CHAPTER 59: DISHING KARMA

Catherine’s POV

It had been two days since Julian walked out of my room. I hadn’t seen him since then, so it was safe to say he was avoiding me.

So yeah, another period of us not seeing or speaking to each other, pretending the other didn’t exist.

There was no text or call from him, not like I was expecting him to send any of those to me but at least, he could try to reach out to Gabriel, so we would know he was fine. Ridiculous, I was very worried, but too proud to admit it to myself, or anyone else.

I tried to push him out of my mind as I padded into the kitchen that afternoon, my stomach grumbling from hunger.

I opened the fridge, trying to find any suitable snack to hold my hunger, when Lucy walked in. She was smiling too brightly, holding her phone to her ear. I didn’t have to guess who she was talking to; I could tell from the tone of her voice, that high, sugary pitch she only used when she wanted attention.

"Julian," she said, giggling, "you’re so mean. You left me bored here all alone. It’s only been two days, but it feels like forever."

My grip tightened on the fridge handle and stomach twisted. Of course. I was right.

I could’ve left, should have, probably but I didn’t. Instead, I stayed there, pretending to rummage through the shelves of the fridge, while trying to convince myself I was only curious. Maybe I wanted to give myself another reason to hate him, to feed that bitter little fire he’d lit inside me.

"Oh, stop it," Lucy cooed into the phone. "You know I’ve missed you. You should come home soon."

Every word she said scraped against my nerves.

I hated how easily she said it.

I hated that he was answering her.

And most of all, I hated that part of me cared.

The jealousy hit fast, sharp and stupid. My face burned, and I closed the fridge harder than I needed to. I reminded myself firmly that exams were in three days. I didn’t have the time or the emotional capacity to deal with Lucy’s nonsense or meddle in their romantic relationship life. So I straightened my back, walked past her without a word, and went straight to my room, pretending her laughter didn’t follow me down the hallway.

/\

Monday came, and with it, the scary tension of finals week. The students all looked busy and stressed, some hunched over coffee cups, flipping through notes like their lives depended on it. The classrooms were packed, and the cafeteria quieter than usual.

Everyone was focused. Everyone except Sasha Hall.

Sasha wasn’t reading. She wasn’t even pretending to. Instead, she sat beside me in the study lounge, tapping her pen and glancing at her phone every other second, as if waiting for gossip to fall from the sky. I’d been trying to review three Chapters of my literature textbook for the past hour, but with her sitting next to me, it felt impossible.

"Are you really going to stay mute all day?" she finally said, leaning forward. Her lip gloss sparkled obnoxiously under the light. "I just need to ask you something."

"I’m reading, Sasha. I can’t talk right now," I said without looking up.

She huffed quietly. I knew that sound. That quiet irritation she tried to mask behind fake sweetness. She didn’t want to annoy me too much, not when she still needed me to stay close to the almighty Julian Vaughn.

After a minute, she spoke again, her voice sounding unusually sweet. "Okay, fine. One last question, I promise."

I sighed and closed my book halfway. "Fine. Shoot."

Her smile came small, fake, and calculated. "Is Julian alone with that girl? What’s her name? Lucy? Since he’s not in school today?"

The question threw me off balance, but I kept my face blank. I could’ve told her the truth that Julian hadn’t been home for days but where was the fun in that? Instead, the words rolled off my tongue before I could stop them.

"Yes," I simply replied. "He’s with her. She requested for him to stay home with her today and he did it without a single question asked."

The lie tasted delicious. Her eyes widened just a fraction, and then her face crumpled into a frown, her jaw tightening.

Bingo.

Watching Sasha Hall lose her composure was a rare sight, but I had seen enough these past few days and honestly, it always felt better than it should’ve. A thrill of satisfaction ran through me. She shifted in her seat, pretending not to care, but I could practically see the jealousy spreading across her face.

Poor Rina, who had been quietly painting her nails nearby, became her next target.

"Can you hide those ugly nails?" Sasha snapped. "They’re messing with my vision."

Rina blinked at her, looking all confused, while I bit back a laugh.

"You don’t have to be so rude, you know?" She shot back at Sasha for the first ever and Sasha glanced with the same unbelievable expression I had.

"Did you just say that to me?"

The question from Sasha seemed to intimidate Rina because this time around she didn’t say anything, she just covered the bottle of paint she was using and put it in her bag. "I’ve gotten rid of them, hope you’re happy now?"

I was enjoying this little drama. Even her girls seemed to be fed up with her.

My head bent low, as I tried to hide the smirk on my pace, while gathering my books. "I’ll go read in the library," I said calmly. "Too many distractions here."

Sasha didn’t reply, but I could feel her glare on my back as I walked out. The moment I stepped into the empty hallway and was sure no one could see me, I burst into helpless laughter.

Karma might just be my middle name.