You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,27
knock on my door.
I stood and approached the door, thinking for sure Ryan must’ve left something behind and was coming back to retrieve it. I pulled open the door.
Chase stood there with his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on mine. “Why was he in your room?”
“What?”
He brushed past me into the room. “Ryan. Why was he in here with you alone? I thought you were going out?”
I slammed the door and spun around, pissed at his tone and abrasiveness. “Don’t even tell me this is somehow going to be about me being reckless again. Is it reckless to have a guy in my room?” I ticked my chin toward him. “Because you’re in my room.”
“You can trust me.”
I scoffed. “Right. Trust is the first thing I think of when I think of you. Actually, right now, it’s more like creepy stalker.”
“I get it. I hurt your pride or something.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “My pride or something? Are you for real?”
“I’m just saying, you’re mad at me. Fine. Whatever. But you need to listen to me.”
“So, you’re gonna dismiss my pride being hurt or whatever, but now I have to listen to you? Seriously?”
He dragged his hands through his hair. “God dammit, Soph. Stop putting yourself in bad situations.”
“You know what?” I walked to the door. “I’m gonna take your advice.” I yanked it open. “You. You’re the bad situation. So, get out.”
His teeth clenched and his jaw began to pulse.
“Thanks for worrying about my well-being,” I said with an insincere smile. “But I’m good.”
“That’s not why I came by. We have our project.”
A sarcastic laugh escaped me. “Not tonight we don’t.”
He stared at me long and hard, annoyance weighing heavy in his eyes like when we first met. He broke eye contact first and walked straight out the door without another word.
Good riddance, asshole.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I arrived early to Art History, taking my usual spot near the back. I checked my phone to be sure it was silenced then slipped it in my bag.
“Are you going out with him again?” Chase asked from the seat behind mine.
I didn’t bother turning around. “That’s not your seat.”
“Are you gonna answer me?”
“Are you gonna leave me alone?” I countered. “Because first, you can’t stand the sight of me, and now you’ve turned into some kind of creepy stalker.”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
I huffed my frustration. “I just answered your question.”
“So, you’re going out with him again?”
I lifted my hands to my face and scrubbed them up down, needing to wake up from this craziness. “Please leave me alone.”
“Chantel and I are going with you.”
I spun around to glare at him. “Is something wrong with you? Like seriously messed up in your head?”
My question obviously confused him judging by the look on his face. “No.”
“Are you sure? Because I think you’re the crazy one I need to stay away from. You are seeing my roommate. Which means you have no right to tell me what to do.” I turned back around and despite his attempts to say more, I ignored him.
Going with him to the coast had been a bad decision. Nothing good came of it. He now thought he could tell me what to do and who to do it with. He clearly didn’t get the memo. No one told me what to do. Not him. Not Chantel. I made my own decisions—good or bad, they were mine to make.
When the professor dismissed us, I took my time, hoping Chase would leave before me.
“We need to work on our project,” he said, still seated in the seat behind mine.
I closed my eyes. Dealing with him was beginning to wear on me.
“Are you free tonight?”
I said nothing as I put my laptop into my backpack and stood up.
“Sophia?”
I swung my bag over my shoulders and secured it onto my back.
“I’ll be in the media room at seven,” he said, making no move to stand as I marched out of the lecture hall.
***
“Are you gonna meet him?” Valerie asked over dinner that night.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s been acting so strange.” I closed my eyes. “What am I saying? He only ever acts strange.”
“He’s always been a pretty chill guy,” Valerie said.
“Are we talking about the same Chase?”
“Apparently, you just bring out the worst in him.”
“Oh, yay me.”
Valerie smiled before taking a bite of her salad. “You don’t really have a choice, though, do you? He’s your partner and your grade depends on both of you doing the work.”
I released a deep