Page 13 of Liar
I didn’t even realize I was the only one left in the room, didn’t see Corey walking up to my desk until he plopped himself in the one next to me. He had brown hair that was a bit too long; it was combed to the side, though some of it hung over his forehead, the tips hanging over his glasses. Kind brown eyes stared at me, eyes that almost reminded me of Declan.
“How are you doing, Ashley?” he asked. He didn’t just know my name; he knew the whole class’s already, though I supposed me being the only girl in the class probably helped with his memorization of mine. “You look like you’re either lost or you remembered you left your stove on at home.”
I was slow to set my pencil down, meeting his stare. “That obvious, huh?”
“I mean, I’ve been in your shoes, so I know what it feels like. This is only one quiz out of many,” he told me, tapping the edge of the desk. He was a rather tall and lanky fellow, wearing dark slacks and that silly sweater vest.
“I don’t suppose you’d tell me how many there are?” I tried, giving him a sly grin I hoped was smooth and not overly-flirty.
“That would be unfair to the other students, don’t you think?” Corey asked, slow to stand and head towards the front of the room, where the chalkboard and desk sat. “Although,” he added, shuffling the papers around on his desk, “if I were to say aloud that quizzes happen every second Tuesday, and you just happened to hear me…”
Every second Tuesday? Damn. That was a lot of quizzes, a lot of shit I’d have to study for, in addition to doing all the other stuff I had to do for my other classes.
But, knowing there were so many quizzes, it meant that each individual quiz couldn’t weigh that much towards the overall grade, because there were still projects and exams, not to mention attendance that was taken at the beginning of each class.
That knowledge gave me hope. Hope that, while I might fail this one particular quiz, I could do better, improve my grade. Be the student I knew I was capable of, my life’s drama aside.
“Well, then I guess I have a lot of work to do,” I said, getting up and walking to the front to hand him my paper.
Corey took it with a smile. “I look forward to it. And remember, if you need any help, that’s why I’m here. My office hours are Thursdays from four-thirty to six. I want everyone to pass this class…and not only because I get graded on it, too.” He had a good sense of humor; he was a bit dorky, but I liked him. If I couldn’t get the hang of things, maybe I would have to take him up on his office hours.
Never thought I’d be one of those students, but here I was. The whole situation of my life was not something I could’ve prepared myself for.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I told him, giving him a smile before grabbing my bag and leaving. As I walked out of the building, I texted Will. He had class at the same time as me. I was typing on my phone, asking if he wanted to get lunch, but as I exited the building, my face blasted with cold winter air, I nearly tripped in shock.
Will was here, sitting on a bench, looking like he was waiting for me.
I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, giving Will a smile as I approached him. “Will,” I said, watching as he stood. “I was just about to text you.”
“I got out a little early,” he said, hazel eyes darting around, as if he was worried someone else would appear and steal me from him. Ever since that night and talking about Sawyer, he’d been acting a little off. I didn’t blame him. “I thought I’d meet you.”
I hooked my arm through his, dragging us to the main sidewalk, towards the union. “Let’s get lunch.”
He shot me a smile, and just like that, the anxious look he wore was gone, and back was the handsome, mature Will that I’d connected with immediately. He’d come into the picture after I’d started developing feelings for the others, but he pulled me to him like a moth to the flame. I was glad he was here, at Hillcrest now, and I was even more glad that he decided to be with me, to chase his own happiness and not just his brother’s.
Declan wasn’t the only one who deserved to be happy around here. Will did, too. After everything…
No, I wouldn’t let my mind go back to that night, when I’d got the call from him. No. My life and my thoughts would be carefree—as carefree as they could be while Sawyer was on campus, somewhere, being his best self.
I led us to the union, only releasing his arm when he reached for the door, holding it open for me. “Why thank you,” I spoke coyly, practicing a fake curtsey before heading inside.
I opted for some spaghetti from the Italian place, while Will only got a salad. Granted, it was a huge salad and had chicken aplenty scattered atop, but still a salad. As we found empty seats, I couldn’t help but chuckle at his choice of food. Never took him for a health nut.
He sat beside me, his leg brushing against mine. “What? Laughing at my salad?” he asked, lifting a single eyebrow.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, digging into my spaghetti.
The cafeteria around us was packed, so much louder than it was that day when Sawyer found me in the bookstore. Nearly every table was packed; there were only two chairs in between us and the next group of people at the long table we sat at. Their eyes, I noticed, were on us.
Will, more specifically. Their eyes were on Will, darting to him every few seconds as they whispered amongst each other.
I wanted to keep Will’s focus on me. If I was alone, I would’ve said something to them, because I wasn’t one to back down from anything, but I guessed if I was by myself, they wouldn’t be looking at me anyway. My newness, my female-ness, had worn off its shiny new status. They stared and gossiped about Will because of what happened with his father, with the dean of Hillcrest. There was a new dean now, but I hadn’t met him.
Anyways, it was annoying. I really felt bad for Will, and I wished I could do something for him. Alas, all I could do was try to keep his focus and drown out the other assholes around us.
Because that’s what they were: rich, entitled assholes who loved to gossip. You might think girls were the gossipers, but I’d found boys did it just as much.
After swallowing my first bite, I said, “I had a pop quiz in statistics.” Just from the tone of my voice, anyone who heard me could tell how it went. Still, Will had to ask.
