An evil glint fills her eyes. “You have to admit you kind of liked it.”
I did. And that’s the problem. I liked every moment of telling him off. It was like the dam burst free, letting loose all the times I’d bit my tongue and buried my irritation and anger over the last few years. I not only liked it, but I’m desperate for more. I’m not sure I can control the Carol Ann begging to come out.
Even more alarming is the way he makes me feel. Even when we’re fighting, an undercurrent of desire flows beneath my skin. My reaction to him is dangerous.
But Lexi’s right. I need this for my resume, and the show is in a month. I can endure anything for a month.
Why do I think I’ll regret those words?
Chapter Six
I call Scarlett as I storm across campus to my car. “Why is a math grad student on a fashion show committee with a bunch of business and fashion degree students?”
“Slow down. What are you talking about?’
“Reed is the chairman of the fashion show committee.”
“How did that happen?”
“The chancellor.”
“Oh.”
“Here’s the even weirder part: his girlfriend? She’s really his sister. And she’s on the committee too. How did that happen?”
“I don’t know.”
I hear the distraction in her voice. I know her schedule, and she’s in the math lab, but she knows I wouldn’t call her unless it’s an emergency. While this doesn’t count as a technical emergency, I’m feeling out of control after my encounter with him.
“Perhaps he’s there as an outside mediator.”
“Not with his sister on the committee. At least I can see why she’s there. She’s a sophomore business major. Their family connection breaks down all suggestions of a nonbiased tiebreaker.”
“Huh.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I called you. You’re working. I’ll just talk to you later.”
“Caroline, wait.” She pauses for a second, and her voice isn’t as muffled. She must have moved out into the hallway. “Do you think you can work with him after what happened Friday night?”
“I don’t know.” I gnaw on a cuticle on my finger, then stop when I realize what I’m doing. I haven’t done that in years, either. “He gets under my skin and irritates the hell out of me. If he’s from Boston, why is he even here at Southern University?”
She sighs. “I don’t know much about him, but I’ve checked into him today after what he did to you. He’s from the east coast. He went to a prestigious school before he started grad school here this semester, but for the life of me, I can’t find out which one, which is really odd. Even more odd is that Southern doesn’t rank up there in the best of the best schools for mathematics degrees. Why would he go to an Ivy League school for his undergrad work then come here for his master’s?”
“So why is he here?”
“I don’t know. He keeps to himself, but he seems lonely, so that’s why I invited him to my party.
Honestly, I didn’t expect him to show up. I don’t see him much. He runs the math lab this semester, but our hours usually don’t correspond. Even when he’s here, he doesn’t talk to us much.”
“Because he’s stuck up.”
Scarlett pauses. “People always have a reason for what they do.”
I’m at my car, but I lean my hip against the side door, brushing back the loose hairs that blow into my face. Don’t I know it? I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done, but there’s always some reason for it, even if it’s misguided. “I like the person I’ve become here at Southern.” I finally say.
“He brings out the old me.” It seems stupid now, that I let him affect me so. And I’m embarrassed I’m admitting this to Scarlett.
“There is no old you and new you, Caroline. There’s only you.”
Leave it to pragmatic Scarlett to say something so rational.
“So what do you want to do?” she asks. “Do you want to quit?”
“I already quit.”
“What?”
I unlock my car door and slide into the driver seat. “He walked in and took over, Scarlett. He came in with an ‘I’m better than you attitude’ and started bossing everyone around, assigning jobs and being hateful.” I grimace. “I may have compared his entrance to a Marxist takeover.”
Scarlett laughs. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were.”
“So that’s it? You’re just giving up on your dream? You’ve been talking about being on that committee since freshman year after you attended your first show. You’re going to let one guy take that from you?”
I’m so glad I coerced Scarlett to room with me freshman year. I truly don’t know what I would do without her. Our conversation reminds me how much I miss seeing her every day. “No. Lexi convinced me to stay on the committee. She said Reed isn’t used to people standing up to him, and she wants me to stay and help put him in his place.”
“Why would she do that? She doesn’t like him?”
“No, that’s not it. She obviously loves him. I suspect it’s a sibling rivalry thing. But I don’t want to get caught in the middle of it.”
“So don’t. Do your job and ignore him.”