Page 11 of A Duet of Darkness and Dreams

“Eh, Bella baby, how about you head on down to the diner and grab everyone their lunch orders?”

If vomit took on a human form, it would have to be Simon Cranmer. I don’t even need to look up from my desk to know he’s leaning cross-armed over my cubicle wall and trying not-so-subtly to stare down my button-down shirt. “If I remember correctly, waitressing isn’t my job here.”

“Come on, now,” he says, and I can hear the smug smile in his tone. “Everyone takes their turn.”

Slamming my pen down on my desk, I swallow against my gag reflex and look up. Yup, there’s that smile.Ugh.There’s apiece of gum smacking between long chews like it’s some kind of flirtatious mastication, but it makes the bile in my stomach rise dangerously fast up my throat.

“And when was the last time you fetched everyone’s lunch orders, Simon?”

The idiot guffaws and steps around to the side of the cubicle to slide his flat ass onto the corner of my desk, knocking over a pile of papers in the process.

“Cool it, Bella, I’m only teasing. You know that’s what I’m like.”

Unfortunately.“If you don’t mind, I’m busy.”

“Heard back from any internships yet?” he asks in a surprisingly serious tone.

I bite the inside of my cheek. “That’s none of your business.”

He smirks. “So . . . no.”

Choosing to stay quiet, I turn back to my work—but he still hasn’t budged.

“Starting to run out of time, little Bella.”

I pull some stale air through my nose. “Are you deaf? I said I’m busy.”

“Doing what? Writing about which mascara is the best bang for your buck?”

I try to unclench my fists, but my knuckles pop anyway. “No.”

“Is it which lipstick won’t rub off when you’re”—his eyes scan me up and down—“on a date?”

Barf.“Actually, I was thinking of writing an article on the best way to kick a man in the balls. Care to be my test subject?”

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, then he finally stands and walks away. “Jeez, smile a little. Can’t ever take a joke, can you?”

When he’s gone and out of sight, I sink back into my chair and it takes me a full minute to steady my heart rate, but at least he should leave me alone for the rest of the day . . . perhaps twodays. That would be a real treat. With the weekend coming up the day after tomorrow, I might have a wholefour dayswithout him pestering me like the gnat he is.

The saddest part is that while his teasing is horribly sexist and slimy, he wasn’t entirely off base. Randall, our editor-in-chief, insisted I write an article about the best beauty products and trends happening at the moment with the reason ofWe need to bring in more female readers. I tried explaining that women also enjoy articles about college sports and academics as long as they’re written in a way that doesn’t talk down to them, or better yet, when they feature actual women, but he couldn’t be swayed. It’s why so much is riding on that Carnal Sins article. I can’t write about eyeshadow anymore. It might kill me.

And his jab about internships—it’s quite possibly the biggest stress in my life. The last semester of the program here at Stoneman requires journalism majors to complete a four-month internship at a publication company. If I don’t get at least something, I won’t have the necessary requirements to qualify for my degree. Four years of studying down the drain. The only thing keeping my head above water right now is the fact that it doesn’t seem like Simon has managed to land an internship yet, either. If he had, everyone would know about it, I’m sure. The bragging would be unbearable. Plus, the fact that he was asking me about mine makes me think he’s sleuthing for information.

One thing’s for sure, though—if Simon gets an internship before me, I’m kicking him in the balls.

“Did you have fun last night?”asks Becks as we break away from our History of Fashion class and head into the building atrium.

I nod. “Yeah, it was great.”

“I know metal music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It never used to be mine, but I can appreciate its complexities and beauty now,” she continues.

“Yeah, it’s not bad. Just not really what I’m used to. But I suppose it helps when you’re dating one of the band members, huh?”

Her cheeks flush, and there’s a shy smile that crawls across her lips. “James opened my eyes to it. To a lot of new things actually. I wouldn’t be who I am today without him.”

My brow furrows. The way Becks talks about her boyfriend, it’s like he saved her life or something. “How did you two meet, anyway?”

“He moved in next door and we finished senior year at the same school,” she says quickly. “It’s kind of a long story.”

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