Tell Me What You Hate About Me

36: Things We Found

I didn't know Harvey was close with the ASL department and Dr. Rainier, who was the only person outside our circle who knew anything thanks to Dr. Cora Reed, until I had to do my partner chat with him.

I knew I hated that class for a reason. I had it right all along. Those scamming sons of bitches.

But before I could do or say anything to convince Harvey and the other two band members that it definitely was just the rain, the lights went out from inside the garage to the street light just outside. At least that was better than high-pitched screeching.

All I had to do was play everything down and dumb before Harvey said or did anything else. It wasn't a secret that I wasn't the best student and was on academic probation for failing a few classes last spring semester, but I had learned a lot from the experience. One, it was a bigger deal than I thought, and two, it changed the way people thought about me.

I turned to the garage door. Harvey spent the past ten minutes getting me upset (and there was no doubt in my mind that it was on purpose), so if I was right about his connections, he didn't need to go anywhere.

The garage door began to close like it heard my thoughts. And it probably did. The perks of having a talisman.

"What the hell is happening?" Dominic yelled. "Lindsay, you need to get a grip."

But why? I was right, and everyone else made fun of me for being stupid or lazy or unfocused. Maybe I was all of those things, but I had a talisman that suddenly felt like cooperating with me, and they didn't, so ha.

The garage door finished closing, and for once, it was like the talisman was listening to me. The last thing I needed was for anyone to escape and blab about the weird stuff that I was definitely responsible for, and Harvey lunged for the door that led into the house. As he turned the knob, it stuck there, and that door was of no use either.

This was a lot more fun when the talisman was working with me instead of against me. It would definitely be bad for both of us if anyone got out and yapped.

"What the hell?" Harvey muttered to himself.

I smiled. "Yeah, making fun of me is great up until I've had enough."

I didn't need his commentary on any sort of feelings involving Dominic. Harvey would never understand what it was like to be unable to get rid of him, and Sierra was no help by telling me that we just needed to talk everything out.

No one in that dark, damp garage understood except for the person I was supposed to hate.

Why didn't I hate him anymore? It would make everything so much easier. Everything was fun and games with unknown magic until suddenly it wasn't. I frowned. When did it all change? As soon as I figured out how to time travel with the talisman, that shit was getting fixed.

"Look, Lindsay, why don't you take a deep breath and calm down? We can all talk this out. Everyone here is just as confused as you are," Jack said.

No, they weren't.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm the one that pissed you off this time, and I'm sorry. I know you're in denial, and I just want to help you," Sierra said.

No, she didn't.

"Can anyone explain what the hell is going on? It's dark and cold in here," Dominic said and turned on the flashlight on his phone.

No, we couldn't, and yes, it was.

"I knew something was up with you ever since Jack tried to cover up something by telling us that you two were dating when you weren't. And Dr. Rainier sure as hell thinks the same thing with those pictures up on the wall in his office," Harvey said.