The Truth About Kian

26. But that was when I ruled the world

:: C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - S I X | BUT THAT WAS WHEN I RULED THE WORLD ::

"Took you long enough."

Shamefaced, I slid my article across Meg's desk. I couldn't argue with her statement — as much as I wanted to — but it didn't change the fact that I was proud of what I'd created.

Really proud.

"Sorry," I said. "It was difficult to write."

Her mouth twisted into a sneer. "Or maybe it's because you just can't write."

For some reason, the insult didn't sting. Because I knew that it wasn't true. Colton Sinclair wanted me to intern at his paper; it didn't matter what Meg said.

I shrugged. "I guess Mr. Sinclair thinks I can because he just offered me an internship at one of his papers." And then because I was still riding on a high from finishing my article, I added, "has he offered you anything?"

She snarled. "I don't even know why the Sinclairs bother with you." She didn't ask for me to sit down — she was too good to be seen sitting with a have not — but she looked at me long enough to make it clear that we were going to have a talk. "It's not like you're anything special."

"Then why do you act like I'm such a threat?" The question - bold, direct and utterly unlike me (at least for personal problems) - tumbled out of my mouth before I could run it through my internal filter.

Her eyes narrowed. "You're not a threat."

"You're right, I'm not." I slid into the chair across from her, surveying her for a moment. I frowned when I realized that just like everyone else in my life, I couldn't figure her out with just one glance. "I don't want to fight with you."

"Then stay away from me." She stood up suddenly, shoving her desk out of the way. "Stay away from Liam. You're nothing to us."

"Insulting me doesn't make you any better." I studied her as she opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the rest of the journalism class entering the room.

She sneered at me before turning away to bark orders at Rubes who'd been fooling around with one of the cameras.

Grabbing her gavel, she pounded on the table so hard that it left a circle-shaped mark. "Everyone needs to sit down!"

We all grew silent, exchanging uneasy looks with each other. Meg always was a tyrant, but today she looked positively psychotic. The only sound in the room was the scraping of chairs against the floor and the hum of the computers.

Meg dropped a few copies of my feature on the table with an audible smack. "Reed," she said with an audible sneer in her voice, "has finally decided to finish her article."

Silence. Then, gulping slightly, Len spoke up. "So, can we read it?"

Meg looked like she was going to shove her gavel down his throat. I saw her take a deep breath, her grip tightening on the handle before she shrugged. "Do what you want. I personally think it's a piece of shit, but that's just me."

"Probably is just you," I heard Len murmur.

The skin around Meg's eyes tightened as copies of my feature were dispersed across the table. For a few minutes, there was silence as people began to read.

"This is really good!" Rubes set her copy on the table. "It made me feel like I really knew Kian."

"Definitely," Leila agreed. "And the quotes from Liam Sinclair and Kian's mom actually tie nicely together. Have you shown Ms. Brennan yet, Reed?"