Chapter 145

Tessa’s POV

I went into the classroom and Miss Emily leaned against the desk, folding her arms across her chest, staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. It’s not that I didn’t like Miss Emily, in my opinion, I found her to be quite nice.

From her students, it’s obvious she’s well-liked and good at her job, much like Joseph.

But it was the fact that she obviously had a thing for Joseph that bothered me about her. I didn’t have her as a teacher, so her pulling me aside to speak with me was odd. I tried my best not to look uncomfortable.

“I just wanted to check in with you,” she said simply, giving me a fond smile.

I stood frozen in front of her, still feeling the effects of the hangover.

“I don’t think I know what you mean,” I said softly, keeping my eyes on hers.

“I’ve been noticing you today and you’ve seemed a little off,” she said with a timid frown. “I know I’m not your professor, but I do care for you, Tessa. I’d like to make sure you’re okay.”

I was surprised by this, but I gave her a small smile in return.

“Oh, yes,” I breathed, running my fingers through my hair. “I’m okay. Thank you for checking.”

I didn’t want to continue this conversation, so I almost turned to leave but her words stopped me.

“Are things with Joseph okay?”

I turned back toward her, raising my brows.

“Professor Joseph? Yes, everything is fine,” I lied, chuckling nervously. “Why do you ask?”

“He seemed quieter than usual today,” she mentioned with a timid frown. “He also wasn’t standing outside his classroom like he usually was. I was a little worried.”

“Oh…” I said, trying to keep all emotions off my face. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

She stared at me for a moment longer, like she was trying to figure out what more to say before she sighed and gave me a faint smile.

“I see…” she said simply. “Well, I suppose I can always speak with him myself. I know things have been a bit weird between us lately, but I consider him someone I can speak with openly. I’m quite fond of him.”

“He’s a great professor,” I said evenly, the smile becoming plastered on my lips.

Miss Emily was no longer looking at me; I noticed her face had gone a little red and she was glancing out the large window on the far side of the room.

“If that’s everything, I should go. I have one more class and I don’t want to be late,” I found myself saying.

She finally pulled her eyes away from the window to look at me.

“Of course,” she said, standing up straight. “I don’t want to keep. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with you.”

“Thank you for checking on me,” I said before turning away.

I felt tears burning in my eyes and I didn’t want her to see them. But I knew if I stayed any longer, it would be all over for me.

“Tessa…” she said, just as I reached the door.

I paused, but I didn’t turn to face her, knowing that my eyes were filled with unshed tears.

“I hope you know that you can always come to me if anything is wrong. I was serious when I said I was concerned. You looked off today.”

I cleared my throat, hoping that it wouldn’t crack as I spoke these next words.

“I know that; thank you, Miss Emily,” I said; then I pushed open the door and rushed into the hallway.

….

By the time the day came to an end, I was feeling completely drained. I just wanted to get home and get some sleep. I feel as if I haven’t slept in days. Between clubbing and passing out drunk, I was practically a walking zombie.

I was also still very hungover and feeling super sick.

Ruby was waiting by our lockers when my last class ended. She also looked tired, but when she looked at me, I also noticed she was looking a little sad.

She gave me a small smile when I approached her.

“What’s wrong?” I found myself asking as I got my locker door open.

“Nothing; I’m just feeling a little guilty,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have dragged you out last night.”

“I mean, it got my mind off Joseph,” I said with a shrug as I shoved my books into my locker. “It’s not your fault that jerk tried to take advantage of me.”

“I shouldn’t have left you,” she said, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. “I went to the bathroom. I shouldn’t have gone.”

“Ruby, it isn’t your fault. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“When Joseph appeared, I shouldn’t have told him about that guy,” she said, sighing as she leaned against her locker. “I’m so sorry.”

I looked at her with a frown.

“He probably would have found out one way or another,” I said in return. “None of this is your fault. Stop beating yourself up over it.”

“You’re my best friend…if anything happened to you, I could never forgive myself,” she breathed, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

“Thankfully, nothing did happen to me. I owe that to you; because of you, I was safe,” I assured her, giving her a small smile. “You are the reason that guy didn’t take advantage of me. Honestly, Ruby. I’m not upset with you.”

She gave me a small smile and draped an arm through mine.

“I love you, girl,” she said, leaning her head against my shoulder. I smiled and shut my locker.

“I love you,” I said in return. “Forever and always.”

I truly meant that; Ruby has been with me for so long and she’s done more for me than I could count. She’s done way more than she even knows considering her mind was wiped. I would be forever grateful for her.

“I’ll drive you home,” she said, pulling me along with her down the hallway. “Want me to stay the night?”

“Actually, I think I kind of want to be alone tonight. If that’s okay,” said sheepishly.

“Of course,” she said in return. “I completely understand.”

We walked out of the school and down the pathway until we reached the parking lot. Ruby’s car was toward the front and easy to get to. As I put my backpack in her back seat, I was about to get into the passenger seat when I froze.

“Oh, I forgot my calculator,” I said, sighing in annoyance. I had a bunch of math homework I needed to complete, and my scientific calculator was put in my locker. “I need it to do my homework. I’ll be right back.”

“No worries,” she said, shrugging.

I shut her car door tightly and sprinted in the direction of the school building.

The halls were vacant; not many students stayed behind after classes. As I reached my locker, it only took me a minute to unlock it and grab my calculator. But just as I turned to leave, I heard some voices from nearby.

Familiar voices.

“I quite enjoyed volume two of that Novella. It was charming.,” said a female voice.

“Charming? It’s never been described as charming before,” a male voice said.

I recognized both voices almost immediately. I found myself inching closer to the sound of the voices until I was standing only a few steps away but hidden around a corner. As I peered around the corner, I saw Miss Emily standing before Joseph. Her face was red, and she was looking at him with a fond smile on her smile.

He looked like he hadn’t even noticed, which for some reason, I found aggravating.

“Your take on the vampire race has always been interesting to me,” Miss Emily said, her grin only growing wider. “You speak about them as if they are your friends. I’ve noticed this in many of your books.”

“They are my characters; befriending them allows me to write a good story. It helps to get to know each character before beginning the writing process,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Most writers would say the same.”

“Of course…” she breathed. “I didn’t mean anything negative by my statement.”

“I know that,” he said, giving her a smile in return. “I didn’t mean to be harsh.”

“You weren’t,” she said kindly.

My stomach turned whenever they met eyes; I didn’t like watching this, but I found it difficult to look away. Then, I watched as she swayed her hips in his direction, stepping so close to him, that only an inch separated them.

“I quite enjoy speaking with you, Joseph,” she said kindly. “I hope we will be able to speak again soon. Privately.”

“I’m sure we can arrange something,” he said casually.

He wasn’t flirting with her, but his kindness was enough to make my stomach clench.

“How about Friday night?” She asked, batting her lashes at him. “There’s a new café I’d like to check out. It’s inside of a new bookstore. We can check it out together.”

I wasn’t sure what I expected at that moment. But I wasn’t expecting Joeph to smile at her and then a head nod before saying, “Yes. That sounds great, Emily. I’ll see you Friday night.”