blame. If you weren't so..."
I stop and turn on him, making him come to a halt as well or risk slamming into me. "If I weren't so what?" I challenge, venom in my tone.
He lifts his hands in surrender. "Nothing, never mind," he says, still smiling. "Just pretend I'm not even here."
I huff out a breath and turn around, heading up the steps of the office building. "As far as I'm concerned," I mutter. "You shouldn't be."
We make our way into the building and up the elevator. The doors slide open when we reach Ms. Bairns's floor and I step out and storm past the long line of elaborate portraits. For some reason, today they seem like they, too, are staring smugly down at me. As it had been last time, Bairns's door is cracked. I don't even knock, I just shove through, causing the woman herself to start as she drops a sheaf of papers. They fall, scattering over the top of her desk.
"Avalon!" She stands up to welcome me but freezes halfway out of her seat when my shadow pushes the door open even further and strides in. Ms. B seems to catch herself staring and quickly shakes off the surprise. "W-welcome," she stutters out, throwing a hand towards the chairs in front of her desk. "Won't you take a seat?"
I drop into one of the overstuffed chairs and cross my arms over my chest as I lean back and glare over her head. She retakes her seat, eyes shooting to Abel. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't ask him to leave. Abel is, after all, practically the son of her bosses. Fucking rich people.
"Thank you for coming," Ms. Bairns's begins as she starts restacking the papers she'd dropped and shuffles a few of them to the side. "I was worried when you didn't show up for your last appointment, but I'm glad you're here now."
I don't comment, and she sighs as she pulls a small folder from beneath the mess even as she continues the attempt to tidy up. "Okay, well, let's just go ahead and jump into it, shall we?" This time, she's smart enough not to expect an answer. The only reason I'm even here today is because her last email had a more desperate edge concerning the possibility of me taking on a scholarship. I'm honestly just waiting for her to bring that up again. My eyes cut to Abel. I wonder if she will with him in the room.
"I'm concerned about some missed classes," Ms. B states, glancing from the file in her hand to me. "How have you been? Adjusting well?"
"Everything's been just peachy," I say sarcastically, shooting Abel a glare as I do so. The corner of his mouth tips up, but other than that one small movement, it's as if he's pretending he's not even here. God, I really wish that were true. I'm getting tired of feeling like I constantly have a guard dog on me at all times.
"Right." Ms. B ignores my tone and continues on. "Well, I have to say that despite the few absences—your grades are impeccable. I'm not surprised. I was sure you'd be able to adapt well to the academic expectations here." She shoots me a beaming smile, but I feel like doing anything but smiling back.
"Is that it?" I ask. "You wanted to ask about the absences and tell me about my grades?"
Ms. Bairns's smile droops and, once again, her eyes dart to the man sitting to my right. She clears her throat. "Actually, no, I was wondering if you'd had a chance to think any more about that proposal I mentioned to you before," she says, lowering her voice and leaning forward.
My lips press together as I turn my head to the side, avoiding her gaze as I scan the room. Floor to ceiling bookshelves packed with volumes that look like they've been there since this building was built. Dust coats the front of the shelves, telling me they're just there for decoration. What a fucking pity.
"I'm still thinking," I say after a long moment.
"I honestly think it would be a great opportunity for you, Avalon," Ms. B presses.
When I glance back at her, I notice that Abel's head is turned towards me. Oh, he pretends like he's looking at the bookshelf just as I was, but every few seconds, his eyes flick towards Ms. B and then to me. On the second pass, he realizes that I'm watching him and our eyes lock. I