Page 20 of Student Seduction

Hope, I should’ve realized by now, was a dangerous, formidable creature that could only lead to trouble.

When I returned to Jecca’s office that afternoon, she already had a three foot stack of files waiting for me.

“You can eat your lunch in the archive storage section of the basement from now on,” she informed me. “You’re only here a few hours a day. You don’t have time for breaks.”

I nodded, grabbing as many of the files as I could carry and moving toward the door.

“Oh, and Emily?”

I turned and waited for whatever fresh torture she’d thought up.

“If you want to edge out the competition, you might want to focus on working harder and socializing less.”

I swallowed the words I wanted to say. I wanted to ask if spreading her misery around actually helped alleviate the pain any. But I just forced a smile. I’d already been accepted to the Charlotte Academy of Art and Design. But I hadn’t been awarded any scholarships. My first year tuition would be seventeen thousand dollars. I needed the ten thousand from the museum’s internship program scholarship more than I needed answers or new friends.

So I headed to the basement mumbling, “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

By the timeI arrived home from my shift at the museum that evening, Camille was already blowing up my phone. She was fighting with Derek again but wanted to go to his hockey game.

Just not alone.

Drew said he’d only go if I went because he didn’t want to be the third wheel. We both knew how Derek and Camille were. Toxic and combustible but even at odds with each other, they’d still leave together one way or another.

Ethan was at a baseball tournament over an hour away. The Andersons said they’d bring him home after. Mom was watching a movie in her room. When I’d checked on her, she’d been eating a plate of leftover chicken casserole and told me she didn’t need anything. I wanted to kick off my dress and heels and crawl into my bed for a nice long nap, but as soon as Camille stopped texting, Drew started.

“I’ll buy you dinner,” he offered. “I’ll even buy you sushi.”

I loved sushi. I could hardly ever afford it but I’d had some in California with my dad and gotten hooked one something called Super Crunch Roll.

Deal.I texted back before flopping down on my bed.

A moment later his response came through.Pick you up in twenty.

Awesome. I closed my eyes just for a moment.

The next thing I knew, someone was knocking at my window.

Blinking myself awake, I rolled out of bed and stood. I scrubbed my hand over my face and stumbled to my window.

Drew stood there looking like a GQ model.

I looked like a rumpled mess.

I opened my window and he climbed in. “We have a front door, you know.”

He glanced around my room. “Didn’t want to ring the bell and risk disturbing Momzilla.”

“You know the code, Drew.”

He grinned. “It’s more fun this way.”

Using my hand, I rubbed a cramp out of my neck. “Is it really necessary that I go to this game?”

He made a pouty face. “Yes. You know Camille is going to ditch me for douchey Derek.”

I frowned. “So why areyougoing?”

“Nothing better to do.” His eyes darted left. His tell. The one he’d had since we were kids that told me he was lying.