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It was obvious she was avoiding me. Her presence was a glaring absence from all her usual hangouts. I’d been trying to reach out to her for days, but it was as if she’d disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Which is why I found myself in this predicament. I’d been desperate to bridge the gap between us, and I found my back against the wall as I faced my only option. I needed to speak to Stella. With a sense of trepidation, I approached her.

“Hey.” I said, my voice tentative as I addressed her. “I need your help.”

She scoffed.

“You want me to help you after what you did to Sawyer?” She asked. “I thought the dumb jock thing was just a stereotype.”

I ignored her anger and pressed on.

“Please,” I pleaded. “I just need a chance to explain the situation to her. Ava blew it out of proportion.”

Stella sighed, her resolve softening as she inspected my face for any dishonesty.

“Fine.” She relented, her tone gentle. “I’ll talk to her, but I’m not making any promises.”

A sense of cautious hope stirred within me. I knew my issues with Sawyer wouldn’t be a quick repair, but I was willing to wait it out. No matter how long it took.

??

40

“Everything is blue.”

Colors, Halsey

Sawyer

I was alone in my bedroom. The weight of betrayal and heartache made me weak at the knees. The despair engulfed me, suffocating me. Joshua’s betrayal shattered my fragile illusion of trust. He’d fooled me into believing we were living in a fairytale, but he was not my Prince Charming. I’d allowed my naivety to shatter the walls I’d built up. Love only existed in the pages of books. The words echoed through my mind.

My mind reeled with the implications of his deceit. Thoughts pierced the heart like daggers. I’d fooled myself into believing I was living the life I’d read about. With Joshua, it was easy to forget I was living in reality.

And Asher had to add insult to injury. I was in two minds about him. There were moments when I believed he liked me, but I dismissed it as my delusion. Yet, his public declaration clarified that wasn’t the case.

I squeezed my head, attempting to empty my thoughts. It was all a bittersweet reminder of my tangled web of emotions.

As I felt myself sinking deeper into the abyss of despair, an email notification flashed on my screen. Internship. The subject line read. With trembling hands, I opened it. There, in black and white, was the news I never expected to receive. I got accepted into the summer internship.

How was this possible?

A surge of emotion welled inside me - a mixture of shock, excitement, and fear.

It seemed too good to be true. How did I get accepted into an internship I never applied to? I looked closer at the email.

Patrick Lambard referred me. The same guy who told me my art was mundane. My doubts gnawed at me like vultures would a carcass. Despite my excitement, a voice in my mind whispered a mistake had been made.

There was just one thing I could do. I needed to see Patrick Lambard.

??

With a sense of trepidation and uncertainty, I took hesitant steps into the gallery. I viewed the masterpieces displayed all around, envious of their creative visions. However, my breath caught in my throat as I noticed my painting exhibited. Pride and confusion overwhelmed me when I saw my work displayed for all to see.

“Ms. Whitlock.” Patrick Lambard said, merging from his studio. “Did you come to see it for yourself?”

My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish as I tried to fathom the right words. I wasn’t aware my painting was there. How had I not noticed it was missing? I took a deep breath, summoning every shred of courage before showing him my phone with the email.

“I think there was a mistake.” I explained. “I got the internship through your referral.”