Page 84 of Hard Rock Love

28

Sure enough, the next day I walked out of the exam room pleased with myself. I’d been stumped on very few questions and when I double checked my textbooks I found I’d answered correctly.

Still, my sense of accomplishment was muted.

So I’d passed an exam. What did that really matter, in the grand scheme of things? No one else would care, or be affected, by me getting an A, aside from maybe the students who would be mad about me blowing up the grade curve.

My main aim was keeping my scholarships, sure, but did that really make any difference to anyone but myself? It was just one more in a long line of hollow victories. It wasn’t even like I needed good grades for some grand life plan.

I hugged my books to my chest as I walked to the library. One exam was done, but there were still course readings and essays and more. I made my way to the third floor, found a quiet spot, and settled in. This was my usual break between classes and I saw a familiar sea of faces, students who were always at the library at the same days and times as me.

My hackles raised as I saw a pair of students look at me then turn their heads toward each other to whisper. I recognized them from the class where I’d just taken the exam.

“…you think she’s…” I heard one say under her breath.

A sour lump in my gut swirled violently. Were they talking about me? About that gossip? They had to be.

I had spent so much time with Seth, I’d almost been able to forget about my social status on campus. But that didn’t mean it had gone away.

“Hey,” the blonde girl called out in a hissed whisper. “You’re that girl, right?”

My chest clenched painfully.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said shortly, turning my eyes back to my book, determined to ignore them.

“You’re the one who got a perfect score on your essay in Professor Ledger’s class?” she continued, undeterred. “You just took the exam?”

I frowned, not understanding.

“Yeah…” I said cautiously. “That’s me.”

“What did you get for that second question?” the girl asked.

“Uh—” Taken aback, I blinked at her. “Second question?”

“I’m so worried I blew the whole thing.” Her expression was insistent, almost panicked. “If I couldn’t even get the second question right, I probably bombed it. Can you tell me what you put?”

She wanted to know about the exam? My mind went blank, completely forgetting everything about it.

This had nothing to do with the rumors. Maybe those two girls hadn’t heard them. Or if they had, maybe they didn’t know it was me.

“Let me think,” I told the girl, flipping through my notes. “I remember it covered something in chapter fourteen.”

The blonde girl and her raven-haired friend waited patiently while my mind whirled.

Maybe they really hadn’t heard the rumors. Or maybe they’d heard, but they didn’t care.

The sour churning in my stomach started to settle, no longer making me feel so nauseous.

I told them what I’d put down for the question, and they nodded with rapt attention.

“Thank god,” the blonde said with a sigh when I was done. “That’s what I put, too. Maybe I won’t fail after all.”

“Hey, do you have a study group?” her friend asked.

“Not really,” I said.

“You want to join ours?” she asked. “We’re not doing that well in Ledger’s class, but we’re acing Harris’s and Cooke’s. Maybe we can help each other?”