"You're my every thought. I couldn't get you out of my head if I tried... don't you get that?"
"But can I count on you to never let me forget?"
• sequel to "have it all" by sircalyum • book 2
// smut included //
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this chapter title is an ode to my wack ass time framing <3 a tragic flaw of mine, honestly
MONDAY AFTERNOON. On our walk to the dining hall, Kate and I talked about the class we had just gotten out of. Today was the first time we had seen Vince since Wednesday before everything had gone down on social media about his involvement in the articles.
"He looked rough," Kate observed, after a shared moment of silence. "I haven't seen him look that bad in years," she continued on, almost seeming concerned. It wouldn't completely surprise me if she were; no matter how much she resented him for his actions, I'm sure she still cared deep down. Even I found myself feeling slight worry as I saw him in class that day.
"Yeah, he didn't look good," I agreed, slightly zoning out as I looked down at my feet while we walked. I didn't want to spend any time worrying about him because he didn't deserve my energy, but it was also hard to see someone I once cared for suffering the way he was.
Not that he would return the favor of worrying if the roles were reversed; the difference between us is that he was willing to cause such grief in my life, while I was feeling sorry that he was having to deal with exactly what he had coming. It was exhausting to care.
"Would you totally hate me if I checked in on him?" Kate asked nervously, immediately catching my attention and pulling me from my own thoughts. "I hate myself for caring, I really do, but... god, I don't want him to stick himself into some pity hole. I mean, most of me thinks he deserves to feel shitty, but... I don't know."
"If you want to check in on him, I'm not stopping you," I told Kate, continuing to walk even though she had stopped. I wasn't upset with her necessarily, but I also didn't want to become upset with her if I let the conversation continue.
"That's a no," Kate decided before catching up to me. I sighed at her words and bit my lip gently as I looked in front of me, adopting a quick smile as I passed someone. "It was a stupid thought."
"Kate, you can do whatever you want—I can't tell you what to do," I told her through a half-hearted laugh.
"I don't want to talk to him," she promised me. "I don't even know why I brought it up. I guess there's a small part of me that hasn't fully given in to hating him yet. But she'll come around." I looked over at Kate and offered her a smile, knowing that what she was going through was hard. I didn't blame her for wavering a little.
"I hate to keep talking about him, but... I've been thinking about how he was exposed and it seemed too easy. It all happened so quickly and it came together so smoothly... like, how did it all happen so conveniently?" I asked, mostly to the universe. I knew Kate wouldn't have the answers, but I couldn't help but question. "I just feel like it was too quick of a turn around, almost. Like, someone would have to be suspicious of Vince, or know, in the first place for it all to fall in line so nicely, don't you think?"
