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“What I meant was—”
He smiles over. “You need time.”
Bless him, rescuing yet again. “You understand needing to get away, don’t you?”
“Indeed I do.”
I pat at a new little droplet. “Sometimes…family’s just hard, you know? Who wants to run home a total failure?”
“I hear ya. Not looking forward to that myself.”
“On top of all this, I ruined their plans for a giant family vacation. The trip they’re on now was supposed to happen in May and it was supposed to be a graduation celebration.” I sink a little lower in my seat. “I failed a class and didn’t get to graduate on time.”
His throat makes a noise. “That’s hardly total failure, Annalise. You’ve graduated now, right?”
“Yes, but it messed up my plans. Everybody’s plans.” I watch the passing scenery. “So stupid.”
“College is hard. It’s nothing to be ashamed—”
“I didn’t fail because it was hard. I failed, but it wasn’t my fault!” My chest tightens, and I have to force a couple of long, deep breaths so the anxiety doesn’t overtake me.
Marco is quiet. Desperately wishing I’d can the whining and give him some peace already?
“I’m listening if you want to talk about it.”
Ugh. He’s nice. Too darned nice. “Okay. Fine. Itwasmy fault. I did mess up. I missed a test.”
His lips twitch and I know what’s coming. “Too much par-tay par-tay?”
I deliver a death glare. “No.” Sigh. “Well, not exactly. My friends and I had thrown a bridal shower for another girl one evening. I’d only had a glass of wine, but I was so sleepy, and I won’t drive if I’ve had anything to drink. I’m such a lightweight, and I’d never want alcohol to ever be remotely a question if something happened.” My friends laugh at me about this, but I’m a stickler.
I glance over, relieved he’s not laughing.
“Anyway, I decided to spend the night at her place. I know I set my alarm, but it never went off. Or I didn’t hear it. Whichever, I missed my eight o’clock exam.”
“That stinks.”
“Long story short, it made it impossible for me to pass the class.”
“And the professor wouldn’t let you make it up?”
“That’s the thing. He was usually quite lenient about stuff like that, had a reputation for it. I knew of another girl in the class who did the same thing earlier in the semester, and he let her make it up. With me, he wouldn’t budge.”
“What a…jerk.” Marco scowls, and I can tell he held back on a stronger word. I wonder if he’d still be on my side if he knew the full scope of my foolishness.
“The guy’s this dearly loved professor with great ratings from his students, but I hated him.”
“Hate’s a pretty strong word.”
I shrug off his mild rebuke, if indeed that’s what it was. “But I do. And he hated me.”
His silence coaxes me on, though I don’t understand my need to unburden myself to Marco Gonzalez.
“He hated me because I wouldn’t sleep with him.”
CHAPTER 21
Marco
