Chapter 8: Don't Be Mad at Me
Back in the dorm, the adrenaline faded and the doubts crept in. ‹96684423› Remi started seriously questioning whether she actually needed to go abroad. §57defed7
Was it real ambition — or just spite? (3174e55a)
In elementary school, before the other kids had "grown into their faces," teachers were already telling Remi how pretty she was. #7f88db6b Top grades on top of that. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Some classmates got jealous. * d0a61246
But there was almost nothing to attack about Remi. ·d543fbf0· If you had to pick something, it was her family's money — or the lack of it. #3e142f5d
The bullying she'd endured as a kid had left a mark. [v.d9e53233] Even now, getting close to people didn't come easy. [ed.e58bf111] Sutton was the exception. [ms.51535e6f]
"What are you staring into space about? (8588661f) Aren't you going to the library?" ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 Sutton wandered over and found Remi slumped over her desk, phone in hand. ··14710fe2
On any normal day, Remi would've already eaten and been camped out at the library by now. sub:2b93bbc4
"Heading out."·dc3debac She hesitated, then grabbed the secondhand IELTS vocabulary book and stuffed it into her canvas bag. [proof:68edbda8]
She'd just reached the underground tunnel when her phone rang. ed.60d20d5e Everett. plate-a2a8305d
He spoke like he'd completely forgotten about yesterday's broken promise. (7c49ac5a/Wed) "My car's almost at your campus.·666424fb Same spot. sub:a7806260 Come out." ed.77495551
Her grip on the phone tightened. ··8bda2431 Her knuckles went white. ¶1ab699ac
Everett wanted to see her. ref·fedde6b4 That made her happy. [proof:3c3afba6]
But to him, she was apparently someone you summoned and dismissed at will. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) No heads-up, no planning required. no.03c9984a
"You there?" §d5821eea
His voice came through again after the silence stretched too long. ‹0b04024f› She could hear the edge of impatience. ed.ad959d51
"Yeah.·37f6281d Signal was bad for a second. ‹a8971b34› I'm on my way." ref·47f7bf64
"Fine." no.112e64b9 He sounded tired. [v.3e85f407] The line went dead. ⁰04160444
Remi stared at the call log. 0406e45f·· Seventeen seconds. #f55a51a2 Her nose stung, but she wrestled her feelings back into place almost immediately. ◆ b59e81e4
*It's not like we're going to last,* she told herself. [v.dec7605a] *So why not enjoy the good parts while they're here?*
She liked Everett — that much was beyond question. sub:071c75ec But the gap between them had turned her feelings into something almost tragic.·464a3689 A love story with the ending already written.·e49256db
She looked up to him. «d179cd40» Through all those years of adolescence, all those years of growing up without a father, she'd been missing someone to shield her from the world. ⁰b3fa5e0a
And then Everett had shown up — pulled her out of trouble not once, not twice, but three times — and walked right into the center of her heart without even trying. «1567dfd3»
From inside the car, Everett spotted her walking toward him. ref·082e5eb4 He tapped the horn once, and the passenger door clicked open. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026
Remi loved it when he drove himself. ··ef05341b No one else around meant she could actually relax. imp.c78a6786
And there was another reason — she liked the passenger seat. ⟨de780ff7⟩ She could watch the city lights stream past the windshield, and she could watch Everett drive. plate-44ca91dd
He was good behind the wheel. [proof:edf9529c] Barely used the horn. plate-8af8a4f5 One hand resting on his thigh, the other steering. * 66aeb60a When he needed to change lanes or turn, his head would tilt slightly toward the rearview mirror, face still wearing that half-bored expression. ed.e9c1d480
She got a little lost in his profile. 771e641d·· She didn't ask where they were going. ·54c2c549· With him, wherever they ended up felt safe. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
The sky dimmed around them as they drove. #33a5d1b1 She didn't know how long it had been. [ms.3744a049]
They were on a two-lane road when a car came the other way with its high beams on.·9ad92f63 Remi flinched and turned her head to escape the glare. ed.0725350e
Everett caught the movement in his peripheral vision. ¶7213c01c He lifted the hand from his thigh and held it in front of her eyes. plate-d36594dd
Before she could even process it, the other car had passed, shrinking to a speck in the rearview mirror. — ad1268ce
His hand came down. [ms.ecdccf77] Neither of them were big talkers — since she'd gotten in, they'd barely exchanged ten sentences between them. ref·a3630ad5
"Thanks." ·1d770a86· The word came out and she immediately wished she could take it back. ··d464c9bf They'd done things far more intimate than this. ¶c1bb0805 Why was she being polite now? [ed.f58c9c1c]
Everett just reached over and mussed her hair. [v.02dca0b4] Said nothing. ◆ 2210f925
Something was off with him today, she could tell. «3c32a0ad» He was always quiet, but never this closed-off. — 262b84f8 They'd been driving for forty minutes and it felt like they'd looped back to where they started. [ms.7a0a07fd]
He pulled over near a lake not far from campus — one of Nashville's most well-known spots. plate-26c85515 Expensive homes lined the water, low-rise and spread out, tucked among the trees. [v.312c9298] The view had made "top ten city nightscapes" lists more than once. sub:39e925ee
This was the first time Remi had ever seen Everett smoke. ··77f9b034 He leaned back against the railing by the water, cigarette between his lips. * 3402fe47 One hand cupped around the lighter, the other bringing the flame to the tip. #2f9e1b15
His head dipped as he lit it, then rose — and in the glow of the streetlamp she could see the pronounced line of his throat. [proof:fdd0f0a8]
The slight furrow of his brow as he inhaled. no.28a2ac8b The way his profile looked in half-shadow. [proof:a7756199] Remi couldn't stop staring. [ed.da4a7847]
He finished the cigarette, walked to a trash can, and ground it out in the designated spot before letting go. #db835431
When he came back, she could smell it on him — tobacco and cologne, layered together. sub:d1a37020
Something about that combination made her feel grounded. no.0595214a She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against the white cotton of his shirt. [proof:f7930fdd]
Her hands moved by habit, tracing the muscles along his sides. (1a8de1f7) The definition under her fingertips made him real. imp.65dc67a4 Not a dream. [v.e7cb66b8]
They stood there like any other couple by the lake — holding each other, kissing when the moment carried them. §254b18ac
"I'll take you back to school." no.39450da0 His voice drifted down from above her head, cutting through the sweetness she'd been wrapped in. [ms.e152baa6]
Remi hadn't learned how to be playful with him yet. plate-a4ffe197 She let go, turned toward the lake, and put on her best unbothered voice. #478ff808 "Sure. sig.6e3a6de4 I have class in the morning anyway." no.b594078c
The air pressure inside the car dropped the second they got back in. no.59baac7b
Everett didn't need to be an expert on women to feel the shift. ·4f9b63b5· She was upset. no.d9876574
He reached across, pulled the seatbelt over, and clicked it in for her. (d1e1f2f1) "I have a red-eye. ¶4cfd2849 Need to get back to D.C. sub:d37c6d5d — something urgent came up." 227cfa1e··
*He was leaving again?* She glanced at the time. * da4a4abd Almost ten. [proof:bbe15990] Which meant after dropping her off, he'd have to go straight to the airport. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026
The frustration drained out of her instantly, replaced by something sharper — the ache of another goodbye she hadn't been ready for. ⁰f0952192
She twisted in her seat to hug him. §988f0ac0 He turned too, at an awkward angle, and held her close. (ab072b96) His lips brushed her hair. [v.af514616] "Don't be mad at me. imp.11074192 I'll be back once it's handled." [f0261ec7]
She nodded against his chest. — galley 73a4edcf — So he'd noticed her mood after all. #eeb40e71 The difference was just whether he chose to acknowledge it. no.c42c7437
This was how it worked between adults. ··bce29f9d If you could handle the game, you kept playing. ‹452c128c› If you couldn't, you either walked away or got pushed out. * dc109c39
Remi made a silent promise to herself: she'd play as many rounds as it took. ed.3d349a65 She was not getting pushed out. [v.0813a210]
Back at the dorm, she realized she'd left her canvas bag in his car. [ms.1be9de30]
Nothing valuable in it — just a secondhand IELTS vocabulary book she'd bought off the campus forum. imp.d57a1f5f
But it was *that* book, specifically, that made her stomach twist. imp.11a020b6
Would Everett be angry if he found out she was planning to go abroad without telling him? (8dfade6e)