Page 25 of Unloved

RO

Good night. Get some sleep before your classes tomorrow. Rest is important.

STUDENT

Sweet dreams, princess.

There’s a winky face and a kissy face tacked onto the end of that last message, but I dismiss it as quickly as I dismiss my overheated cheeks. I plug my phone into the charger and roll over to try to sleep, only to see Freddy winking and blowing me kisses in my dreams.

The room is tense as soon as I enter, all conversations halting.

It’s a weird feeling I’m mostly used to. Being the only girl in the department makes me wary, and I’m usually excluded by the prep boys who run the place, but Tyler is their ringleader and my sometimes-boyfriend, so I’ve always expected that maybe that would earn me some sort of place with them.

And yet…

“Good morning,” I say, stepping over to slide my backpack onto my desk chair and scoop my curls up into a bun off my neck, the walk across campus and the anxiety of how Tyler might behave, especially in front of his favorite audience, now churning in my gut making me sweat.

“Ro.” Tyler smiles, but it’s tight and strained. He ambles toward me, the entire group behind him walking carefully as if they want to eavesdrop but think they’re being subtle. “Can we talk, baby?”

My stomach drops. I want to say no, because I already feel a little nauseous and the way he’s looking at me ensures that feeling will probably only get worse.

Instead, I say, “Sure,” and smile, albeit uneasily.

We step into one of the small study rooms—there are only three of them in the offices, which we mostly use for teacher-student meetings or extra testing time, but right now they’re all empty.

The room has floor-to-ceiling windows, which makes me feel like I’m in a fish tank and our peers are all watching, ready to tap at the glass.

“The guys and I were talking about the cohort applications andI just…” He trails off, pushing a hand through his mussed auburn hair. “Maybe you should consider trying for one of the other tracks.”

My brow furrows, heart beating faster as I try to stay utterly calm.

“I haven’t even tried for this one yet. The application isn’t even due for two more months. I don’t— Why are you—”

“Hey,” he says. “Don’t get worked up about it. It’s just a suggestion.”

I think my reaction is perfectly normal, consideringheis on the selection committee with Tinley.

“I don’t understand. You said my thesis idea was perfect—”

“Forget I brought it up. Your idea isgreat, Ro. You’re a genius,” he says, tucking me into his arms for a gentle hug. “I feel like it’s going to come down to you and Mark for the spot, and Mark plays dirty. I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt with that whole mess. I’m looking out for you.”

Markdoesplay dirty. He deleted one of my papers sophomore year when we were both going for the same grant. As Tyler explained it, Mark was desperate to stay at Waterfell after his parents cut him off for “something ridiculous” he’d done over the summer.

I didn’t ask what at the time, because I didn’t feel the need to. Because Tylerhadlooked out for me, defended me and threatened Mark to keep his distance. Since last summer, however, Mark and Tyler had grown closer.

“I think I can handle him. And you’re on my side, right?”

I hate how small my voice is as I ask, but I need that reassurance from him. Even if things are “casual” now, I do miss him. I miss how it was before, when we ate homemade lunches on my break at Brew Haven and debated uses for AI in the medical field, what we’d do as postgrads, where we’d go together.

“Right,” he sighs. His lips press a soft kiss to my forehead and I melt a little. “If you’re set on this program, then I’m on your side, RoRo.”

CHAPTER 10Freddy

My stomach is churning as I step down to the bottom level of the lecture hall.

My eyes flick from the gossiping semicircle of TAs, who are actually my age, to the line of freshman students waiting to talk to their new professor. Among the first group, I easily spot my curly haired tutor.

Ro looks over at me and I offer her as much of my usual smile as I can manage. She waves back at me before gathering the rest of her items in her green backpack that’s got a ribbon tied to the zipper pull—a ribbon that I played with to occupy my hands while I focused on her words a few hours before.

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