All Chapters of The Mate Agreement: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I awake the next morning without my alarm screaming in my eardrums. The whole day had been declared class-free for the students to rest and adjust to the new changes they’ve experienced the night before. Even the Juniors and Freshmen were allowed to enjoy the one-day holiday.If only one day was enough for me to adjust to all the fuckery of last night.I sigh and snuggle deeper into my blanket, turning my head away from the sunlight and hoping to fall back asleep. Evin’s bed was empty. She’d no doubt gone to the art lounge to paint, since her art supply backpack is nowhere to be found, and knowing Evin, she’d probably gone there to escape any awkwardness between us as well.It’s not everyday that you trauma-dump on your roommate and admit that you blame yourself for your twin brother’s suicide. I sigh. Last night, I not only felt guilty for unintentionally triggering her, I also felt compelled to tell her the reason why I locked myself in the bathroom.And maybe I also overshared a bi

I follow William back into his room. He grabs a faded gray t-shirt that has definitely seen better days, off the back of his chair and shrugs it on. Now that he’s wearing a shirt and I have less to ogle at, my attention moves around the room.On the mahogany table he’d been hunched over minutes ago, are half-finished sketches and about seven different charcoal pencils sprawled on the otherwise freakishly-neat study table. The bust of a dead philosopher stares reproachfully at me. A single face from the unfinished sketches catches my eye, mostly because it’s the only one not in black and white. I squint at the bright ginger hair and freckled face.It kinda looks like…William pulls a large sheet of cardboard paper over the sketches.“Is that me?” I ask, moving to take a closer look.He blocks my path, crossing his arms with a small frown. “No, it’s not.” He answers curtly, and I get the feeling he’s lying.“I’m pretty sure it looked like…”“Why are you here, Isabella?” He cuts me off i

The cafeteria is bustling with activity today. Most of the students cramming the large space aren't here to eat, but to gossip and chat with their friends, introduce their mates, and swap stories about how the mate night party went for them.Opposite me, Bibah and Akio are having a childish argument on something that has to do with ancient depictions of the color spectrum. Now and then, Akio would try to sneak a croissant from the delicacies laid out on the table thanks to Bibah’s baking skills, and I’d do my best to smack his hand away.Despite that, I’m not really paying attention to the present.I haven't been paying attention to the present for the past hour since we passed the two truths and a lie exercise in Mate 101. William’s last statement; his last truth, had invaded my mind like a parasite. I’m obsessive. What belongs to me stays mine. He had said it with such conviction, such grimness that I couldn’t decide if when my heart skipped a beat, it had been out of fear or fancy.

I drop my backpack on my bed and sigh. It had felt like a good idea to come back to my dorm room and ditch the rest of the classes that I had for the day, so I could finish up on my assignments, but now that I’m here, I feel completely drained.“Don’t crawl into bed, don’t crawl into bed, don’t crawl into bed…” I mutter to myself like a mantra even as I pulled the blankets and prepared to dive headfirst into the pillows.My ringtone stops me.What perfect timing.I groan and yank open the zipper of my bag, rummaging through the books and makeup to pull out my phone. The picture of my mom doing the fish-pout selfie pose pops on my screen like a jump-scare. It’s uncanny how much Wilma is an exact replica of her. I tap the answer button, knowing it’s either answering right now or getting a thousand missed calls and an earful later.“Hi mo-““Bella, You missed my Skype!” My mom’s sharp voice stabs at my ears. “I skyped you this morning!”“I was in class, mom.” I reply, running a hand thro

“Are you sure you’ve packed enough jeans in there?” I ask Wilma, zipping up the black luggage and rushing over to my backpack to stuff the computer charger inside. I’d somehow fallen asleep while planning what to pack with Bibah and Wilma last night, and none of them thought of waking me up until this morning, an hour before the bus leaves. I can’t believe I’d slept for that long. I must've been really tired. “You should’ve just woken me up.” I say to Wilma again, combing my hair back and shrugging on a jean jacket. Despite my panic and annoyance at waking up late, excitement still bubbles within me. I’ll get to see Acadia City today, and for the next five days to come! “Yes, I’ve packed enough jeans. You had already made a list, so I just followed it.” Wilma replies, handing me the paper I’ve scribbled all the things I wanted to pack last night. “And you seemed tired so Bibah told me to let you rest.” She adds as I go through the list, making sure she’d ticked everything, and I had