King of Corium (Corium University Trilogy 1)

I stare off into space, not ready to digest what almost happened.

“Here,” Brittney says, handing me the mug. Her voice startles me, and I jump in my seat, my hand going to my chest.

I sputter to get, “Thank you,” out and take the mug from her, staring down into it.

“You’re welcome,” she says, and I watch out of the corner of my eye as she takes a seat on a big comfy-looking chair across from me. Hesitantly, I bring the mug to my lips and take a sip of the steaming hot liquid. “Now, normally, I don’t allow students to eat or drink in the library, but for you, I’ll bend the rules a little bit.”

I look up from the mug, the steam billowing out of it, and find Brittney is smiling, and though it looks like a genuine smile, I can’t be sure. While she seems nice, I don’t want to owe anyone any favors or dig myself a deeper hole. Her threat to Quinton still hangs in the air, and I know if she truly heard and saw what happened, she has the power to tell someone, and that could make my time here a lot harder. I need to end this, need to tell her I’m okay, that he wasn’t hurting me or bothering me. I should’ve said something in the hall, but I was too afraid, too shocked that someone had stopped him.

The other option would be to confide in her, to tell her the truth, but that seems like a bad idea, one that could blow up in my face. I decide to go with the first idea for now.

“Whatever you saw or heard…” I start, but she waves her hand out in front of her, stopping me in my tracks.

“When you want to talk about it, we can talk about it, but for right now, feel free to sit here and enjoy your drink.”

“I just want you to know he wasn’t hurting me or anything,” I continue. The lie rolls off my tongue so easily, it’s scary.

She leans forward in the chair and pushes her black glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her gaze is pensive as she studies me. The light catches on something silver, and it’s then that I notice the ring in her nose. “As I said, we can talk about it later.”

She doesn’t let on if she believes me or not. She simply ends the conversation and moves on, almost like she is giving me an out. Giving me a chance to talk to her when I’m ready to speak the truth. “Why don’t you tell me what your name is?”

I gulp down some more of the hot cocoa, cursing myself as it burns a path of fire down my throat. “Aspen,” I wheeze, half choking.

Brittney laughs. “It’s called hot cocoa for a reason. It’s hot, or it would be called lukewarm cocoa. You sip it, not gulp it.”

This time, I return the smile and lower the cup from my mouth slowly. “Sorry. I’m kind of ashamed I didn’t make it here sooner. I love books, and this library is like a bookworm’s haven.” I peer around the room, drinking in the grandness of it.

She sighs. “I wish more students felt the same, but they don’t.”

“They’re stupid,” I deadpan. “I could live here.” It’s a joke, well, kind of. This library is already a place I could see myself coming to daily.

Silence settles around us, and I sip on my warm drink, letting it calm me from the inside out. For a brief speck in time, I forget about Quinton, about my father being in prison, about my crumbling life. I let it all fall to the wayside and relax in the comfort surrounding me.

I frown once I reach the bottom of my cup and look up at Brittney, who has been watching me the whole time.

“Thank you so much for…the cocoa, and…” I trail off. I’m not really ready to explain what was going on out in the hall.

“No worries, and I want you to know you’re welcome back here anytime. In fact, I’m already looking forward to seeing you again.”

I can’t help but smile, especially since she’s the first teacher to talk to me—the first person to treat me like a human in this twisted place. I hand her the mug and push off the leather sofa. My legs feel like Jell-O, and I’m exhausted, both mentally and physically. I can only hope that when I walk out of here, Quinton isn’t waiting for me.

“Thank you, Brittney. I’ll definitely be back, and next time, I’m bringing a book.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She smiles, and I can feel her eyes on me as I walk out of the library. And just like that, I think I’ve found the one haven I’ll have at Corium.