Green-Eyed | Violentine

Part Forty-One | Hateful

Clementine sighs as she stands outside the entrance to Ericson University.

She frowns as she watches students file into the main doors, looking eagerly through the crowds for any sign of Minerva or her gaggle of friends. She stares for a while, only moving towards the archaic building once she's sure she won't run into the redhead.

Her week off university during her recovery seemed to fly by, and despite Violet's date and their endless loving conversations since then, Clementine couldn't help but let her mind wander to this moment. When she'd be re-entering the school, knowing that her father would have spoken to Minerva, and likely angered her in the process.

Minerva will take that anger out on Clementine. She's sure of it.

"Hey Clem," comes a voice from behind her shoulder. The brunette turns her head and smiles as she watches Louis stride across the carpark over to her.

"Oh hey Lou," calls Clementine, halting in her steps while she waits for her friend.

The dark-haired teen catches up with Clementine and smiles, genuine and warm, "how are you feeling? After the surgery and everything?" he asks, there's a tinge of worry in his voice.

The brunette inhales the warm summery scents carried in on the breeze and allows her eyes to close as she roots herself in this moment. "Much better," she replies, tilting her head to smile at her friend.

"So you're properly back then," asks Louis, "till the term ends?"

Clementine nods and scans her iD at the door, feeling an unsettling sense of familiarity overcome her as she enters the university. "The doctors said that a week of recovery is all I needed, so it's back to the normal school routine now."

"What's happening with your presentation?" asks Louis as he holds his papers to his chest. Clementine can only shrug in reply.

"I don't really know," says the brunette sheepishly, "the presentations are due today but my group have barely scratched the surface of the project. And well, we weren't exactly all getting along long enough to produce good work before my incident anyway."

"Mine's at 1:30 today," says Louis with a grin, "will you be coming to watch?"

Clementine shrugs once again as she tightens her grip on her bag, letting her eyes wander across the foyer, panning upwards and settling on the redhead who's leaning over the rails on the floor above. Minerva's catching the gaze of every student entering through the main doors, just waiting for the girl she was looking for, and as she spots her, Clementine can't help but note how Minerva's body tenses.

"Maybe..." says Clementine as she watches Minerva's face darken into a scowl. She tears her gaze away, smiling weakly at Louis to try and lift the anxiety that's just flooded her body. "I need to meet up with Stephanie... see what's happened in the time that I've been gone."

"Hmm," says Louis as he thinks something over, allowing his gaze to be drawn to Minerva on the floor above. "She's not really been in class recently," says the teen as he looks back to Clementine, signalling who he's talking about with his eyes.

"Great," says Clementine as they enter the main hall, "so I've probably failed this module then, what with Minerva not playing nice and myself ending up in the hospital. It's unfair to assume that Stephanie would have done all the hard work."

"Why was she looking at you like that?" questions Louis with a frown, changing the current of their conversation. "Minerva looked even more pissed off than she usually does."

Clementine sighs loudly and pulls out a seat at a vacant table, waiting for Louis to sit opposite her before she explains her predicament. Louis takes a seat and drums his fingers against the desk, watching the worry lines crease around Clementine's eyes as she frowns and bites the inside of her cheek.