Page 14 of Lessons In Grey

My breath caught. How did he know my name?

“—but some force of this world has brought us together, and I’m inclined to figure out why. So, run all you want, push me away all you want, you’ll find that my persistence is unlike anything you have ever seen before.” He lifted his chin, those hazel eyesshining, that secret, all-knowing smile still grazing his lips. “Don’t inhale yet, little Snowflake, I want to know more about you before you leave this tired little world.”

He watched me for a second longer before he turned for the hall, just as the doors all around us began to open.

Instantly, people found him, gravitated towards him, as if he had some sort of power over them.

Over me.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My skin felt too hot, my hands too cold. I had been worried about what he would do to me if we fucked, how he would haunt me for the rest of my days, but I never considered that his words would do the same.

Shit.

4

Rags

September 1st, 2021

Icould feel her eyes on me as I walked away, and I suppose that was the point.

All day I had been thinking about her. About how coincidence or fate or whatever cosmic bullshit existed in this world had brought us together this morning.

Azrael had a thing about God, a grudge, the rest of us didn’t truly have an opinion, but every night for the last two months, I had been praying I would run into her again, and look at that, I took a job as her new Professor.

I could tell she hadn’t stopped thinking about me either. The red cheeks, the way she chewed on her bottom lip—fuck. I craved her like I craved the nicotine I had given up. I was feigning.

She needed a man who could push that beautiful brain of hers, who could make her think and feel andwant. I could give hereverything she wanted and more, but she had to want it too.

I supposed that’s what I was going to do then. I was going to make her want me.

But first, she had given me some valuable information, information I had truly needed.

I had taken this job for a reason. Someone at this school was selling drugs to kids. I had gotten the job to figure out who, and on the first day, she had helped me find him.

Dear old Headmaster Diamond.

Thank you, Snowflake, what a good girl you’ve been.

5

Emily

September 15th, 2021

My headwhipped to one side, my hand automatically finding my jaw as the tears filled my eyes.

Jordan ground his teeth together, such rage radiating off of him, I could feel it burning my skin. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, keeping my eyes closed, the side of my head pressed into the pillow.

“Stop crying, sweetheart, you know how much I hate that,” he said desperately, like a lover apologizing for losing his temper. “Stopcrying,” he snapped, lifting another hand.

I pushed back into my pillow, my entire body tensing, waiting for the sharp pain.

“God, you just think you’re sofuckingperfect, don’t you?” he muttered. “You can never do anything wrong,”he whimpered and spread his hand across the side of my head, pushing me into my pillow.

Down.

Down.