Chapter 233

That night, Asher and I held each other on top of the covers as we drifted into dozing. Never before in my life had I felt so safe and happy. I still had many things to be afraid of, but with my ear to Asher’s chest, I listened to his gentle heartbeat and was lulled off to sleep.

In the morning, I woke with Asher’s strong arm around my waist and his nose pressed into the corner of my neck and shoulder. His steady breath warmed my skin where my shirt had stretched down.

Rarely did I awake before him, and I cherished the moment now, looking down at him with his features smoothed out in sleep. Slowly, I reached up and combed my fingers through his dark hair, brushing it further back away from his forehead.

He hummed in his sleep and nuzzled closer. I began to move my hand away, not wanting to disturb him, but he grumbled, “Don’t go.”

I put my hand back in his hair and he smiled into my neck.

For a long moment, everything was perfect.

Then my phone made a dinging noise, indicating a new email from my phone.

Asher grunted in response.

I was torn, to check or not to check, but the longer I waited the more anxious I felt. The results from the transfer exam could come at any moment.

“I can hear you stressing,” Asher said, voice muffled into my shoulder.

“Maybe a little.”

Asher held me a moment longer, and then rolled away. “Go on, then.”

He knew me well, and I was grateful.

Slipping out of bed, I crossed the room to where I had stored my purse by the desk. I pulled out my phone from within. When I unlocked it, my heart jumped into my throat.

Right there, first message in my inbox, was the email containing the exam results. Holding my breath, I clicked it open.

Then my heart sank down to the floor. I read through the email. Then read through it again to be sure. Then I triple checked the email address of the sender.

There was no denying it. This was a legitimate email.

And since this was a legitimate email, then I had failed the exam.

“Cynthia?”

I nearly dropped my phone. Asher was suddenly there at my side, catching me before I could drop it. I turned the phone toward him so he could see.

“You failed by two points,” Asher said. A line formed between his brows.

“Two points might as well be ten thousand.” My knees went weak. Asher wrapped his arm around me and led me to the edge of the bed to sit down. “I don’t understand how this happened. I thought I did so well…”

Asher read the email again.

I felt sick to my stomach. I had a whole plan. Study hard. Pass the exam. Have my baby. Finish school. But now, that entire plan was ruined. And I didn’t have a second back-up plan.

Tears welled in my eyes.

Lowering my phone, Asher placed his hand on my knee. “Call over Aimee and Nicole. I need to go out for a while.”

I looked at him, surprised. His jaw was set and his eyes hard. He wasn’t looking at me.

Since we had resolved our issues, Asher had been nothing but kind and supportive of me. But watching him now, at the faraway look to his eyes, I couldn’t help but worry if he was disappointed in me.

That feeling only amplified later, after Aimee and Nicole came over, when Asher disappeared. He didn’t say where he was going. He simply kissed me on the cheek and walked out the door.

Aimee and Nicole sat with me as I cried over what was to come. Aimee did her best to offer me comfort by resting her shoulder against mine. Nicole, meanwhile, was angry.

“Two points? It’s ridiculous,” she snapped, crossing her arms.

Everything hurt. And Asher’s absence didn’t help.

Things had been going so well. Had he changed his mind about wanting to be with me now that I would have to leave school?

At the bottom of the email had been instructions. I had 24 hours to be off-campus before they would force me to leave. I had to start packing. I didn’t know where I’d go.

As soon as I left here, I’d be out on the street. Surely Asher would care about that?

“I have to pack,” I said.

“You don’t have to do anything right this minute,” Aimee said. “You have 24 hours.”

“That’s tomorrow,” I sniffed. “I’ll be in trouble if I’m not ready.” I really didn’t want the Academy to send someone to see me out. That would feel too much like I was prisoner being escorted into a waiting jail cell.

“Asher won’t let that happen.”

I shook my head. I felt so vulnerable. Even knowing logically that Asher hadn’t abandoned me, I still hated how he wasn’t here. I wrapped my arms around my stomach. My hormones were out of control.

“I need to pack.” I needed to do something with my hands, to keep busy. If I thought too much about what was happening to me, I would break down and cry.

I looked at Aimee and pleaded, “I need my suitcase.”

“Okay,” Aimee said, soothing. She rubbed my back. “We can pack if that’s what you want. If that would help.”

“It would,” I said.

Aimee and I went to start collecting my clothes from the dresser, while Nicole found my suitcase. Together, we quietly packed, with Aimee and Nicole giving me soft words of encouragement.

When the bag was packed, Asher still hadn’t returned.

“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” Nicole said.

“We should just wait a while.” Aimee had her phone in her hands and was aggressively texting.

“Maybe he’s giving me the space to leave,” I said.

“He wouldn’t do that,” Nicole said.

“Just give him a moment,” Aimee said.

A knock sounded on the door and I jumped to my feet. Nicole and Aimee did too, but they were much slower than me as I rushed toward the door. I threw open the lock, and pulled open the door.

I didn’t know why I had thought it would be Asher at the door. He had a key. He wouldn’t need to knock.

There were two girls at the door I recognized from class but didn’t talk to too much.

I swallowed down my nerves but still couldn’t find words to speak.

Aimee spoke for me, “Did you two need help with something?”

“We saw the scores…” One of the girls looked at each other, then they both gave me sad looks.

I didn’t fully understand. My… scores? “How?”

“They’re posted on a sign out in front of the lecture hall,” said the other girl. “We wanted to tell you that we support you.”

My body went cold. The scores weren’t personal? Everyone was aware of my failure?

I could barely hear what else they said.

“Losing by two points? That’s really unfair. There’s a whole bunch of people who agree.”

“It is unfair,” Nicole agreed.

“Thanks…” I didn’t know what else to say. I felt numb all over.

I started to close the door. I didn’t want to deal with anything anymore.

But then a new voice broke through. A male, condescending voice. The investigator.

And I froze.

“Hello, Cynthia. I believe it’s time we finally speak freely.”