Page 61 of An Arcane Education
CHAPTER 25
Ieat lunch quickly, only staying long enough to get notes from AJ and scarf down a sandwich. My meeting with the Chancellor has me in a weird mood, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. She was direct, but she wasn’t rude, and her motives seemed kind enough. Maybe it was her encouragement for me to stop trying to find out more about my dad that’s getting to me.
Deciding to head to my next class early since I don’t have time to do much else anyway, I take the long way around campus to get some exercise in. It’s too soon for me to even consider walking on the forest trails after what happened last week. I can’t help but wonder why Alaric wants my discovery to stay a secret, though. Wouldn’t my mycology professor be the best person to ask about something as bizarre as this?
Alaric had insinuated that the mushroom discovery might be related to his super-secret research, and it only makes me more curious about what that might be. I had previously assumed it would be related to the deadlyplants he was cultivating in the locked room of the greenhouse, but how would mushrooms tie in to that? It doesn’t make sense.
As if my thoughts have conjured him, I catch sight of Alaric just ahead of me, sitting at one of the stone tables near the fountain. Across from him is a woman I don’t recognize, and before I can think about what I’m doing, I pull up the hood of my jacket to hide my hair and maneuver to a bench that’s behind his line of sight and off to the side enough that it’s not evident that I’m watching them. I pull a book from my bag and open it to a random page just in case I happen to get caught. Then, I can pretend I was out here reading instead of… well, mildly stalking my professor.
When the woman turns her head enough that I can see her profile, I narrow my eyes and try to figure out why she looks so familiar. She’s blonde, with her hair tied up, and she has a severe sort of beauty that’s striking and intimidating in equal measure. It takes me a moment to put together the pieces; This must be the professor Max had been telling me about, Dr. Aldrich. The Chancellor’s daughter, who’s not only beautiful but also successful and absolutely brilliant.
Jealousy flares in my chest, and I attempt to calm my emotions. Of course Alaric would spend some time with the other professors on campus. They’re colleagues, and it’s not like they can have entirely separate social lives considering we’re all isolated on an island together.
It’s probably just an unofficial meeting between professionals, I tell myself, but that’s hard to justify even to myself when she’s batting her eyelashes at him and hanging on hisevery word. But it’s not like that’s a rarity, either; Most of the women on this campus would find him attractive, and while most of the students are too afraid of him to make a move, a professor wouldn’t be so hesitant to shoot her shot.
I’ve almost managed to reason myself out of my unwarranted jealousy when she laughs at something he says and places her hand atop his on the table. I can’t make out his expression from here, but he leans in slightly to say something and doesn’t pull his hand away.
What the fuck?
If I were in the same position as I was a few weeks ago, crushing on Alaric with no indication that he felt the same, I’d still be upset, but I’d also be aware that it was due to my own unrealistic desires. However, that’s not the case, consideringhe kissed me. Not only that, but he’s shown interest in me during every tutoring session over the last six weeks, progressively touching me more in ways that are usually unnecessary.
When Alaric twists his hand to hold hers rather than have them resting on each other, I swallow against the knot in my throat as tears burn in my eyes, and I know I can’t watch any longer. I shove my book into my backpack and storm away, taking the long way around the buildings so that he doesn’t catch sight of me.
I feel so fucking stupid. Of course he wasn’t serious about me. Why would I have expected anything different? I’m a scholarship student who came from nothing and who can still barely keep a hold on her magic. I’m not extraordinary by any means. Hell, I’m not even average ina place like this, and I certainly can’t compare to someone likeher.
He’d never led me to believe that we were a couple, but the sense of betrayal still burns. I should’ve known I was nothing more than a silly little diversion to him.
The tightness in my chest twists and tugs throughout my evening study session, which I’m barely able to pay attention to. I can’t afford to miss it, though. Nobody has asked me what’s going on despite my evidently sour mood, which I’m beyond grateful for. Even if I wanted to talk about it with them, I couldn’t. By the time six thirty rolls around, I’ve decided that I’m not going to meet Alaric for tutoring tonight. It might be childish of me, but I don’t want to face him while the pain is still so fresh.
As soon as our studying session is over, I storm back to my dorm room, toss my backpack, and collapse on my bed face-down, ignoring Max’s curious stare from where she sits cross-legged on her bed.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” I mutter.
“Liar. I can feel what you’re feeling, remember?”
“Ugh.” I roll over and stare at the ceiling, trying to figure out how to explain this to Max without giving away my secrets. “I’m having… guy troubles.”
“Men are the worst,” Max says matter-of-factly. “Who is it?”
“No one important.”
“Well, he must be important if you’re feeling this much.”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Okay, fair enough. Aren’t you supposed to be at tutoring right now?”
“Yep. I’m skipping.”
“Why? It would probably help get your mind off things, or at least give you something pretty to look at to distract yourself,” she teases.
I groan and cover my face.
Max is silent for a few seconds, then says incredulously, “Oh my god, don’t tell me it’s Dr. Vale that you’re upset over.”
I sigh.
