Perrie Lancaster has zero plans after college. No dream job she's working toward, no one to impress, and no care for anything other than making her last two years of college one big party.
Levi Saints wants nothing more than to follow his dream of t...
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I sniff softly, rubbing the tip of my nose.
Fail.
Written in big bold red letters next to the marketing class section of my grade sheet. A shuddering breath leaves my lips as I clasp my fingers together, resting my elbows on my desk.
I've never failed a class. I may procrastinate or slack off but I never fail. I stare at my laptop screen, hopeless. Failure. Fuck, I'd even bragged about how I could coast through classes.
Pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes, I take another heavy breath.
It's two days after Christmas. Christmas morning was spent in the living room, opening presents and listening to Christmas music. It still feels weird, to celebrate holidays like this. When we lived in the trailer park in Texas, we were lucky to have pancakes for breakfast. Aside from a new shirt or a few dollar bills shoved into an envelope from Dad, presents were out of the question growing up.
Henry made breakfast for everyone, something he loves to do. My mother was nicer than ever in all actuality. She forced Wren and me into these hideous matching pajamas to take family photos but I'd be lying if I didn't say a spark of joy ran through me even if it was just for a facade.
We felt like a family for the first time.
Dad called too. Our first conversation since the Thanksgiving fiasco. A fiasco that he seems to have conveniently forgotten about or was just too cowardly to mention. Either option could be true.
I'm supposed to be home alone today. Wren has a thing with some friends today and then she plans to sleep over afterwards. She seemed hesitant to leave me at first but as the older sister, I pushed her to hang out with her friends. I'm a big girl, I can fend for myself.
I can hear my mom downstairs with Dove. They have some playdate with a little girl from Dove's ballet class.
Another sniffle comes from me and I lean back in my chair, tilting my head to the ceiling. I'll go downstairs once everyone is out of the house. Henry has some meetings later today in the city so he's either already gone or on his way out the door.
Do I tell my parents about the grade? They won't care...but Henry will. He pays for everything, he wants detailed information on each class I take each semester to ensure I'm taking the right path for my degree.
My pulse spikes. Fuck. How am I supposed to tell Henry I failed? That's hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars wasted on me. A fresh wave of guilt and tears prickle. Oh God, he's going to be so mad at me.
Silent tears track down my face and I furiously wipe my face while pacing around my bedroom. The sleeves of my sweater are damp by the time I calm myself down. Upon inspection in the mirror, my face is flushed red from crying and my eyes are bright.
The house is quiet. There's no sound of shuffling around. Wren's bedroom is wide open as I peer inside, showing she's left for the day. My footsteps thud on the carpeted stairs as I make my way to the kitchen to grab some food.
