Chapter 59 Zoey, that bitch.

Chapter 59 Zoey, that bitch.
Laramie:

Elodie was lying face-down, in her pillow, snoring loudly when I opened the door to our dorm. The blankets were pushed off and she was still wearing a bra and sequened halter-top - clearly, she had another memorable evening. Probably way better than the night I had.

I envied Elodie for the way she lived her life: care-free and without any real commitment to anything or anyone. I envied how free she was - how happy she was.

But mostly, I was just grateful for her love of partying and the fact that she was still passed out.

I got dressed as quietly as I could, taking care to make sure that my bruises were covered, and headed back out the door. I had Ethan's class first thing and I was determined to show up and look him in the eye. I wanted him to see that I was okay and that I wasn't scared of him. I also wanted him to see that I wasn't hiding - I had no reason to. If anything, he should be the one hiding - ashamed of himself and his actions.

I also wanted to do all of those things while I still had the nerve and believed that they were true.

But instead of finding Ethan in his lecture hall, I found a crowd of students standing in front of a closed door.

What the hell now? I thought to myself, exhaling sharply through my nose as I pushed my way through the crowd to get to the front.

There was a note pasted on the door:

"Class canceled, back next week."

And that was it - no reason, no explanation, nothing.

He was just gone.

He was hiding. Running. Avoiding me like a coward.

I was furious. Angry beyond reason. That's exactly what I wanted him to do, but I wanted him to see me holding my head high first. I wanted him to look into my eyes and hate himself for what he did to me. I wanted him to face me first.

"Well, well, well. I wonder what that's all about."

A snide, almost mock voice sounded up behind me. It was Zoey, standing with her arms folded over her chest, staring at the note stamped on the door. She had one brow raised and a sort of sneer on her face.

"Who knows."

I shrugged, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible.

"I bet you do."

She responded without missing a beat.

I could feel my face flush instantly as heat crept up my collar. A mixture of anger, irritation, and panic clawed at my insides making my skin crawl and my pulse stutter.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I stepped toward her, my voice catching slightly.

She stayed where she was, looking me up and down like I was something awful caught on the bottom of her favorite pair of shoes.

"You know exactly what I mean, Laramnie."

She had a bite to her voice that sent a chill all the way down my spine. I could feel some of the other students watching us and I began to panic even more.

Did she know? About me and Ethan. Did she know that we were seeing each other? That we were sleeping together.

That wasn't possible. Was it?

But how could she?

I haven't told anyone. And I was certain that Ethan hadn't either. Especially not Zoey.

Maybe she just suspected something. And she couldn't do anything with her suspicions.

Nothing that would really matter anyway.

I took a deep breath to try and steady my nerves a little. I had no interest in having this little fight with Zoey, especially not in front of an audience. I only had one thing on my mind - getting to Ethan's office and telling him that he was a coward and a bastard and that I hated him for it. To tell him that we were over and that I never wanted to see his face again.

"I'm not sure that I do, Zoey. Excuse me."

I turned to leave, hoping that whatever this was was over with, but Zoey had other ideas.

"Going to see Professor James? Or do you just call him Ethan?"

I stopped mid-stride. The students standing around us muttered amongst each other, their eyes darting from me to Zoey and then back to me again. My face flushed completely, my hands began to tremble slightly, and I couldn't tell the difference between my rage and my panic anymore - they twisted together to form a completely new emotion that I didn't even recognize.

I rounded on her, stepping right up to her face, leaving only a breath of space between us.

"What the hell is your problem, Zoey?"

I almost didn't recognize the tone of my own voice. I also didn't recognize the way I was acting - this wasn't me. Or, at least, it didn't use to be.

What was happening to me?

Who was I turning into?

Zoey opened her mouth to answer me, her eyes blazing with fury and something that looked a lot like contempt. But a clear, commanding voice cut through the crowd like a blade, making my heart stop and my blood still.

"Laramie? What's going on here?"

I took two steps back from Zoey, turned on my heel, and came face to face with Noah - he did not look happy at all.

"Noah." I breathed.

I didn't think that it was possible for my face to flush even more - turns out it was.

Noah just stared at me, waiting for an answer, but I had no idea what to say. So, I just stared back at him.

The silence between us grew until it became a suffocating cloud. It felt like his eyes were looking right through me, searching, finding, and exposing all of my secrets. I shifted my weight uncomfortably and twisted my fingers together to keep my hands from shaking so bad. It felt like I was about to crawl out of my own skin.

Then -

Zoey finally spoke up behind me. Her voice dripping with sarcasm and seductive charm.

"Oh, nothing, Noah. Just two girls chatting. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about."

She smirked at both of us before walking away as if nothing happened. My blood began to boil all over again - I did not like Zoey very much. Actually, I didn't like her at all. The nerve of her... Who the hell did she think she was coming at me like that? What business was it of her's anyway?

I watched her walk away for a moment and then I tried to do the same, but Noah grabbed me by my arm as I passed him and stopped me in my tracks again.

"Noah. Let go of my arm, please?"

I tried my best to sound stern, but instead, my voice sounded small and whimpering.

"No, Laramie. You don't honestly expect me to believe any of what Zoey just spewed, do you? I'm not letting go of you until you tell me the truth. The whole truth."