
Constipated? Angry? A medical emergency?
Maybe a combination of all three? On second thought, when I examine her more closely, I can see the disappointment clouding her beady eyes as she takes her gaze over my body.
With a huff, she straightens her spine and readies herself for what I’m sure is about to shred me to bits. Or, so she thinks.
Can’t wait to get this over with. Either kick me out—please, for the love of God, send me packing—or send me back to my dorm. Either way, I feel like a kid in trouble with the principal again. Only this time, it isn’t Mack sitting beside me after we’d gotten up to no-good on the playground.
“This is your fault,” Mack hisses, crossing his arms over his chest like a baby and slumping back on the bench seat located directly outside the office.
A loud shout comes from inside, and what sounds like a fist hits the principal’s desk. My body tenses when another blow comes, and I peek over my shoulder, trying to sneak a peek at what’s going on inside the office, but thick blinds block it.
All I know is Amanda’s dad is mad. Really mad, by the words he’s throwing at the principal.
I cringe. That’s not good for Mack and me.
Especially me. Franco always says we should align ourselves with Amanda’s family.
And my dad thinks it’s a good idea too. Her daddy is some big politician in town with his “hands in everything, so we need to be good company to his damn daughter,” as my father would say.
I shrink in my seat again, earning another glare from Mack.
“She started it,” I hiss, crossing my arms, too.
“She’s always so mean to everyone.” Especially me, and I don’t know why.
Hux says to ignore her like he does. He doesn’t seem to like her either.
And honestly, the last thing I want to do is sic the guys on her.
I can handle my own business. Well, not today, apparently, because Mack stepped in when Amanda pushed me to the ground and pushed her back.
Big mistake.
Crap. I swallow the heavy lump in my throat as loud footsteps march down the hallway.
My dad. He’s going to lock me in the damn basement and throw away the key.
For good this time. It’s only gotten worse since we got here a year ago.
Sure, I have allies in Hux and JJ. But Mack?
He’s iffy sometimes. I know he cares about me.
I mean, he saved me from getting a fist to the face.
But he’s still mean as hell. It makes me miss my cousins back in Briar Cove, where we were living before my dad got the boot from his own brothers.
Such a mess.
I can practically smell the booze wafting down the hallway from my father’s mouth.
He’s up to at least a bottle a day until he’s stumbling around and slurring his words.
Somehow, he still makes it to work with Franco and does a decent job.
Or I hope so. Franco seems like the type of guy to kill anyone who fucks up at work too much.
“You’re going to get me in so much trouble,” Mack grumbles, side-eyeing me. “This is all your fault.”
“I told you!” I hiss again, waving a hand. “She was being mean to the other girls, and you saw her push me down.”
Then, Franco and my father appear before us.
“You got into a fight with another girl?” Franco asks before my father can intervene. I nod slowly. “And you? You—”
“Tried to keep her from getting in trouble, sir.” Mack stares Franco directly in the eye and raises his chin confidently. “The other girl pushed her to the ground and was being mean to everyone. I only tried to help.”
Franco nods once. “We’ll sort this out.” They both step inside the office without a hello and get straight to business.
There’s no yelling. No fighting. Just a quiet agreement between three men.
By the time they all exit the office, Amanda sneers at me with a promise of steep retribution shining in her eyes.
Only years later, in high school, would I truly understand her depravity.
“It’s good doing business with you, Mr. Devalle.” Franco quickly shakes hands with Amanda’s father, who stands proud in a sharp suit and fierce gaze.
“As with you. And you’ll guarantee hands are never laid on my Mandy ever again.” He raises a brow like they’ve struck some kind of massive deal.
“Yes,” my father pipes up. “My daughter will take full responsibility for what went on here today. She will be punished.” I straighten in my seat, my entire body vibrating with tension.
I can practically feel Mack’s gaze burning a hole through me when I get to my feet at the urging of my father.
“Now, I’ll be taking this one home for a long talk about how we treat other people.
” Instantly, I go numb, trying to drift to another plane of existence where pain doesn’t exist. I know exactly what’s coming.
And after that incident, Amanda put a target on my damn back and had it out for me every step of the way. I tried hard to keep it from the guys, but my father forbade me to fight back. For any reason. He wanted her to hurt me. Sliced, punched, thrown to the ground, and much more.
Amanda got away with murder in the eyes of my father. All because he thought she was more important than me. Maybe she was. Maybe her father could get him out of jail and get the charges dropped, and I couldn’t. But it still hurt that my father prioritized other people over his own family.
Only the guys understood. They helped me avoid her, even when she sought me out.
After lying on my living room floor with blood leaking from my throat and a fire raging around me, I promised myself I’d never be a weak person again if I made it out alive. It had gotten me nowhere. Ever. Not with Amanda. My dad. Franco. Or even Hux, JJ, and Mack.
It got me fucking killed. Tears get you nowhere. Being soft and kind doesn’t keep the bullies at bay.
Temperance clears her throat and gains my attention. Right. No more memories, Olivia. Keep yourself in the present instead of falling into the past. The past gets you nowhere. Only the future holds what you need. I sit up straighter, trying not to shrink under her scrutiny.
She touches her thin-rimmed glasses as they perch on the end of her nose. Her mouth screws up, and she taps her pen on the desk impatiently, creating a rhythm against the wood while her bracelets jingle on her wrist.
I wish she’d get on with this so I can go back to my room and pretend I don’t exist again. Well, until my class with Wilder and Mack later today.
Internally, I groan. How can this day get any worse? I finally emerge from my bedroom, and this is the prize I get?
I deserve the biggest margarita, a million dollars, and a two-hour massage after this. If only…
“You missed three days’ worth of classes.” She raises a brow and taps her pen faster.
“I had the flu,” I say flatly.
Did she want me in class puking my guts out and contagious? I mean, she doesn’t have to know I was wallowing in depression and drinking myself into a numbing state. Not exactly the flu.
“You can’t afford to miss any more classes.
And these grades—” She trails off in disgust, peeking at her computer.
“Failing every single class you’re taking.
” She practically clicks her tongue at me like she’s my mother.
“How on earth have you managed that so early into the semester? How is this even possible?”
I don’t know, lady. You tell me. It doesn’t seem possible at all.
It’s almost like some asshole who desperately wants my attention is purposefully messing with my grades.
Well, mission accomplished, Jasper Jeremiah.
It got more than my attention. It got hers.
Or maybe that’s what he wants? No clue. All I know is, if JJ can hack into my personal file, he can probably hack my grades and make them bad.
This has his stupid name written all over it.
“I’ve brought the matter to the dean,” she emphasizes the last word with wide eyes.
“I’ve recommended that your scholarship be dropped and your placement here terminated.
” She taps her pen harder now with agitation as my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. Yes!
Expel me! Take me away from this hell my stupid uncle has put me in.
“But the dean has agreed to give you a second chance. With conditions.”
And like the life I had before, everything slips away before I can fully grasp it.
“Conditions?” My shoulders tense, and my stomach knots.
“Yes,” she says, dropping her pen. “Conditions. You’re to improve your grades within the next month to prove you’re Greenwood U material. We are the best and brightest university around. We’ve even selected a new tutor for you.”
I swallow hard when she shoves a sheet of paper in my direction and taps her nails repeatedly on the name scrawled across the top.
Jasper Jeremiah fucking Jones.
It’s right there in print. His name. My shitty fate.
Never ask what could go wrong, because everything will start to fall apart the moment that thought enters your brain. Case in point.
My entire body erupts in a cold sweat, slicking my palms. Fuck. He’s forcing my hand. Maybe if I had answered his texts and talked to him, this wouldn’t have happened.