Chapter 105: Sadie: Obsession

SADIE

If I had a dollar for every smile and giggle my teammates have given Trey at the expense of my feelings in the last thirty minutes, I could leave this meeting and go buy a Coach bag.

Everyone seems to have something to say to him. They crowd around, grinning and asking questions, while Marcus appears ready to spend the money Trey promised before it’s even reached the club’s account.

My fingers curl into my palms when Nia glances over and smiles at me. When I don’t smile back, she edges closer, trying to catch my eye. I look past her.

She can stop trying to make this okay from across the room. If she wants reassurance that we’re fine, she’ll have to wait until I can stand looking at her without remembering that little warning she gave me.

Yes, the club belongs to everyone. Being president doesn’t mean I can keep someone out because I have a problem with him, and my feelings don’t get to decide our membership.

But Nia heard me ask him to leave. She saw how upset I was. Surely, at some point, she could’ve realized that welcoming him in wasn’t helping. Instead, she took his hand and led him straight past me.

Even Adrian, who I met—when? A few days ago?—could read the room better than her.

Not that he looks especially proud of his part in this. He’s been hovering nearby, opening and closing his mouth without saying a word.

"Dolphins use echolocation to figure out what’s around them," he says finally, settling against the wall beside me. "Something like that would be useful with people. Knowing what you’re dealing with before you get too close."

I turn toward him.

"Wouldn’t tell you whether someone’s an asshole, obviously," he adds. "You’d still have to observe that."

"Adrian."

"Right. Sorry." He rubs the back of his neck. "I’m not trying to get in your business. I know I ask too many questions. Doesn’t do much for my social life."

He is uncomfortable enough that some of my irritation eases. At least he seems aware that this conversation isn’t going quite how he planned.

"I could tell something was off between you two," he continues. "You wanted him to leave, and he kept finding reasons to stay. I thought offering the money would take away his excuse." He glances toward Trey before facing me. "Didn’t think he’d keep raising it. Then I kept going too, which didn’t help. Are you still mad at me?"

He isn’t making a face or doing anything to make me feel guilty, but I feel bad for being pissed at him anyway. He cared enough to go against Trey, which was easily the most ballsy thing anyone did while everyone else watched or cheered him on.

I shouldn’t be angry at him. There’s plenty of anger left, but it belongs to the guy who knew exactly what he did and still couldn’t leave me alone.

"It’s fine. I’m not angry at you." A breath leaves me. "Thanks for actually taking my side."

His eyes brighten, and a smile spreads across his face. "I didn’t do—"

"Prez." My jaw tightens before I even turn toward Nia. "Can you give the closing speech? Welcome the new members and let them know we’ll post the welcome-party details in the group once we have a date. Then we can wrap up."

Without answering, I brush past her and head to the middle of the room. Most of them gradually stop talking, giving me their attention, but the first person I glance at is the one I’ve been trying to avoid.

Trey is already watching me. He straightens when our eyes meet, barely acknowledging whatever Noah is saying beside him. With his hair pushed back and his sleeves rolled up his forearms, he looks unfairly good for someone who’s responsible for how awful I feel.

His gaze moves over me, briefly dropping to my dress before returning to my face. Heat stirs low in my stomach, and I have to look away before he notices that too. Being angry with him should at least come with the ability to stop finding him attractive.

A small shake of my head gets me facing the room properly.

"Thank you all for signing up. We’re really happy to have you here. And contrary to popular opinion, Quiz Bowl is fun." I manage a smile. "We’ll prove it at the welcome party, so give us a chance before deciding all we do is argue over answers."

Cheers rise from the seats, followed by clapping, and my smile comes a little more easily.

"You’ll be added to the group chat, where we’ll share the party details once everything’s confirmed, like our vice president said. Meeting schedules and other announcements will go there too, so please check it occasionally. We’d hate to plan a whole party and end up celebrating by ourselves."

A few of them laugh, and I wait until I can be heard again.

"If there’s any trouble getting added, let one of us know before you go. Welcome to Quiz Bowl, everyone." I pause for the clapping to die down. "Any questions?"

A girl halfway down the room raises her hand, and I nod toward her.

"Yeah, go ahead."

She stands. "We had to check which activities we wanted to take part in. If I picked something else, does that mean I can’t compete?"

"No, you can still compete," I assure her. "We choose participants based on their performance, not which team they’re on. You can help with media or outreach and still try out. We’ll only leave you out of selections if you’ve specifically said you don’t want to compete. Picking advertising doesn’t mean we’re banning you from the buzzers."

"Okay." She smiles. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

A few more hands go up, and I answer the questions before wrapping up. As everyone starts filing out, I return to the desk and gather my things.

Nia comes over just as I slip my phone into my bag. I pull the zipper closed before lifting my head. "We’ll talk later."

Her lips part, but I lift the bag onto my shoulder and move past her. She had plenty of chances to hear me earlier. I’m not standing here listening now just because it finally suits her.

Still muttering under my breath, I head for the door and nearly walk straight into someone.

My balance slips as I stumble away from him, but he catches my arm before I fall.

Looking up only makes my mood worse.

I pull away from Trey and glare at him.

"Sadie." His hand falls to his side. "I know you’re pissed. I gave you plenty of reasons. Can we talk for a minute?"

"Really? You know I don’t want to see you, so you come to my club and pull all that?"

"You wouldn’t answer my calls or texts. I didn’t know how else to talk to you."

"Did it occur to you that I wasn’t answering because I don’t want to talk? You don’t have to find another way every time I tell you no."

Moving past him, I head down the hall with my bag held tight against my side. I’m trying to breathe without giving him another piece of my mind when I notice I can still hear him walking behind me.

I slow, then turn, grinding my teeth.

He stops a few steps away, his hands clasped in front of him, then takes a step back when he sees my expression. If he’s worried I might hit him, leaving would be an excellent way to avoid it.

"Why are you following me?"

"Have you had lunch?" he asks. "Let me get you something to eat."

I scoff. "So you think if I haven’t eaten, I’ll just go with you and—"

"I miss you," he blurts.

My lips snap shut. For a moment, everything I wanted to say is gone, and I’m left staring at him.

People are slowing down around us. Two girls stop near the wall, pretending to talk to each other while looking straight at us.

"I miss you," he says again, moving closer.

My grip tightens on my bag strap. There’s something almost pleading in his expression but missing me doesn’t explain why he messed with my life to get me close, or why he still thinks his decisions should override mine.

"I lied to you. More than once. I know that." His hands come apart and fall to his sides. "And I did some horrible things. I’m not going to pretend there’s a good explanation. I wanted you, Sadie. That’s why I did it."

I swallow at the admission, at how casually he says something I spent years wishing I’d hear from Ezra. Hearing it now should feel good. Instead, it turns my stomach.

"All I wanted was to have you with me," he says. "I know that doesn’t excuse anything. But I’ve tried staying away, Sadie. I can’t do it."