“Sorry for what?”
Now, I was curious.
Very briefly she seemed to hesitate, but then she looked at me with determination.
“I had been shitty to you the last few days...and...maybe that was because I had been biased.”
I was beginning to understand. Somehow, she must have felt guilty.
“I’m not used to anything else from you guys,” I said, trying to make it sound as casual as possible, when I remembered that she didn’t know anything at all about the other Quatura, let alone that she was one of them herself.
To my luck, she didn’t go into it any further. The scene in the seminar just a moment ago must have confused her quite a bit.
I turned around again so that I could walk to the parking lot, where I still had the rest of my things that I had left in the car yesterday. As I did, I caught sight of Emely sitting under the tree with a couple of Nash’s guys, looking around campus like an eagle.
Nash was probably still stuck at his daddy’s house, having a good cry just because a couple of Ruisangors had shown up on their territory. Like they didn’t have any bigger problems...
Although I did understand that it had to mean something. The clan and the pack had a very long history. These two species on this campus... This could end badly.
I felt myself being watched and indeed Emely’s gaze was on me. To be more specific, on Bay, who continued to follow me.
I wonder if Emely was able to smell her?
“Wait...”
“Is there anything else?” I turned back to her, only to bump into people again who looked at me with devastation. Bay had to laugh, which almost made me grin too, however I suppressed it in time.
“Yes.”
I looked down at her expectantly.
She was a bit shorter, but I wasn’t exactly the tallest on campus either. That meant she was pretty short, and I got the urge to pat her head.
I quickly pushed that strange thought aside.
“Thanks again for finding the necklace. It means a lot to me.”
If I hadn’t found it, would she have come to me at all? That was a good question. I didn’t need her apology. But she was my neighbor, after all, and I didn’t want to antagonize her further. For Ms. Adams’ sake.
“You don’t have to apologize. I was the idiot.”
Okay, maybe that was too much on my part because something was searching in her different-colored eyes. Did she not believe me?
But then she said, “At least you admit it.”
“What?”
Now, I had to grin. She was being cheeky.
“Yeah, you really were an ass. But I wanted you to figure it out for yourself.”
Unbelievable, this girl.
“Oh, and don’t you dare watch me through your window again. That’s really creepy.”
“I’ve never watched you,” I laughed now, slightly amused, and ran my hand through my hair, which was now probably even more tousled than usual. “Why would I do something like that?”
Bay raised her eyebrows.
“I don’t know... Maybe you like to stalk girls.”
I couldn’t help but laugh after all. She probably found it rather less funny, yet she tried not to let on.
Julian! Pull yourself together. This is about your neighbor, whose mother is good friends with your father. Don’t screw it up again.
“No, honestly, I’m just sitting there and...”
“...playing the piano?”
It wasn’t Bay who finished my sentence, but Emely.
“Was he bothering you?” she asked Bay, who looked at her in surprise.
“No, I actually wanted to talk to him.”
“You know each other?” Emely looked from Bay to me and back again.
“Yeah, he’s my neighbor.... unfortunately,” Bay replied with a put-on smile.
