Leah rolled her eyes and huffed beside me.
Cadence narrowed her eyes. "We were hoping it could benefit both of us."
"An
d how could you benefit me?"
"You don't have girlfriends. We could be your friends."
"I don't have female friends for a reason."
"I can't hurt a girl if she hurts you. I don't like those rules."
I shivered as I remembered Bryce's words, but it didn't matter. My girlfriends weren't his problem. They were mine.
I focused back on Cadence. "No offense, but girls are catty and I don't have time for that in my life. I'm friends with people I trust. And I'm not going to trust a houseful of sorority girls."
"None taken, but let us prove you wrong."
Natalie piped in, "You can trust us. We're not like other sororities."
"Oh please," Leah groaned.
"Whatever. I don't care to be your friend, but you can come to the party. I have to go." And I did. I needed to track down Miss Connors. I turned on my heel and strode away, but I didn't miss Natalie's squeal or Leah's outburst of curses. When I rounded the corner, I looked back and was struck by Cadence's surreal stillness. She looked triumphant, like she'd won a battle and was on her way to winning a war.
Weird. And whatever. I had more important things to figure out.
I made it to the science building in record time and found Miss Connors alone in her office. When I knocked on the door, she looked up from her computer. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Sheldon? We don't have class until next Tuesday."
I shut the door and plopped down across from her. I ignored the mess of papers spread out on her desk and really ignored something that looked like an exam. "I need you to counsel me again."
"What?" She fell against her plush chair and ran a hand through her hair. It was her thing. She did that when she was scrambling.
"Bryce's agent hates me. He thinks I'm a bad influence, so I need to learn how to be nice. I trust you. And I want you to help me with this."
"Oh." She pushed her glasses higher up her nose and blinked again.
"Say something." It shouldn't be surprising.
"I'm just surprised, I guess."
I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward. "You don't want to counsel me? You don't want to hear about my mess of a life?"
"No. No! No, Sheldon. It's not that. But this is sudden. What brought this on?"
I snorted. "Why the questions? Do you or don't you want to be my counselor?"
"Sheldon," Miss Connors fought back a smile, "you realize that you need to put up with questions if I'm going to be your counselor. It's what we do. We ask questions. We ask hard ones."
I waved a hand to the side. "Oh come on. Just talk to me about my anger. That's all you need to ask about. I figure if I get rid of my anger, I'll be a nicer person. Simple, right?"
"Sheldon," Miss Connors shook her head and stood up. "I don't think you're ready for this, at least maybe not with me."
Wha—huh? I stood up as she rounded the desk. "What are you talking about? You don't want to counsel me?"
"I don't think I'm the best fit for you anymore."
I was dumbfounded.
"I think you need someone new, someone who has a fresh set of eyes and can hear what I can't anymore. I'm too emotionally invested in you. I can't trust myself to be objective. I'm blind to things that someone else could help you with."
"That makes no sense," I sputtered out. Was it me? Did she not want to help me anymore?
"I want to help you, Sheldon. And I think it's great that you are seeking further counseling, even if you're a bit coerced. That's good. You need it. You went through an awful thing, and I know it's still affecting you. Bryce is right. He's good for you, Sheldon. He's very, very good for you."
I frowned. "I already know that. It's why I love him. But I need someone to help me with this anger stuff. If you can't, who then? I trust you."
"And you'll trust someone else. There are plenty of great counselors out there."
"Who are all idiots! I know you."
Miss Connors patted me on the shoulder as she smiled. "I will find someone that is a good fit for you. I promise. And this is a good thing, Sheldon. I'm proud of you."
"I feel like a two year old. Put a star next to my name."
Miss Connors ignored me as she opened her office door. "I will have a name for you by Tuesday. I promise. And it'll be someone who you'll trust and who I'll trust."
I started past her but turned back around. "Are you moving? Is that why you don't want to be my counselor?"
"I'm not moving. It really is because I feel you need someone new."
New could go to hell. I didn't want someone new.
"Fine," I growled. I stepped out into the hallway and stalked away. As I neared the bathroom, I looked back once and was surprised to see that Miss Connors had already closed her door. That was new. In the past she would have waited until I looked back and then given me a reassuring smile, but her door was closed now.
I didn't like it. That was new.
"Hey."
I turned around and gasped in relief when I saw Corrigan. I smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't do that to me."
Corrigan caught my hand and squeezed it before he let it go. Then he chuckled. "Sorry. I just wanted to talk to you and to ask if everything's okay."
"What?"
"You and me. Are we okay?"
"Why wouldn't we be?"
Corrigan's face twisted in frustration. "I don't know, Sheldon. Maybe because I dealt you a low blow last night and you physically attacked me. Maybe that's why." He rolled his eyes. "I have no idea."
I drew upright. "We're not going to be okay if you keep that attitude."
He rolled his eyes. "Look. I didn't get to say what I wanted last night. We had an audience, you know."
Oh boy, did I know.
I stiffened as I waited.
He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about Grace. I really am. I did think I had feelings for her when I slept with her, but afterwards I knew it wasn't right. I did it because things were screwed up with my girlfriend at that time. And it's no excuse. I was a dickhead."
"That apology isn't for me. You should say that to Grace."
"I know." Corrigan hung his head and stuffed his hands in his front pockets. Right then and there he wasn't the playboy that an entire campus already loved. He was my best friend, and I saw his vulnerability. He wasn't apologizing for what he really wanted to apologize for. He looked back up. His green eyes were pierced with sadness and regret. "I'm sorry, okay? We haven't been cool for a while, and I hope we are again."
A knot formed in my throat. I tightened my hold on my purse and fought back the tears because I knew he meant more than just this summer. "Are you coming to my party tonight?"
Corrigan cupped my shoulder and held it for a moment. We stood there like that for another second, neither of us spoke, but then