Stone Creek by Davis, Lainey (reading diary .TXT) 📕

arm to stop me. "Do not fucking touch me, Serena." He starts to walk away.

Matt coughs and stands. "Mr. Kelly, I think perhaps you misinterpreted something and--"

"Fuck you." Talon's stare would freeze lava. "You don't think I can tell someone's fishing for pussy?" He whips his head toward me. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? Practice with me until you can finally bag this guy's dick."

He storms down the hall. I don't even look back as I sprint after him, screaming his name. But Talon is a foot taller than me and moving fast. He's out of sight before I get outside the building.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

 

 

Hours later, I'm sobbing in Alissa's lap at home. She's on the phone with CJ, who confirms that Talon was in a black mood at practice and hasn't come home. I wail to Alissa, "He thinks I was playing him, using him somehow!"

"He doesn't really think that, sweetie. He's just angry and doesn't know what to do."

"How do you know???"

"Because he loves you and that terrifies him." She is so sure of her words, so utterly confident. She strokes my hair until I fall into an exhausted sleep on the couch, where I stay for the next three days. I call Talon approximately 756 times. Ok, not approximate because my phone apparently keeps track of how many times I dial each number.

Eventually, the girls all barge into the apartment and throw open the blinds. Mindy opens the sliding door to the balcony, even though it's chilly outside, and Alissa pulls me onto the floor. "What the hell, assholes!" I moan into the hood of Talon's sweatshirt, which I haven't taken off.

"Serena, you're gross," Alissa nudges me with her foot. "We leave for our trip soon, you haven't packed, and you stink."

The other girls nod. I hear someone working the blender and they hand me a smoothie. Not until I begin drinking it do I realize how hungry I am. Alissa charges ahead, saying, "It's obvious Talon has your number blocked, so stop trying to call him. You don't owe him an apology because some asshole sexually harassed you in his office."

I bite my lip and sigh. "It's not harassment, Alissa."

Mindy interjects. "Actually, it's the exact definition of sexual harassment."

I look up at her. Everyone in the room stares at me with concern. "But I hit on him earlier in the semester," I wail. "I harassed him first!"

Mindy shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. He's a professor and you're a student. He has a code of conduct and he broke it and this isn't your fault, no matter what you did earlier in the semester." Mindy explains that I have a whole range of options that all include telling the dean that my professor touched my leg.

"Look," I say. "I just want to finish the damn project and be done with this class. You guys are right. I stink. Let me shower and I promise I'll start packing for Florida." I drain my smoothie glass and climb into the shower. When I emerge from the bathroom, everyone is still milling around the apartment, doing dishes and vacuuming the couch where I had been nesting.

"Thank you all for being here for me," I say. I start crying again, and this time because I realize I still really have my act together…apart from this one issue with class and my boyfriend not speaking to me. I have true friends.

A few days later, I still haven't heard a single peep from Talon. CJ told Alissa he comes in late at night, walks directly to his room, and slams the door. He's apparently been a huge jerk at practices, screaming at everyone for anything less than perfection. CJ thinks he's been spending every spare second in the weight room, conditioning for the NFL combine.

So, as I walk to class, I dread making eye contact with Matt Jacobs, I have no idea whether my partner will show up for our presentation, and I'm not sure how I'll respond to him if he does. I have no idea what to do with any of my emotions, so I just drag my feet. I pause outside the door and think of Coach Burns delivering his pre-game speech. Imagine yourself doing everything right, he always tells the guys. Close your eyes and see yourself winning. And so I do. I close my eyes, imagine the presentation going off beautifully. My breath hitches as I imagine hugging Talon while the class applauds.

I feel a presence behind me and open my eyes, turning to face the wall of Talon's chest.

I stare into his eyes, which are cold and emotionless. He clenches his jaw. "I wasn't sure if you'd come," I say.

He shrugs. "I'm here for my grade. Nothing else." He walks past me and sits in the back of the room.

Matt looks up from his desk. When he sees Talon, I note that he quickly looks away. The whole atmosphere in the room is thick and uncomfortable. I sit in my seat sweating until Matt introduces us and says we should begin our presentation.

Talon is wooden as he hands out the flyers we printed. He sets the poster on the rim of the white board at the front of the room. Once he starts talking, I he seems animated, but I can tell he's using his television voice. He's got the plastic smile and slick tone of voice he uses with reporters in post-game interviews. As I look around the room, I don't think anyone can tell that Talon has been in turmoil. Maybe it's just me in turmoil, I think. Maybe I misread everything about his feelings for me.

When I speak, I stutter and hesitate. The research I know like the back of my hand slips from my mind and I have to page through my notes. I