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I should have thought it through. I should have calmed down before making any rash decisions.
“I can’t believe he’s still here,” I say. “Won’t his parents let him stay home for a while until he recovers at least?” I know for a fact he doesn’t have any tests in the next two weeks, thanks to the schedule he gave me. He can afford to miss a class or two since he never goes anyway.
Kat shakes her head. “I don’t think it’s that simple. If you think you have a rocky past with your parents…Stone’s family issues are on a whole new level.”
I frown. “Do you know them?”
“No, but everyone knowsaboutthem. Mr Giles is a business tycoon without a conscience. He only cares about himself, and he’ll do whatever it takes to stay on top, no matter what the cost. His wife is one of those that lives on Valium and Botox. I’ve never seen anyone so unhappy. When you look them up, you can tell they should have split up ages ago.”
“Why does she stay?”
“Who knows?” Kat crumples the wax paper her sandwich was wrapped in. “Money, probably. I don’t get it, but then, I’ve never had a lot of money, so I don’t get how it makes the world go round. Stone is the black sheep of the family. His dad wants him to be perfect, so he does everything to be as imperfect as he can just to spite the man. Going home to recover…I think Stone would rather stay here in his dorm.”
The more Kat tells me about Stone and his family, the worse I feel. The man is an asshole. He lets himself be led by his dick, and he thinks the world is his stage, with everyone in it a lackey he can order around. But we all have skeletons in our closets, don’t we? And although Stone and I are nothing alike, I know what it’s like to have a father I can’t depend on.
Not that it changes how he acts—somehow, I manage to get through life without being a complete waste of space.
I think about what he said to me.You’ve been a bitch to me from day one.
We’re not all that different from each other, are we?
“I have to get going,” Kat says. “I’m volunteering in town. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for lunch,” I say.
Kat smiles. “Sure thing.” She throws her wax paper ball away and leaves the cafeteria. I take only a moment to watch Stone standing next to his buddy at the cafeteria counter. He looks miserable.
When he turns, I duck out of the cafeteria before he can see me. I don’t want to make eye contact with him. I want nothing to do with him for as long as I can help it. I feel like shit for what I did to him, no matter what he did to me. No one deserves to be punished in a way that causes physical pain for days on end and emotional scarring for the rest of eternity.
That’s one thing I have more than enough experience of, and I don’t wish that on anyone.
Not even Stone Giles.
When I walk across the campus back to my dorm, the rumors are everywhere. They’re all talking about Stone and how he got jumped. The women are all serious about it, saying they wish he would let them be there for him. The men all say that he got what he deserves—that’s what happens when you’re a jerk to everyone. They talk about starting fights he can’t finish.
Kat is right; all eyes are always on Stone. Up until now, I’m sure that’s exactly what he wanted, but now…
I can imagine that, sometimes, we all need a little downtime. We all need to be able to recover with the rest of the world turning away so that we have a bit of peace and quiet.
I hate how hurt he is, and at the same time, I hate that I feel something for him other than loathing. I hate that I did this to him. And I hate that I’m bothered by it at all when I should be looking out for myself and no one else.
I’m just a whole bunch of contradictions today.
Chapter 7
Raina
I don’t want to talk to Stone. I’m angry with him for trapping me, and I despise him for thinking it’s okay to use people. I don’t want anything to do with him.
But I can’t stop thinking about him and the way he’s been beaten up. I can’t stop thinking about the fact that it’s all my fault, and I feel like shit.
I don’t want to care, butfuck,I do.
I can’t focus on my studies. I can’t focus onhisstudies. I can’t focus on anything. It’s after dark, and I’m still alone in my room. For the first time ever, I was hoping Lacey would join me so that she can distract me with her incessant yacking, talking about shit that doesn’t matter so that I can get my mind off Stone. I want to be irritated with her so that I can stop feeling guilty about him.
But she’s out doing something with someone—I don’t want to think too much about exactly what that might be—so I have no way of distracting myself that’s actually working.
When I leave my dorm, I don’t know where to go. I only have to ask two people before I have an answer. When someone is as well-liked—or as well-hated—as Stone,everyoneknows where to find him.
