Bad Intentions: Chapter 33

I felt like I skipped into school on Monday morning. I was lighter than I’d ever been and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

Eve bounced along beside me. “And that’s it? They’re cool with it?”

“They’re cool with it,” I confirmed, heading for our lockers.

Eve considered my words, tapping her lips before giving me a wicked smile. “In that case, just ask them to be cool with going to HHU and staying on campus…after the threat of California, it’ll feel like winning.”

I laughed at her enthusiasm as I grabbed my books from my bag and stowed them in my locker. For the first time in a week, there was nothing mean scribbled on the metal. Things were blowing over, finally.

“I’m not sure they’ll see it quite that way, but I can’t lie, it feels good to be more honest with them.”

Eve fell into step beside me as we headed for class. “I mean, I could say I told you so, but there’s no point. We both know it.”

“I feel like you just said it,” I pointed out.

She laughed. “Well, okay, but I’ll only do it once.” She gave me a sideways look. “What about Cayden? How are things between you?”

I couldn’t bring myself to confess my lapse in self-control the other night in Beckett’s pool house. I’d been emotional, a live wire of tension, and he’d been there. That had been the only reason it had happened. Why he wanted to be there, I had no clue and I wasn’t about to start reading into it. Guys like Cayden West didn’t end up with girls like me, that was obvious. Besides, I was going away for college, and if he got his wish, he’d be here, at HHU, and then, off playing somewhere for the NHL. Our lives were going in opposite directions, and there wasn’t any point clinging on to the remnants of the weird, unexplainable attraction between us.

“We are back to the natural order of things. Mutual hatred and icy disinterest. It’s the only normal thing between us really, when you think about it.”

We reached the door of our art class, and I peered inside. Cayden was already in his seat, just behind mine, and when I walked in, his eyes immediately lifted and pinned me with his gaze.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Eve whispered to me. “That look isn’t icy disdain in my book.”

“What do you know? You date less than me,” I whispered back as we entered the room.

Eve nodded. “Fair enough, you have a point there, my friend. Just picture the two of us at HHU, finally free to date and flirt and live free of scrutiny and uptight authoritarians.”

“Your mom lets you do whatever you want.”

“I was talking about my brother.” Eve sighed.

We split up, and I went to my seat. I was horribly aware of Cayden sitting just behind me. Thoughts of the other night in the pool house pushed into my head and wouldn’t leave. I felt like my face was on fire.

Class passed in a blur, and I was barely able to concentrate. As soon as the bell rang, Cayden and the Ice Gods headed out, and I lingered, packing my things slowly. My art teacher, Ms. Sophie, came to stand near me, looking down at my sketch for the day.

“This is excellent, Lily. Remember if you decide that microbiology isn’t your thing, you could have a very promising career in art.”

“Are there really a lot of careers in art? Sorry, that’s what my dad would say,” I muttered.

Sophie laughed. “I can just picture Coach Eric’s expression when he said it, too. Believe it or not, I know a little something about going against your parents when deciding what kind of future you want.”

She leaned a slim hip on the desk beside me, and I watched her, fascinated as always. She was one of those enigmatic women who carried an aura of mystery wherever she went. Poised and always graceful. There was something about her that made me think she had a world of secrets hidden behind her beautiful smile. Of course, the fact that she’d recently gotten married to a terrifyingly handsome Russian had been the talk of the town. The rumors that had gone around about Ms. Sophie’s husband were wild, and by the look of him, I was inclined to think they might be true. They ran the gamut, from him being a mobster, to an oligarch, to a secret agent undercover. He showed up frequently to pick his new wife up from school, and he caused a stir every single time.

“You have to follow your heart. It will lead you in the right direction if you let it.”

“What if your heart is a coward?” I countered.

She laughed. “I know a lot about that, too. When the time comes, you’ll find your courage, or it will be forced on you. Just don’t hide from what you want. I can’t help but notice tension between you and Cayden. It can’t be easy having a new person at home all the time.” She changed subjects smoothly.

“Yeah, it’s not easy, but it’s okay. He – he’s not really interested in a girl like me,” I heard myself say.

Sophie was quiet for a moment and then tilted her head to the side. “If that were true, I’d say it was a good thing, perhaps. I know men like Cayden, burning balls of anger and hurt…they can be difficult to deal with.”

My eyes collided with hers. She was staring at me in a way that felt like she could see right through me.

“I…” I trailed off, unsure what to say.

Sophie nodded. “It’s already too late, isn’t it?”

Her quiet question was shatteringly insightful. Yes, it was already too late to stop my heart from being affected by a guy like Cayden.

She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. ‘If you ever want to talk about it, or you need help with anything… you have my number.”

Right. I did have her number. I’d recently had to message her about an assignment being ruined when someone threw my bag into the school pool.

“I could warn you away from bad boys with trouble written all over them, but I’d be a hypocrite.” She continued, giving me a sympathetic look.

I raised an eyebrow as I processed her words. “Are you confirming the rumors that your new husband is exactly like that?”

She smiled and leaned in to whisper her response, her dark hair tickling my ear. “No, not at all.” Her eyes twinkled when she laughed. “He’s so, so much worse.”