Dating

Chapter 139

Thankfully the rest of her class went well; however, she was quick to note that she shared a By the end of the day, I was mentally drained. At least, the rest of my classes had gone a hell of a lot smoother than my first one.

I still couldn’t believe I literally had a passive–aggressive argument with the damn teacher. What did it mean for the rest of the semester? Was I now going to be the ongoing target for whenever she got the itch to pick on someone?

Not to mention that she’s a goddamn teacher! I mean, how unprofessional was it for her to outwardly express her dislike for me?

I didn’t understand what Mrs. Shields‘ issue was with me. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid too much mind to the matter. However, I always enjoyed my English and Literature courses in the past. It would really have upset me if Mrs. Shields was going to end up being the person to dissuade me from wanting to pursue a major in

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I stopped short to check my phone. Liam had sent me a text.

Liam: Hey! How have your classes been so far?

The corners of my mouth pulled upward into a smile. A sudden ache in my chest had me missing my old school schedule when he and I shared most of our classes together.

Ella: They were okay. It’s hard to tell when everything is still so new.

Barely a minute went by before he texted back

Liam: Why do I have a feeling that you’re not telling me everything?

Because I wasn’t. But I wasn’t about to spoil this new move for us because I had one rough day. Regardless of what my problems were, I was determined to stick it out and make it work. Liam didn’t need to know all the real, gritty details of this morning.

Ella: There’s nothing much to tell. Have any dinner plans later? Maybe we can head to the dining hall when you’ve had enough of books.

I tucked my phone back into my bag and resumed my walk. As much as it pained me to think about homework, I knew it would be wise to at least start some of it now before things got too piled up.

As I tried to figure out my personal schedule, I suddenly felt the presence of another person walking beside me. It was a feeling I had felt at the beginning of today. Flushed. Uncomfortable. And slightly annoyed.

I hesitated to turn my head. But, sure enough, it was Arthur.

“Hello, Miss Belmont,” he mused.

“Arthur,” I said stiffly. “Can I help you?”

“I simply wish to know how the rest of your classes went,” he stated lightly.

My brows pulled together. “Seriously? Arthur, why would you even ask me that when the two of us have literally seen each other all day?”

It was true. After my first class, I thought that I had managed to dodge Arthur only to find out that he and I shared a very similar course schedule. Each time I sat down at a desk, about a minute later, he was standing in the doorway with that same mischievous grin on his face.

If I didn’t know any better I would have sworn that he had somehow bribed someone down in Administration to set your classes up that way.

I hadn’t even gone through all of my classes and so far Arthur was present in every one of them. God only knows how Liam will react when he finds out.

“Yes, but I’m curious to know how you’re feeling,” he clarified. “This was a pretty big move, after all, shifting from one school to another and everything.”

10:30 AM c c

Chapter 139

I let out a long breath and rolled my shoulders back. “It’s…Fine, I guess. People still seem to be bothered by the fact that I’m

here.”

Arthur tilted his head. “Well, after that incredible performance you gave in English this morning, I’m not surprised that you have become the new talk of the town,” he chuckled.

“Oh, God, I droned.

Arthur’s smile deepened. “You know, I meant what I said before. That was very impressive. No one has ever been able to silence Shields like that in class.”

I shook my head in frustration. “For Christ’s sake,” I hissed. “That wasn’t my intention, alright? I wasn’t trying to silence anyone or come off like some kind of bitch-”

“I wasn’t implying that you were one,” he said swiftly. “Mrs. Shields was clearly the one out of line this morning. She wanted to purposely humiliate and demean you in front of everyone. You defended yourself.”

It certainly didn’t feel that way…

“Does Mrs. Shields have some sort of prejudice against humans?” I asked weakly.

“Rumor has it that her husband left her for a human a little over a year ago,” he explained. “But, I really can’t imagine how that would apply to you.

“What do you-”

“Ella, be serious. You’re not human, he stated matter–of–factly.

“You don’t know that. And for crying out loud, do not go running around making assumptions about me,” I said tightly. “I’ve got enough shit to deal with as it is.”

I turned to leave Arthur’s side but was quickly stopped when he grasped my arm and gently pulled me back.

“Are you still seeing that dark figure?” he asked quietly. The dark look in his eyes made it for me to lie, much less avoid answering him.

“N–No.”

thirst

“Ella, if you see that figure anywhere here while you’re on you will tell me. Understand?”

Oh, God. That same unwarranted spark and shiver traveled down my spine and made me question everything about myself.

I pressed a hand against his chest as a means to push away from him. The warm feeling that swirled around inside of my chest was not making me feel confident about keeping my focus. I needed to keep some semblance of space between us.

“Alright.”

“Good. Now let’s go,” he said.

I raised a brow. “Go? Go where!”

He jutted his chin toward my dormitory and kept on walking. Why would he be leading me toward my building unless…Oh

God.

Is Arthur in the same dormitory as me?

Part of me thought that he would have been placed in some kind of specialty housing because of some ridiculous Winslow privilege of something.

Either way, I chose not to harp on the thought and continued to head to my room. Once I made it through the first main door, I instantly noticed that Arthur hadn’t stopped where the elevator was but kept moving alongside me.

“You really don’t need to walk me to my dorm,” I said.

He hummed in amusement. “As much as I enjoy that idea, I’m not.”

With wide eyes, I watched Arthur reach into his pocket and take out a key. My heart dropped into my stomach.

10:38 AM

Chapter 139

“Wait… You and I…” The words kept getting lost in my throat as I stared at the unimaginable scene in front of me. “We seriously live right next to each other?”

The vice president did say that the halls were co–ed. But never did I imagine that Arthur would be rooming directly next to

1. me.

His lips curled into the most devious smirk I had ever seen. “Hmm, well, what are the chances of that?”

Knowing Arthur, I would say that the odds were ongoingly in his favor lately.

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