her directly in the eye. “My father went to prison, as he should have, for the misuse of authoritative power. So, do I believe a man I don’t truly know outside the media’s reports of him deserved some sort of reprimanding for his ill actions? Yes. Does that mean I’m shocked he didn’t? No. That’s not because I believe it’s okay that people could be bought off by false forgiveness and dirty money. It means that I’m aware of how faulty the system is. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
Interest piqued in her features, her brows raising and eyes widening in the slightest way. “I didn’t put words into your mouth, nor did I place ideals in your head. We can both agree the system is skewed though, which is more than I thought I’d get from you.”
“This has to do with me not trying how exactly?”
Walking around her desk, she stopped just in front of me. “What did you do when your father was incarcerated?”
Why was that any of her business? “Did what I could to cope. Anybody would have no matter what circumstance they came from.”
“That’s a cop out. What did you do?”
“I…” Didn’t she watch the news? “I’m sure if you saw the media—”
“I’m giving you a chance to prove me wrong, Adele. Unless you’d rather me continue with my assumptions? You see, teachers talk. You used to be quite dedicated to your education here. In fact, I heard your academics were next level, second to the scholarship you were offered, but that wasn’t for your original major. What was that again?”
I said nothing.
“I believe it was business, correct?”
“If you know, why do you bother asking? I’m sure you also know it’s not business anymore since you’ve clearly checked up on me.”
“You got into this school because of your skills in dance and who your father was. Why don’t you do that anymore?”
I’d gotten into Bentley University because I was a talented dancer, not because of Anthony Saint James. If that had been the only case, administration would have probably found a way to kick me out, so their reputation wasn’t as tainted as my family name was. “Why do you care?”
“Who says I do?”
My eyes caught the time on the wall before I sighed, resigning to this pointless conversation. “I need to get going if I’m going to make my next class in time.” Turning, I stopped and gave her one last look over my shoulder. “I stopped dancing because I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. And maybe…maybe that was for more reasons than I originally thought.”
The scar on my stomach weighed heavily on me, but I fought to place my hand there. I was stupid, weak even, and the anti-depressants Ripley had put me on amplified how I felt. Did that excuse how far I let myself go? How badly I could have injured myself with those scissors, like slicing into my flesh would somehow help? No. I was ashamed, embarrassed, and a slew of other things for letting my emotions win. But I couldn’t change that. I could only hope that one day I could look in the mirror for a long time and not hate the person staring back.
The tiniest grin tilted Ribbons’ lips, but I couldn’t decipher what it meant. Not willing to think about it, I tipped my head and walked out before she could say anything else. When the breeze hit my face as I walked outside, I replayed the odd conversation that just occurred and shook my head.
I didn’t like Professor Ribbons, but I was starting to think maybe she didn’t hate me as much as I thought. She’d once seen potential in me, and I wondered if she still did and masked it under tough love. Then again, I wasn’t foreign to that concept and what she offered went beyond that. Her reputation didn’t help me think that I had an ally in her either, so, as always, I drew back into myself and tried brushing off the conversation completely, shooting Theo a text.
A text that was left unanswered.
My finger lingered over the dial button after a day of staring at my phone waiting for him to make the first move. I was officially that girl. I’d told myself I’d wait instead of making a big deal out of it, but I couldn’t focus, got snapped at by more than Professor Ribbons, and nearly took out a student in the hall because I wasn’t paying enough