Page 48 of Forever Cursed

Gwen doesn’t deserve my grumpiness, though, and I will never break a pinkie promise. I pick up my phone, ignore Zack’s call, and text Gwen before looking for my sneakers.

Hey, this is me texting you. I’m okay. Going to hang low and stay home.

Alone?! Since when do you hang out by yourself?

A giggle slips past my lips as I put my shoes on.

This is me trying something new. I’m going to be a self-care queen.

Yes! I stand by this. I do have a question though. Does being a self-care queen include ignoring your brother?

For now. I’m working on my promises, and the first step is allowing myself to be annoyed with him. If Rome and I weren’t worried about his feelings, who knows where we would be today.

I mean... I wouldn’t put all the blame on him. You two are adults, you can talk to him.

Don’t start, missy! I’m going to our favorite store to pick up a face mask, snacks, and a movie. Let me wallow in my feelings.

Okay, okay! I’ll tell Zack you’re on your period or something. Take all the time you need. Text me tomorrow :)

Thank you <3

After that, I silence my phone. With my purse over my shoulder, I step into the hall, lock my door, and start the trek toward my first stop for the day.

A blast of cool air envelopes me when I stroll through the automatic doors. There are many reasons why I chose to attend Castle Brook. One is that it has the best psychology department in the country. The second is that it’s less than ten blocks from my favorite store.

The white floors glisten as if they were recently polished, and I breathe in the aroma of fresh coffee as I grab a cart, even though I don’t need one. I grab the plastic bar and push the cartin the direction of facial care. When I reach the aisle I’m looking for “Sparks Fly” by Taylor Swift blares overhead, and I can’t help but grin and hum along.

I ignore the lyrics when she mentions green eyes, my mind trying to summon a memory of Rome’s beautiful irises. My body sways to the music, and I pick up a face mask before moving to the next aisle. I continue this motion and keep this headspace until I have everything I need, including some.

With my head in the clouds, I stand in line. My eyes wander nowhere in particular, but when I see a familiar figure, they stop and zone in. I want to curl in on myself. Today is definitely not the day I want to deal with him, but he sees me before I can turn around and book it farther into the store. At least he has a chaperone, and I know she’ll rein him in if necessary.

“What’s up, blondie?” Malik smiles at me.

From afar, it may seem like a kind gesture. However, this isn’t a sweet expression or greeting. His grin makes me purse my lips in disgust.

“What did I say about having good intentions?” Raina lectures him like a toddler.

“All I did was say hi?—”

“With that sly smile. Don’t act like I didn’t see it. Not every girl wants to fuck you, Malik. Get that out of your head.” Raina massages her temples. “It’s like I’m babysitting a child,” she groans.

“I’m surprised to see you two here. You’re not using the weekends as a break? The evaluations don’t have to run seven days a week,” I remark.

“This one needs extra lessons. Especially in the ‘how to treat a woman’ department.”

“I didn’t know that was a part of the program,” I tease Raina before leaning toward her. “But you are doing God’s work.”

“Tell me about it,” she sighs while rolling her eyes.

“You know I can hear you two, right? Women...” Malik grunts.

“What did I just say? Get it through your thick, jock skull. Women are equal, if not superior, to men.”

Malik’s lips turn upward, giving me a lopsided smirk. “I’m fine with that. If that means blondie here will take the charge. Tell me... are you a giver or a receiver?”

My face heats up, and rage simmers in my chest. Raina’s complexion matches mine, but when she opens her mouth, I hold a finger up to stop her.

“You know, Malik. For an all-star quarterback, you really know how to pass off your responsibilities and claim the glory for work you didn’t do.” I smirk before looking toward the cashier. “Man, I’d give anything to sit in on your evaluations. Raina, you’ll earn an award in excellence by the time we graduate.” I glance at Malik and smile at him, trying my best to look as disgusting as he did five minutes prior. “Have a good day.”

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