Dare Me Not | 18+ ✔

43. Not in Between (Parker)

Five months ago, if I told Brit or Sarah I headed to my campus after I had a fight with my dad, they would have laughed at my face because they'd know I lied. Well, maybe they'd still laugh if I told them the same thing now. It's the reason I've been ignoring our active group chat. They must think I'm quiet because I'm at work.

The truth is, I'm too pissed at my dad and going to do anything that proves his points wrong. If he thinks I'm so useless and incapable of surviving the world without his trust funds, he will see how wrong he is.

And now I'm stuck here, in the campus library, gathering sources to finish my thesis. After the first two hours of battling with thick manual books and articles about the study that support my topic, I got frustrated and thought of just dropping out. Screw the magister degree. But then the other voice in my head reminded me of how close I was to the finishing line. Plus, being twenty-five without sufficient working experience and magister drop-out doesn't sound appealing. I just need to suck it up and get this shit done.

"You look different with your glasses on."

I wouldn't think the line was directed at me if I didn't see the shadow next to me from the corners of my eyes. When I turn my head to check, a girl with vibrant pink hair stares at me — at my glasses — as she purses her lips, probably thinking whether she likes my reading glasses. "Blair, hey."

"But I kinda like them on you." She has finally decided. "You look like a hot teacher."

I can't help but laugh at her remark, before pressing my lips together because of the disapproving glares from the surrounding students. For a second, I forgot I was in the library. "That's a good one. I should see if I can find a job opening for teachers."

Blair glances at my messy table. "What are you doing here, by the way? Shouldn't you be at work today?"

"I don't need to work five days a week as an intern. I still need to finish my final assignment," I reply. That's not a lie because it was the original arrangement I had at Hayes Retail. I only left the part that I just quit this morning.

"Cool." Blair nods. "Are you planning to graduate this year, then?"

"Yep." I plan to graduate today, if it's possible. "I'm just so done with school, you know."

"Same here. School sucks."

"What are you doing here?"

"I just brought back the books I borrowed, and then I saw you here. I thought I would say hi."

"Pssst. Go find somewhere else if you two want to chit-chat. This is a library, in case you forget," says a girl next to me, her pale blue eyes peering at me and Blair from behind her round-shaped glasses. "You're distracting people here."

"Why don't you put your earphones on then? Then you won't need to hear us," Blair shoots back.

"Excuse me?"

"Alright, alright," I cut in. "No need to distract more people. I'm about to leave, anyway."

"Good." The girl adjusts her glasses and reverts her eyes to her laptop screen.

Blair is sending a death glare to her as I shove my notebook and pens into my bag. I pick up the manual books and hug them in my arms as I get up from my seat. "Let's go," I say to Blair, even though I have no idea if she still has things to do in the library. When she stands and follows me to the librarian's counter, I know she has no intention of staying.

"So," she says once we're outside. "Are you and Xandie fucking now?"

I almost choke on my saliva. I'm used to how straightforward Sarah is, but Blair hits another level of bluntness. "Why do you think that?"