Chapter 27 Sharp edges
DAISY
I tap my fingers against the wooden armrest of the bench as I stare at the Dean’s door like it might suddenly disappear. The silence in the hallway feels heavy, and even though Iris is right next to me, I feel this weight in my chest.
Adrian’s been in there for almost twenty minutes now.
“I mean… he’s a McAllister,” I say, turning slightly toward Iris. “It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”
Iris sighs, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “I hope not,” she says, but her voice is far from confident.
We fall into silence again, but it’s broken a few seconds later when I hear footsteps approaching. Instinctively, I look up, and my stomach does that annoying little flip.
Zeus McAllister.
Great.
He’s walking straight toward us, his expression unreadable as always. His eyes lock with mine, and I forget to breathe for a second. He holds my gaze, just two seconds, maybe three, and then looks away like I was never there.
He doesn’t stop.
He walks right into the Dean’s office.
I exhale, slowly. My throat is dry.
“You okay?” Iris asks, eyeing me curiously.
I force a smile and nod. “Yeah. Fine.”
But I’m not. I don’t even know what I feel. Annoyed? Confused? Nervous?
Zeus just has this presence that throws me off balance.
We don’t have to wait too long. The door opens again. Adrian steps out first, rubbing his neck like the tension’s still lingering in his muscles. His face is unreadable.
Zeus follows closely behind but doesn’t look at either of us. No eye contact. Just turns and starts walking away.
Without thinking, I get up and go after him.
“Daisy,” Iris calls, but I don’t stop.
He takes a sharp left down the hallway and I follow, the sound of my footsteps echoing just behind his. After a few steps, he pauses abruptly.
“You’re following me,” he says without turning.
“No,” I shoot back. “I’m just walking aggressively in your direction.”
He turns slowly, finally facing me. His eyes are cool, unreadable as always.
“Why are you so standoffish?” I blurt out.
“I don’t have anything to do with you.”
“That’s funny,” I snap. “Considering we have a project to do together. You remember that? Or did you already block it out?”
His jaw ticks.
“You disappeared after that class like it meant nothing. You didn’t even say a word, just walked out.”
“I don’t have anything to do with you,” he repeats, voice sharp now.
I square my shoulders, matching his energy. “This project is important to me. It’s literally half our grade. You think you can just vanish and I’ll do all the work?”
He stares at me. Cold. Distant. Like he’s fighting something behind his eyes.
Then he says, “Do it on your own. Submit it. I don’t care.”
My chest tightens. “Wow. You’re really a piece of work, you know that?”
He starts to turn away again, and my fingers curl into fists at my side.
“You act like you don’t care about anything, but you showed up to that class. You chose to sit beside me. You drew like someone who gave a damn. So what’s this really about?”
He pauses, turns his head slightly, and finally speaks. “I don’t owe you answers.”
His voice is cold, final.
“I can go where I want. Do what I want. With who I want. And right now? That doesn’t include you.”
His words cut sharper than I expect. My throat tightens, but I don’t let him see it.
He turns and walks away without looking back.
And this time, I don’t follow.
But I do glare at his back like it might set him on fire.
“That was intense,” Adrian says behind me.
I stiffen, then slowly turn to see him and Iris standing a few feet away. My heart skips a beat. Just great.
How long have they been there?
I try not to look as mortified as I feel, but the heat rising to my face gives me away.
Did Zeus see them too? And still chose to humiliate me like that? That stings more than I’d like to admit.
Adrian raises an eyebrow, his arms casually folded. “Everything good?” he asks.
I huff and cross my arms. “Is it like a requirement to be a jerk if you’re born into the McAllister family or something? Because so far, every single one of you has a PhD in being insufferable.”
Adrian chuckles, clearly not offended. “Ouch. That’s harsh. But I beg to differ. I’m a gentleman.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re the least problematic one, I’ll give you that. But still. The record is three for three, Adrian. That’s not great odds.”
“And you’ve only met three of us,” he says, grinning. “Technically. You haven’t met Kelvin yet.”
I blink. “There’s another one?”
“Yep. The youngest. And he’s nothing like Zeus or Darian.”
At the mention of Darian, I instinctively glance at Iris.
She stiffens, barely, but I catch it. Her smile falters just a little, eyes flickering downward like his name alone is a bruise someone just pressed too hard.
She quickly masks it with a soft exhale, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear like nothing happened.
Adrian either doesn’t notice or pretends not to.
“Then maybe there’s hope for your family name,” I mumble, dragging my gaze back to him.
He laughs again, nudging Iris lightly with his elbow. She offers me a small smile, more fragile now, but still trying.
I exhale and shove my hands in my pockets. “When do I meet this mysterious Kelvin, then? I’d like to compare him to the holy trinity.”
Adrian’s eyes brighten. “We should all grab dinner later tonight.”
I glance at Iris, then back at him. “Dinner?”
“Yeah. Nothing formal. Just something chill. You, me, Iris, Kelvin. Consider it damage control,” he says, giving me a wink.
I snort, despite myself. “You sure it’s not an ambush?”
“Please. I’m the fun McAllister, remember?”
I hesitate, glancing in the direction Zeus walked off, the frustration still simmering in my chest. But a distraction sounds… nice.
I nod. “Alright. Dinner sounds like a good idea.”