She glances sideways at Sawyer, but says nothing.
The professor clears his throat at the front of the room and class begins. I stay focused on the lesson and my notes as much as is possible when the light coming through the window is lighting up Piers’ hair just so. Good thing it isn’t Owen, or I wouldn’t be able to look away.
When class ends, I snap my notebook shut and stack my textbook on top of it. “Hopefully the food’s improved this year,” I say to Erin as both of our stomachs growl simultaneously.
She laughs. “It wasn’t so bad last year.”
“Wasn’t so good, either,” I grumble. “Save me a seat? I need to go check on Cleaver.”
“Sure thing.” Erin hands me her things, and I head off toward our dorm. Last year, I didn’t let Erin go off on her own. She tagged along like my own shadow, and I guarded her like an older sister. Now she’s tougher, more confident—and not alone at all, I realize as Luiza joins her among the throng of students heading toward the dining hall.
“They’ve been getting pretty close, haven’t they?” asks a voice over my shoulder. It’s Sawyer, I see, when I glance back.
I turn away and march stiffly toward the residence wing.
“Avery, wait up, please,” he says, but I don’t slow. He has to jog to catch up. “Please, Avery, I want to apologize. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”
“Fuck off, Sawyer,” I growl.
“You don’t understand,” he continues, his voice pleading. I speed up; he does, too. “I messed up, and I feel terrible.”
“Fuck off, Sawyer,” I repeat, louder this time.
“Avery, I’m so sorry. I was awful, I lied, I - I’m just so sorry.”
I’m just going to play the broken record here until the boy gets the point.
“Fuck off, Sawyer.”
He doesn’t fuck off. He follows me through the crowd toward my dorm.
“What I did was wrong, but my feelings were real. I had real feelings for you.”
The rage slowly bubbling in my stomach threatens to boil over. He hasn’t even mentioned my kelpie that he helped get executed. I don’t reply as I open the door to my room.
“I was a manipulative shit, and I can’t change what I did, or what happened, but Avery, I’m so sorry—”
I snap.
“Fuck OFF, Sawyer!” I shout. People passing by on their way to their own dorms stop and look, shocked expressions on their faces, but I don’t care. I slam the door on Sawyer’s saddened face.
Cleaver bounds toward me, wagging his tail. He follows me around as I put away my creature studies books and grab my Survival supplies instead. I fill up his food and water bowls, and then kneel down to scratch behind his ears.
“If Sawyer’s still outside my door when I open it, I’m going to kill him,” I say in a baby-voice to Cleaver, who just wags his tail as he scarfs down his food.
But when I open the door to leave, the hall is empty. Sawyer finally fucked off.
All week, Piers, Bennett, and Sawyer chase me around the school. It would be comical if it wasn’t so damn annoying.
On Tuesday, Piers tries to sit next to me at lunch. I immediately grab my tray and walk out of the dining hall altogether. Wednesday, Bennett is chosen to hand out some papers in survival class with Professor Helsing. When he gets close, he opens his mouth to speak to me, but I snatch the paper out of his hand and turn my full body away from him to address Erin. Sawyer tries to
talk to me again on Thursday, but another slammed door in his face seems to give him a hint.
Every afternoon in PW, however, they manage to find a way to spar with me at least once.
To her credit, Luiza tries to tell Professor Davies that I need a different partner, but the professor brushes off her advice. I’m gentle with my other sparring partners—Erin, for instance—but I don’t hold back against them. If it’s pain they’re after, I’ll give it to them.
They walk away from class with bruises, and I even manage to give Bennett a black eye. That I actually feel a little bad about … until I remember all the times he tormented me during this very same class last year. Bennett might have done it for his friend’s approval, but it doesn’t negate the fact that he still played a big role in last year’s bullying.