𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

Chapter Twenty-One

A loud groan sounded from beside me, and I lifted my head from my desk long enough to see Felicity's pale face. She looked like she was about to throw up, and when I moved, I was afraid I would be hanging above a toilet soon as well.

"Ms. Hawthorne and Ms. Alcarez." Mr. Davis' harsh voice boomed through the auditorium and I moaned in pain when the sound woke up my slumbering headache.

All the lights felt like daggers to my skull but I squinted my eyes to try and keep them open anyway. "What?"

That might not have been the right reply. At all.

A loud sigh reverberated through the classroom before heavy footsteps closed in on us. As Mr. Davis walked up the stairs to our seats, I could feel the eyes of every student on me. He stopped just before our tables. "I don't care if you girls decided to drink the night before my lecture, you either pay attention or don't attend at all."

I slowly looked up at him. He knew we would be here because we didn't want to mess up our attendance. I don't know why I had hoped that he would treat me differently from the rest. If anything, I should have been relieved.

But at that moment, I was just in pain. All over. I never should've taken that drink from Felicity. What if I missed something in this lecture because I was hungover?

"Sorry, Sir," Felicity said softly as she slowly sat up, taking deep breaths.

I was less fortunate, finding it really difficult not to pass out as I tried to straighten up. That last bottle of vodka yesterday had come to bite me in the ass, and forgetting to eat didn't help my case either.

Felicity had held my hair back that night as I threw up the contents of my stomach. Which was nothing but some alcohol, of course. She was gagging herself, and the entire experience wasn't one I wanted to have ever again.

"Ms. Alcarez, I'm warning you."

Just when I was about to plead my case, my stomach doubled over and I gagged. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm going to be sick."

Before he could say anything, someone appeared by my table and helped me up. "I'll take her to the bathroom, sir."

I recognized Dylan's voice but I didn't have the energy to say no. I desperately needed some cold water in my face anyway. Just before we left the room, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Davis and something inside me stirred when I saw the look on his face.

A deep frown drew his brows together and his eyes kept a harshness he rarely let out. It seemed like he was angry, but he was looking at Dylan. Was he jealous?

Accompanied by a small grin, I was taken to the bathroom, and Dylan gave me a second to freshen up. Fortunately, I wasn't about to throw up my breakfast-or what I had been able to swallow of it anyway-but I did run my wrists under the cold water, tapping some against my face before I turned the faucet back off.

Dylan was still waiting for me outside when I emerged, and I tried to walk past him, feeling a lot better. But he stopped me. "Jamie."

I sighed and pulled my arm from his grip, anger bubbling to the surface. "Touching someone without their consent again?"

It was a low blow, and the way he flinched made me feel instantly guilty, but I was still mad about the way he had handled my...rejection.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He cast his eyes to the floor and I let out a long breath.

"Apology accepted." I shot him a small smile and he returned it, gesturing for me to lead the way back to class.

-