Page 13 of A Lesson in Deceit
I tried to convince myself they were looking past me or maybe I was just imagining the whole thing and really no one was paying me any mind.
“There’s your boyfriend’s dad.” I followed her eyes to a man sitting between a woman I knew was the Dean of the English Department and a tall man who was animatedly speaking on the phone, but I knew he was another Dean of some sort. River’s father had dark hair with lines of gray throughout, thick defined eyebrows, and what almost looked like permanent disdain on his face. The scariest part is they had such similar bone structure and facial features that it would be crazy to not think they were related.
I’d never officially met the man. At first, I assumed it was because River just wasn’t interested in letting me into that part of his life, but the way he spoke about him had me reconsidering my earlier thoughts. His face almost looked pained and annoyed when his parents came up.
I looked back over at Mr. St. James and internally felt myself wanting to laugh. That man couldn’t pick me out of a lineup if he tried.
Corrin leaned into me, swallowing a few bites of her mini muffin. “Does he always look so constipated?”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met him.”
She shrugged at this. “I guess it has to be hard sitting on that high pedestal knowing both your kids are circulating in your academic department. River is the dream magic one, right?”
“No, River is a telepath. You’re thinking of Asher.”
Corrin nodded, tapping the side of her head. “Right. They’re both hot, so it's easy to make a mistake.”
The doors closed around the auditorium, letting us know that it was about to start as people were finishing finding their seats. “You’ve met Asher?” I realized I’d said it like I’dnevermet my boyfriend’s brother. I’d met Asher, but it was so brief I would have assumed it never happened. The interactions were a simple hi and bye with no eye contact.
River’s excuse was that his brother doesn’t like anyone. That’s why only the bravest students make it out of his classes alive and with good grades.
“Have I met him? Like have I sat with him during his office hours and made small talk? Hell no. He took over one of my English classes during the summer, but apparently, he hates doing that during the fall, well like he hates subbing in for other teachers in general. He likes to stick with his mental magic classes or anything revolving around that, so I wouldn’t worry about having him as an instructor.” She balled up her napkin and chucked it at my head.
I laughed. “Well, that’s good to know, since English is my major and all.”
“You must really love writing papers.” She leaned back in her chair, chuckling.
The fluorescent lights dimmed a bit and River’s dad tapped the microphone in front of him, sending feedback throughout the room. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “So, your boyfriend, Mateo, is in a wolf pack? He’s like?—”
Corrin placed her hand on her cheek as she stopped me. “They. Not he, they.” She adjusted her headband on her head. “Also, not my boyfriend, they’re my partner.”
I nodded, feeling my cheeks getting a little hot assuming I’d fucked up any potential of having some sort of friend already. “Right, I heard you say that earlier, I’m sorry…”
“You’re fine. If you fuck up again, I’ll make sure to remind you.” She bumped her shoulder against mine before we ceased our conversation to listen.
I wish we had kept talking and shut out the meeting entirely. I thought they would be droning on about what they expect at Mystic Riegan and how they hope we have a hopeful and enlightening year. I didn’t think I would start paying attention the moment River’s father pointed to the empty chair that sat at the end of the long table at the front of the room. I couldn’t make out the name plate from where we were sitting, but Mr. St. James said my father’s name and I knew.
My brain short circuited when he started going on about what a great man he was and how what happened was a tragedy. The words started to jumble together, and I could make out things like how he helped so many students and that he could never be replaced. The school was a better place because of my father’s hard work. I started to sink further into my seat, like I could feel the eyes on me.
Maybe this was a shit idea. Mom was right and this would be too much. She didn’t know why I was really here, but some part of her must have known that this would happen, and I wouldn’t have her shoulder to automatically lean on. I felt stiff, like I couldn’t even move my fingers to reach for my phone and text River. My eyes burned from the tears that threatened to fall. The fucking overwhelming tears.
I should go home. I should go?—
A hand lightly touched my wrist, sliding down to envelop my shaky hand in its warmth. I slid my eyes over to Corrin slowly. She wasn’t looking at me, but straight ahead. Her hand had mine tightly trapped as if she was holding me together with every little squeeze she sent in my direction. She turned her head slightly to me, so I could see the softness in her eyes, and I let myself smile at her.
She winked at me before facing forward again.
5
Riley
“So, you knew my dad?” I asked, spinning my phone on the linoleum table. After the dreaded two hours that was that god awful assembly, Corrin dragged me to Sothis, one of the on-campus coffee shops. She’d ordered and paid for both of us. It was small and had mustard yellow-colored walls and gray tiles along the floor. Pop music played through the speakers at a low volume and the atmosphere screamed casual comfort.
She took a sip of her coffee. “I met with him once. I was having a difficult time since I’d only ever been with witches or just magic users all together, so the school sent me to him during my freshman year.” She traced the rim of her coffee cup with her fingernail. “He was the nicest, truly.”
I looked over her shoulder, not wanting to look directly at her. “He was the best.” I cleared my throat, attempting to answer an earlier question I’d had. “How did you know he wasmydad? Earlier you said my name like it was obvious who I was.”
Corrin pulled at one of her curls. “I’m not always one to gossip, but I will listen to gossip whenever I can. When your dad….” She trailed off, closing her mouth and then opening it upagain to continue. “When the accident happened, boy did people talk. I don’t know all the details, but I do know people knew he had a daughter, and the social media investigation blew up. People are aggressively invasive.”
