Page 31 of Trust Me Always

“Yes.”

A laugh leaves him, and he shakes his head, slouching back in that same lazy, hot-boy way Brady does. “Nice try, beautiful.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Shh, class is starting.”

“You’re notinthis class.”

He holds up the paper the professor signed, the class access code scribbled across it. He smirks, his gaze traveling across my face. “Am now. Someone dropped, and what do you know? I was next on the add list. I just have to make up a couple assignments, and I’m good.”

I put my straw between my lips and slurp obnoxiously, but the man only laughs harder.

Professor Gilroy flicks on the monitor then, and I tear my gaze from the man beside me, spotting Ari a few rows lower.

She shrugs, and I cross my arms in a pout.

“All right, everyone. As you can see on the class syllabus, we’ve finished the review and basic introduction, and we’re moving right along. This is when things will start to get tough. Take a few minutes, even number chairs turn to the left, odd to the right.”

Wait. No, no…

“Take your phones or a notepad out, swap numbers.”

I sit forward in my seat, literal sweat building in places I’d rather not mention as I—the person in the even-numbered chair—look left, right into Alister’s waiting eyes.

“This person is your new best friend. Your lifeline. Introduce yourself and get familiar.”

Alister sticks his hand out, and I glare at the offending appendage, looking back up at him just as the professor blows up my Avoid Alister Plan when he says, “Say hello to your course partner for the remainder of the fall semester.”

Alister smiles wide, and my head falls to the desk with a groan.

I keep speed-walking,chin lifted high into the fucking sky and thoroughly ignoring my best friend’s laughter as she does her best to keep up with me. Too bad for her, her legs are shorter.

“Cam, come on!” she chuckles.

“You and your man are officially on my shit list.”

“Liar.”

“Nope.” I shake my head, hustling across the path and onto the large strip of grass. “This is all your fault.”

“Is it, though?”

I cross my arms and spin, my fake-mad face breaking when she literally slams into me, bouncing back with a cackle.

I groan into the air, then take her arm and yank her with me, trying to get away from this area as fast as possible in case the ass himself decides to follow me across campus. “Why is this happening, Ari? He just…gets into class today and then bam, he’s my partner? It’s like he’s the stallion and I’m the broodmare getting fucked.”

She laughs, but when she looks over, her features mollify a bit, making me frown even harder. “Tell me the truth.”

My lungs shrivel a bit as I wait for her question.

“Is it that you don’t want to be near him because of what he did to you…or is it because when you are around him, you aren’t sure you care what he did anymore?”

“Of course I care,” I snap, tugging my arm from hers. “You know how fucked up all that had me.” What’s sad is it wasn’t even really about the guy but the fact that I was so blind to what was happening. A hit to the pride, I guess you could say, and if anyone had asked before then, I wouldn’t have assumed myself to be prideful. Guess I was wrong. I felt pathetic when I learned what I’d fallen for, and now when I look at Alister, sometimes that’s all I see—a tragic me staring back.

So which part of what she’s asked is the right answer?

Do I not want him near because of what he did…or because he sometimes makes me feel like I’m not mad at all?

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