Page 103

“Because you’ve told me as much.” Kamryn crossed her arms looking so damn pleased with herself, as if she’d caught Elia in her own lie.

“I changed my mind.” Elia gripped the edge of the desk as she leaned over it. “I want to leave now.”

“I still don’t believe you.” Kamryn wrinkled her nose up. “Stop lying to yourself, Elia. The only person who can help you with that is yourself.”

“Kam, I’m done with this school. I’m done with fighting fights I won’t win. That’s why I resigned. It’s better for everyone.”

“Again, I don’t believe you.” Kamryn stood up now, her hands in fists as she leaned over the desk. “And I think if youbelieved it then you would have been in here each and every day that I didn’t respond to your resignation.”

“You’re full of shit, do you know that?” Elia straightened up and glared. “I turned in my resignation. I was going to give you until the end of the semester, but I changed my mind. I want to resign effective immediately.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want. I already told you my terms.” Kamryn came around the desk. Elia had never seen her play hardball like this before. She wasn’t even sure that Kamryn had it in her, but seeing this Kamryn now? It was no wonder she’d gotten the position over Elia.

“Those aren’t my terms.” Elia was going to stand her ground. She was tired of being pushed around by administration.

“Then leave, Elia. But you won’t get what you want out of it.” Kamryn crossed her arms.

Elia didn’t want to leave. Yet again she was stuck in the middle of what she knew she should be doing and what she actually wanted to do. Abagail’s advice had been so clear and precise, and still she struggled to follow it.

Here they were, alone in Kamryn’s office. Anything could happen. Anyone could walk in on them and hear their argument. Anyone could so easily find out what was going on.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Elia said, pointing to the door. “You know they’re talking about us, right?”

“Who?” Kamryn said obstinately.

“Teachers, students, staff—I’ve heard. They’re commenting on how close we are, on how much privilege I have over other teachers.” Elia was clawing for words now. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d heard the rumors. Simone had come to talk to her after the wedding, to mention that it looked bad that Elia had been there, even if she left before Susy had seen—and thank God for that tidbit of information. “You know it’s bad when the students hear the rumors.”

“They don’t know anything,” Kamryn hissed. “Because there’s nothing to tell, is there?”

Elia jerked sharply at that.

“It was all a lie, right?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Elia disagreed. She softened, wanting to make sure that Kamryn understood what she wasn’t saying. What she couldn’t say. Because it would tear both of them up.

Kamryn stomped right up to her. She ground the words out. “I told you I loved you and you walked away!”

“It was for your own good,” Elia responded, the same pain as before hitting her full-on right in the center of her chest. Why did she keep ending up in situations like this? Why couldn’t she just tell Kamryn? Right, because it was for Kamryn’s own good. If she said those words, then Kamryn would cling on even stronger than she was now.

“And what about now, Elia? Is this also for my own good?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not a child for you to make decisions for. I’myourboss.” Kamryn’s look of anger cracked, and Elia could see the discomfort underneath it.

She wanted desperately to reach out and caress her, to touch Kamryn and make all this better. But she held her ground. She had to. “Let me go.”

“I will,” Kamryn answered. “You’re gone from my personal life. You told me that. But I won’t let you go from this school—not yet anyway. You signed a contract, and I expect you to fulfill it.”

“This is ridiculous. We’re just going in circles.”

“I agree.” Kamryn started to step to the side, but Elia stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

She clenched her jaw, the muscles in her cheeks working overtime as her brain spun with what to do next. Finally, Elialooked up into Kamryn’s brown eyes and said, “I don’t need you—or want you—to protect me.”

“I’m not protecting you. I’m protecting this school.”

“Kam…” Elia trailed the words off.