Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā he wonders what has SNAPPED in him to make this huge, fucking mistake. typically, josh prefers not to get into fights, prefers keeping people away at a distance with an angry glare or a series of sour words āā thatās what usually works. he supposes that deep deep down, thereās certainly a part of him that didnāt want odette to be hurt, all of him that knows she doesnāt deserve being treated this way. not after all that sheās gone through. fuck. joshua was an asshole, yes, he made sure that his reputation was as such, but taunting a girl about her recently dead brother? those fucking shitheads. he could count the people on one hand heād get into fights for āā apparently, odette had been added to that list.
the sound of odetteās pleading voice brought him back into reality for a moment. he should stop āā the blood that is spat from evanās lips is all but a sign for a full-on brawl, one that josh is completely ready for, but he doesnāt want to draw a crowd. he only wanted to teach the prick a lesson, even if thereās a feeling in his chest that heās just made it WORSE for her. josh wouldnāt always be there āā in fact, he would actively try not to ⦠and yet, day after day, odette would still have to attend classes with these boys. he decides to hold back on the punches āā and for good reason.Ā
just fucking great. some of the students who had been chatting and walking around the area had made a circle around the scene, which meant that the authorities were just moments behind. a pair of professors and one of the campus security guards part the crowd, and his heart sinks. he knows heās in trouble ( after all, heās not the one with blood between his teeth ), knows that odette could be in trouble for this. joshuaās glittering record at ashcroft would finally acquire its first BLEMISH, prompting an angry call from his parents. and heād been doing so well; he was so fucking close to getting out of this place, a career ahead of him. why was he so fucking stupid?Ā āall three of you, come with me!ā one of the professors yells, and josh doesnāt want to argue. he picks up his bag, wipes his lips, and flashes evan a menacing stare, trying so hard not to look at odette with apologetic eyes.Ā
ā WHETHER ITāS IN HER UPBRINGING OR HER VIRGO ALIGNMENT, odette is a natural worrier. and this situation brings out the worst of it: how will the boys treat her in class next week? what will they say? will they try to hurt her? and what will happen to josh? will he hate her now too? but sheās thinking too far in the future, perhaps, because what she should really be concerned about is happening RIGHT NOW in front of her, a mess thatās not exactly of her own making, but sheās dead center. from the wrong pair of eyes, some might see her as the instigator. in fact, thatās exactly what those in authority judge it as at first glance: two boys fighting over a girl, obviously, she must be at fault. and almost all of the administration knows by now that odette cromwell hasnāt been herself lately, missing classes, losing her first chair seat; they know why, but rebellion needs to be nipped in the bud.Ā
odette hates the scene, and she knows that if people whispered about her before, it wonāt stop now. sheās at the dead center of everyoneās attention, because, well, everyone loves to watch a tragedy; itās all fun and games when itās not happening to you. and thereās something satisfying about watching the pristine, perfect cromwell girl spiral ā thereās a melodrama about it all that everyone wants a front row seat for. but for odette, this is her LIFE. and it feels like sheās fucking drowning. maybe josh had been a temporary life preserver once before, but from the way he averts his eyes, she can tell he doesnāt want to be that once again. so why the hell did he get involved? why would he make things worse if he had no intention of making things better?
the professorās demands make odetteās cheeks hot with shame. sheās never been in any kind of trouble before ā sheās always dependable. teachers ask her to watch the class when they step out, classmates beg for her notes. she does NOT get reprimanded. so, she follows suit with both evan and josh, strangely stuck in the middle of a dispute she never wanted to instigate. sheās panicking, face pale, sweating; her record is fucking spotless and she likes it that way, she prides herself in it. if she doesnāt have that, what does she have left? they file into the classroom.Ā
āiād demand to know what happened, but i donāt think i could get the truth from any of you,ā a pointed glare. professor hastings isnāt having any bullshit today ā with the lydia situation, everyoneās on edge.Ā āso iāll make it simple. weekās detention. ALL of you.ā odette feels PATHETIC for tearing up, but god, it feels like her world is ending.Ā