Page 42 of A University of Betrayal

“You would have been happy about all the mess... could have taken your chance to leave without anyone noticing.”

He looked at me like I’d just punched him in the face.

“What?”I laughed. “Isn’t that what you want? I’m sure you would have been free if the Quatura had shooed you guys out of here.”

“You would have died,” he said tonelessly, almost coldly. His voice sounded so serious that I had to swallow, embarrassed.

“I would have killed you with that decision. You know that...” I seemed to have confused him a lot. And now he was confusing me.

“Would that have been a loss?” I continued to laugh, but he didn’t seem to like it at all.

“What do you think of me? That I’m so selfish?”

“No, just...”

“Ever since the first day, when all I did was help you, you’ve acted like I’m the worst person you’ve ever met.”

I looked at him, caught off guard, because he was right about everything. I hadn’t thought about how much it might hurt him, even though it had probably just been a defense mechanism because of my stupid ex-boyfriend.

“Maybe I deserved it, I don’t know.”

“No,”I said quickly.

He looked at me so piercingly again. “What else do I have to do to at least make you stop seeing me as your enemy? Tell me?”

My surprise at this request from him was greater than my surprise that he had saved me. His question overwhelmed me. Because there was really no reason to distrust him anymore, except for the fact that, like Emely, he could turn into an oversized, dangerous dog and just eat me if he wanted to. Surely...

“Tell me, what makes me so unlikeable?”

“Nothing. You’re just so... incredibly annoying,” I finished the sentence hesitantly.

“Annoying.You’re telling meIam annoying?” He started laughing as if I’d made a joke.

“I don’t see you as my enemy,” I clarified.

He shook his head and looked off into the distance, diagonally past our house.

“You’re right,” I sighed. This time, I meant it. It was time to set a few things straight. Once and for all. “I still treat you like I did a few months ago. But a lot has changed, and I don’t know how to behave toward you. I don’t know how to behave toward anyone here, not even Julie or Grace. It’s best not to talk about Emely at all.” I had made him grin again. But only for a split second. “To be honest, I need you, because you seem to be the most reasonable person in this town.”

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“Stop doing that. Every time someone does that, I’m jealous.”

“Looks like someone can’t?” he started to tease me and I knew I’d chosen the right words, even if they were hard to get out.

I rolled my eyes and continued. “Trust me, if you were anything like my enemy, I would have managed to stay out of your way, but that didn’t happen because without you, I’d be screwed on this campus.”

He looked at me thoughtfully until his smile came back.

“Don’t get too excited. You’re still the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” I added quickly, whereupon he threw the letter at me, which I just managed to catch.

“Oh my God,Julian, I almost dropped it!” I shouted and stood up.

Julian rolled his eyes and made a duck with his hands, opening and closing its beak.

“You should go to sleep now before mommy finds out you’re still awake and secretly read her love letters.”

“Veryfunny,” I replied with fake annoyance, and watched as he jumped up and picked up the box. “Don’t overdo it with the boxes.”