Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,16
Victor.
My heart sank, and I was unable to shake the feeling I’d cheated on him.
Chapter Six
Raisa wanted to beat me after she got home from the club at three in the morning, but when I showed her my wounds, she grew worried and yelled, saying I was the most stupid person alive—and I had to agree with her—and that she would never leave me behind again.
On Sunday, I slept almost all day. Raisa and Olivia checked on me several times. Then on Monday, I got up early to go to work before my first day of summer classes. I had to take two ibuprofen pills to be able to stand. I just wanted to get through the day without remembering the bat attack and feeling sick to my stomach. I purposefully avoided Raisa, and slipped out of the apartment without her or Olivia noticing. I’d had enough of my roommate’s lectures.
Cheryl strolled into the coffee shop fifteen minutes before the end of my shift. I smiled at her, admiring her beauty and elegance. Every time I looked at her, a good feeling—like a sense of familiarity and completion—filled my chest. It was a shame her frequent trips out of town for work limited our conversations and time together. I felt lost and alone whenever she was gone.
All the tables were taken, mostly by students, so she sat on a tall stool at the counter.
Without having to ask, I handed her what I knew she wanted: a tall espresso and a chocolate cupcake.
“Yummy.” Her silver eyes shone as she bit into the cupcake. “Did you apply for the position at the hospital?”
“I did.”
“Good. Now it’s just a matter of time.”
“You say that as if you’re certain they will call me.”
“I know they will.” She winked, taking another bite of the cupcake.
I wished I could stay and talk, but instead I pushed myself off the counter and worked my rounds, rushing around the café, serving tables, scribbling down orders, and occasionally helping the manager with the mess in the storage room.
Near the end of my shift, Raisa arrived and sat beside Cheryl. She told Cheryl about the university party on Saturday. The one I’d missed. Flickers of fear touched my stomach at the memory.
“Nadine was supposed to go too,” I overheard Raisa say as I walked past them. Anger crept over me. I wanted to avoid being lectured, but here at work, I was trapped.
“Supposed to? Why didn’t you go?” Cheryl asked, sounding disappointed I had missed the only party I had agreed to go to in almost a year.
I grunted, hating to remember the reason.
“Oh, the brave Nadine decided to go alone. And on foot,” Raisa exclaimed, outraged. “She was attacked by bats.”
Cheryl’s eyes widened, and she nearly choked on the cupcake. “Again? You have to be more careful. Promise me you won’t wander alone like that anymore.” Her silver eyes conveyed worry and concern.
Shame warmed my cheeks. First Raisa’s lecture, now Cheryl’s. I hated to disappoint them and hated appearing childish and immature and incapable of making smart decisions. “I promise,” I mumbled, trying to hide behind my apron and tray, still ashamed of my poor choices. And more ashamed at the memory of my visceral response to hot, hot Micah.
For some reason, I hadn’t told my friends about him. The truth was I was trying to pretend he didn’t exist. That I had not met him. My heart still contracted every time I thought about Victor, as if I betrayed him by noticing how handsome Micah was.
Great. My morning provided me exactly the opposite of what I’d wanted.
When my shift was over, Raisa and I walked to the science building for the first class of summer session. I sometimes struggled in biology, but needed to ace this class to keep my grades up. No medical school would accept a student who flunked biology. Besides, I needed the distraction to stop thinking about Ceris, the bat attack, and Micah.
Being around campus was always uplifting. The sidewalks were clean. The fake flowerbeds were colorful and released a sweet scent—part of the perfume stored inside the plastic plants. The streetlights were brighter and the safety was incomparable. If only the skies weren’t so dark and the May air wasn’t so chilly.
My eyes were still skyward when I heard cawing. I stiffened, but remained alongside Raisa. Could it be a bat? On campus? But bats didn’t caw. Then I saw it. A raven, soaring right above us. The bird was almost imperceptible against