“Yes, ma’am,” I replied. I thanked her for her help and continued on my way to the administration building.
Chapter Seventeen
Eryn
It was weird having the afternoon off and being out in the shopping mall with the sun still out. I was so used to being on the indoor volleyball court every afternoon, and only getting out when the sun was going down. This injured ankle had thrown everything out of whack.
I'd only had three classes to attend for the day and had gotten all of my reading and assignments done by lunchtime, so it was either sit in the apartment all afternoon waiting for Leena to come back, or get out and get some fresh air.
I'd decided to go down to the mall to get an ice cream. After all, I was injured and feeling kinda miserable, so I needed a little treat to pick me up a bit.
I ordered a double cone — dark chocolate and caramel. I figured if I was gonna do this, I may as well go all out and seriously treat myself.
I sat down at one of the tables directly in the warmth of the sun shining down from the glass ceiling and waited for the girl who took my order to bring it over to me. She had been kind enough to offer since she noticed the crutches.
Just as I sat down, my phone rang. Perfect timing. I took it out of my bag and saw that it was my mom. I wondered if I should tell her about my injured ankle, but quickly decided against it. I didn't want her to worry, as she already had enough things on her plate to worry herself about.
“Hey, Mom,” I answered as cheerfully as I could manage.
“Hello, my sweet girl! How are you?” she asked.
“I'm good, I'm good. How are you feeling?”
“I'm definitely on the up and up. Feeling like I'm getting better. I really am feeling a lot better than I was.”
“That's great to hear, Mom. So, what's up?”
“Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?”
I wanted to, really, I did. But if I went over there, she'd see the crutches and the bandaged ankle and make a big fuss over me when she needed to be concentrating on getting better, and of course, I didn't want that.
“Uh, sorry, Mom, I can't. Not for the rest of the week, in fact. It's just a super heavy week for assignments. I have so many due this week, and so much to do, I just have to buckle down and get them done.” I hated not being honest with her, but it was for a good reason…at least, that’s what I told myself.
“All right, dear, I understand. I’m so proud of you for being so studious,” she crooned.
“Thanks, Mom. We’ll have dinner this weekend, for sure, all right? We'll get together and make your favorite meal.”
“I'd like that.”
“Me, too,” I told her. We talked for a few more minutes about Annie and a few other things before Mom got another call and we had to hang up.
I cut the call off and sighed. This whole ankle thing was messing with my life. I was just about to get all mopey when the ice cream arrived, and the sight of it immediately made me feel better.
I dug the spoon in and savored the cold, sweet creaminess of it in my mouth. It immediately made me forget the sulky mood I was fighting. For someone who was very strict with her diet, it felt damn good to “cheat” once in a while.
While I was enjoying the delectable ice cream, I did a little people watching. The top level of the mall was the perfect perch for it. I could see down to both levels below me.
Three spoons’ full of ice cream in, I noticed a very familiar figure walking toward the courtyard of a coffee shop just below me. A commanding, masculine figure, dressed in a tight T-shirt that revealed his perfectly sculpted muscles, while his equally perfect hair gleamed in the light above his handsome face – a face that seemed to have been temporarily marred by a swollen black eye.
Tim, my ex.
And there, waiting for him at a table, was a young woman dressed in an excessively revealing outfit – a young woman whom I recognized instantly despite the large sunglasses she was wearing to hide her face. She got up and not only hugged Tim, but also gave him a long, passionate kiss as he placed his hands firmly on her ass and squeezed.
Tammy.
Chapter Eighteen
Wade