Lilith thought I was fighting against my true feelings. Maybe she was right. But that didn’t mean I would stop. “Asher hurt me,” I said. “Both with his skepticism of my ability, and the other things he said. How can I be with someone who doesn’t respect me? I’m not sure we even knew who he really w
It didn’t take much for me to drift off into a restless slumber. I awoke at three in the morning to a dark, too-quiet room. My worries and thought returned. I tossed and turned, but I could not be free of them this time. Frustrated, I grabbed my phone. I scrolled through some apps for a while, but
Asher I wasn’t doing well. I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought of Cynthia and the look on her face before she’d left my life forever. I had no appetite. I had to force myself to eat for sustenance. I felt like a zombie, going through the motions of the day to day. Classes, p
“It’s late,” I said. “You shouldn’t be here.” “I want to talk.” She stepped aside as I withdrew my key and unlocked the door. “I have nothing to say.” I opened the door. “Then you can listen.” She shoved past me, entering my room. I could have stopped her, I guessed. But I hadn’t. Maybe, truth
The whispers about me in the hallways and around campus slowly diminished as the novelty of my pregnancy reveal wore off and some other scandal became the talk of the school. I was relieved, because this meant I could really focus on studying. I needed the extra concentration, because studying was
I could do this. I would go out with Lamar and have a good time. A knock sounded on my door. I checked the clock. Lamar was a few minutes early. I didn’t think much of it as I went to the door and pulled it open. Yet when I took in the figure just outside of it, my entire body froze, except for
“Yeah. Date,” Lamar said. “I’m taking Cynthia out tonight.” Asher’s attention turned to me. I immediately dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes. Soft as a whisper, Asher said, “Cynthia?” He made my name sound like a question, and I knew what he was really asking. He wanted me to confirm wha
I frowned. A call to action sounded in my chest, ready to defend Asher against any slight. I tampered it down somewhat, reminding myself that Lamar was my date, not some stranger out to hurt Asher. “Asher doesn’t care what I eat,” I said. Asher could be controlling sometimes, but not about everyth