Page 15 of The Love Penalty
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I feel my laptop thump against my back as I hustle down the sidewalk. My pace is too fast for the crowded pathway, but I swivel and weave through the steady flow of human traffic.
It’s a Sunday, and I have no idea why it’s so busy.
Probably because spring is in the air and it’s mildly warm for a change.
Probably because the sun is shining and people want to be outside enjoying it.
Probably because the average Joe and Jenny know what it means to relax and enjoy life.
Unlike me, who is stuck in this vortex of constantly seeking perfection so I don’t have to think about what happened to me.
I don’t like this new girl I’m becoming, but I don’t know how to get off this train.
A cold sweat prickles the back of my neck, my head spinning as I dodge my darkest memories. My fingers are shaking when I swipe my card and push the Huxley door open. Running up the stairs, I make it obvious that I don’t have time for chitchat as I pass open doorways and the common room.
People have stopped calling out hellos and greetings to me.
It took me a couple weeks to notice, but all of a sudden, it dawned on me that pleasantries for Leilani Iona have dried up. Because that cold bitch doesn’t respond anyway. She’s too busy to talk anymore. She doesn’t care how other people are doing…
Because she’s drowning, and she doesn’t know how to tell anyone the truth.
I unlock my door and quickly slap it closed behind me, leaning against the wood and trying not to wonder what they say about me now. I’m sure cold bitch is thrown around a little. Maybe the odd study freak or high and mighty snob.
They’re all probably fair assessments.
They’re all wrong.
Well, maybe not the study freak one.
But have any them wondered, Why the change?
Why doesn’t she stop and chat the way she used to? Why does she never come out to parties anymore? Why does she ignore us all the time?
I couldn’t tell them, even if I wanted to.
I can’t tell anyone.
With a thick swallow, I turn to my bed, dropping my laptop bag on the quilt and kicking off my shoes.
I’m just about to sit down when the door bursts open and Caroline breezes in with a goopy smile.
“You’re not going to believe this!” she squeals.
I wince at the high notes her voice is making while she grabs my hands and forces me into a happy-dance spin.
“What?” I end up laughing the word because crazy-happy Caroline always makes me smile.
“Casey bought us a puppy!”
I pull her to a stop, blinking a couple times, then finally managing to say, “What?”
“I know! Isn’t that crazy?”
“Yes. Very.” My tone is dry and filled with concern while my brain starts exploding with all the reasons why this is a terrible idea.
“No, come on, it’s good crazy!” She pulls her phone out of her jeans pocket. “He’s a little Shih Tzu cross, and we’ve named him Fezzik.”
“Isn’t that the giant from The Princess Bride?”