Page 162 of Swallow Your Sorries

“Do you want to talk about—”

“No,” she says firmly, and I zip my lips all the way back to the dorm. Of course, I know nothing about Aria’s personal life, but I know enough to understand that whatever I just saw felt worse than cheating between a couple who aren’t even together.

Seriously though. Rin? Fucking Rin of all people?

Through the living room window, Ms. Trix is animatedly talking Stassi’s ear off about something or another just like we’d predicted when we sent her a text to keep Ms Trix distracted.

A tug alerts me to Aria pulling the backpack off my shoulder and onto her stomach so that she’s wearing both. “I’ll drop off the drinks then I’ll re-enter through the front door so Ms. Trix can check me in for the night.”

I nod as she reaches for the ivy-covered latticework.

“Do you want me to wait for you?”

Aria shakes her head like I knew she would and begins to climb as I keep a lookout. She’s as graceful as a cat in her movements. In no time, she’s climbing onto the balcony and disappearing into our room. I know she needs a few minutes alone. Maybe I could stall Stassi while she composed herself.

If she could compose herself.

Fucking Rin.

“And get this,” Ms. Trix tells Stassi as I come through the front door. “Lex was talking about his ideal woman and he described me to a T.”

“Really?” I ask, much to Stassi’s bewilderment as she’s already turning on her heel to bolt upstairs. I flick my eyes up to the ceiling and she thankfully catches on quickly that we need a few more minutes.

“Tell us exactly what he said,” Stassi says, leaning forward on the bannister and feigning interest as Ms Trix sucks on another liquored chocolate.

“Natural blondes with big, chocolate eyes,” she says, blinking her newly brown eyes at us. As she does the lenses move unsettlingly, showcasing slivers of ocean blue. They’re too big. Like doll’s eyes.

Stassi and I blink at each other before peering back at Ms. Trix’s alien-looking orbs.

“Aren’t your eyes blue?” I ask tentatively.

“And you dye your hair, right?” Stassi asks, eyeing the shadow of dark roots in Ms. Trix’s hair part.

“I’m a natural blonde,” she says, checking herself out in the large mirror over the console table and fluffing her hair. “And I know what you girls are thinking. Trixie, lots of women here have blonde hair. Mrs. Bellary, Ms. El-Agha, Ms. Spew. But mine’s the blondest.” She shakes it for volume.

“I think peroxide helps with that,” Stassi whispers under her breath.

“Speaking of Ms. El-Agha,” I say, getting an idea as Ms Trix turns her crazy eyes towards me. “She and Mr. Lexington have been spending a lot of time together in the library. Are they working on some school project?”

Stassi gives me the side eye.

We both know damn well the only project they’re working on is P in V content. We’d caught them making out numerous times behind the library where we hid to eat lunch.

Ms Trix’s smile falters. “Maybe he’s helping her with her resume. He’s amazing at that sort of stuff.”

“Is she quitting?” I ask a little too happily.

“More like supplementing. You know being a librarian doesn’t pay as much as a professor position, which is already sparse as it is.”

She isn’t alone in the job search arena. I look up at the ceiling, where Aria should be shuffling around, setting up our makeshift bar.

“He probably was just helping her search the help wanted ads.”

“No,” I say. “I think he was asking her out. I mean, she does have big, brown eyes.”

Stassi looks at me sideways as if to say why the hell am I sending Ms Trix on a spiral? Because Ms. El-Agha is an unfair bitch with a favouritism problem. She had sent me and Mum an invoice for the computer damage, right down to a chip in the tile where I’d fallen. I’d gone into Mum’s email and deleted it before she even opened it. Instead, I’d forwarded it to Gant, who forwarded me the paid receipt less than five minutes later.

Stassi and Aria were right. I did need him. For now. And that’s exactly why I need this job at Libeulles to gain some independence.

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