Page 12 of Eternal

Wonderful.

Declan is now getting in my head without even needing to be around me. I’ve unintentionally opened a door for him, and he’ll use it to nudge his way in until I’m begging him to leave me alone.

I hate him.

Rolling my shoulders back, I readjust my earbuds and then reach into my pocket to change the song. The drums are too busy, so I switch to the acoustic album. My musical tastes don’t make any more sense than my art. From screamo to classical. From acrylic paint to pencils.

Sometimes, heavy metal makes me want to curl in a ball under the covers, and sometimes, it’s comforting.

As I walk across the courtyard, I spot Kole and Violet at one of the tables talking. She’s sitting on his lap, and he’s resting his hand on the books she’s holding. They’re always glued to each other the second they’re in each other’s presence, and I wonder what it’s like to have that—to want that.

I scratch my arm at the thought of being connected to myself, much less another person.

Kole’s face is blank most of the time, but when he looks at Violet, there’s a hint of a human existing somewhere beneath his surface. He watches her like she’s the only person on the planet, and he holds her like any amount of distance would bring the world to an end.

Patience, Mila, and I like to give her crap about how obsessed he is with her. But jokes aside, I sense there’s love behind it.

Or at least something as close to love as is possible for a member of Sigma Sin.

Kole says something that makes Violet laugh, and her whole face lights up. It’s interesting, considering I’ve never heard Kole say anything remotely amusing. She tips her head back with her smile, and he grips her throat to pull her in for a kiss.

Like everything between the two of them, the kiss is over the top and ridiculously possessive. And for the first time since they started dating, it makes me a little sad because even if it’s gross and a little too intimate for this public setting, they’re lost in it. They don’t care about anyone but each other.

It’s something I’ve never experienced.

Kole is obsessed with Violet in a way that’s the opposite of how Declan is obsessed with me. While Kole wants to see Violet smile, Declan considers my tears his most valued form of currency.

I shake my head, realizing I’m staring at my friend from a distance, and their quick kiss has evolved into a make-out session.

Turning away, I walk into the administrative office.

It’s nearly empty when I step inside, apart from one student scrolling through her phone in the lobby and the two receptionists. And when I approach the desk, both girls behind it ignore me.

“Tealene Donovan. I’m here about a summer internship.”

The receptionist doesn’t look at me as she begins typing into her computer. Her long, bubble gum, acrylic nails strike the keys as her fingers fly over them. She hitsenterextra hard three times, finally glancing up at me.

“We’ll be right with you.”

I nod, walking to an empty chair on the opposite side of the lobby and sinking into it.

The school emailed me late last night that they made a decision on my summer internship application for the art program in Paris, and I’ve been crawling out of my skin, waiting to find out what they decided.

Only a few students are accepted into the internship every year. Getting in has been my singular goal since I started at Briar Academy, and since I didn’t make it in the summer after freshman year, all I can do is hope this is finally my chance.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study under the famous Louis Petit.

I take a deep breath, hating how this room smells like lavender and bleach. The fabric of the chairs scratchesmy forearms, and the cackling of the receptionists gets under my skin.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out, expecting to see another threatening text from Declan. Instead, my mom’s name flashes on the screen.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Teal.” She sounds out of breath when I answer the phone.

“Everything okay?”

“Okay? Yes, of course. I was just setting up for the fundraiser tomorrow night, and I’ve gone up and down the stairs a hundred times today.”