Chapter 217: 217-He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not
Clementine:
I grew up pretty much alone, so it wasn’t that big of a deal for me. Still, it didn’t help that I was feeling so much. Maybe it was because after arriving at the academy and spending time in the North, I started to miss being a child.
I remembered living with my stepmother and father. They were horrible people, but at least it felt like I had a home. That small attic bedroom of mine was nice. The mansion I wandered through was full of memories. But now, I had no home.
"It’s alright, I understand," I said with a smile. Of course, it was a bright, fake one.
"Or, I have a suggestion. Don’t think I wasn’t thinking about you," Miss Rue quickly added, flashing me a bright smile to show I was on her mind.
"What is it?" I asked, confused.
"How about your squadmates introduce you to their families? I can pitch the idea to the ringleaders, even the headmaster, and get permission for it," she suggested. Instantly, I noticed my squadmates shifting in their spots.
"Is it alright with you guys?" she asked them.
"Yeah, sure." Yorick nodded softly. We had a history, and I knew his family didn’t like me. Troy stayed silent, knowing his mother would go ballistic if I showed up at their home. Haiden was the same. I could only imagine his father’s anger, and I knew his stepmother and stepsiblings wouldn’t like me either.
That left only one person whose family had no real objections, someone I’d never met. And I wanted to spend this time without anyone hating me. My eyes drifted to Ian. The others looked at him too, knowing their families would only cause me trouble.
"What?" Ian shrugged, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"So we were thinking, how about you introduce Clementine to your family? She’ll stay in a separate room. There’s more than one guest room. There’s a whole set booked for the crusaders and their families. How about it, Ian?" Miss Rue asked excitedly. She seemed thrilled to come up with a solution to my loneliness.
But the way Ian scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head so hard made it feel like the harshest rejection.
"No. Not with my family. I want to spend this time alone with them. What’s the point of introducing her and starting some new relationship they’d have to waste time on when they could spend that time with me? And didn’t you all say we should step away from each other so we’re not reminded of the trauma from the North?" Ian snapped.
I felt like my heart had stopped beating from his cold response. Even the others looked at him, then shared sneaky glances before looking back at me.
Honestly, it was the worst way he could have reacted. I wished it had never been mentioned. He could have been gentle about it, but no! He chose to be brutal, showing how desperately he was against the idea of his family meeting me.
"It’s alright, he’s right. Even I want to stay alone," I said, pointing at the small envelope in her hand. Each crusader had one, with the address of their guestrooms, kept private so nobody else could find them.
The awkward silence was almost too heavy to swallow.
"Um, I—okay, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you— guys weren’t that close. I thought you’d be happy to take her with you," Miss Rue stammered, confused.
I was low. Honestly, it really upset me this time. I didn’t know he was so against the idea, and I was ashamed he hadn’t even introduced me as his mate, let alone to his family. I forced a big smile, trying to lighten the environment.
"It’s not about us being close or not. It’s about our families. They don’t know her. In my family, they take some time before accepting someone. So it will be very awkward for both of us, and for my family too. And I don’t want that. I want to spend these days peacefully," Ian defended himself and his family.
The more he spoke, the more Miss Rue looked uncomfortable, because none of us knew how to react. He kept talking, only making things worse.
"All right, I understand. It’s okay." Miss Rue gave him a quick nod, and with a hand gesture, she let him know he didn’t need to keep going. That we understood.
"It’s okay. Which one is my envelope?" I asked, trying to sound chatty to cover the awkwardness.
Miss Rue handed me an envelope and stepped back toward the others. The leaders began to leave, and the crusaders walked back to their rooms.
"Guys!" We turned to the side and saw Oriana waving her hand with her envelope in it, jumping up and down excitedly.
"We’re not going back to the North for a while," she added, doing little dance moves.
"Is she always that happy?" Haiden wondered, hands on his waist as he stared at her in confusion.
"Sometimes I feel like there’s something wrong in her head," Troy remarked, and I rolled my eyes.
I hadn’t spoken to her because I had a strong feeling she had lied. And if it was true, she was a really good liar, and good liars are very scary people.
But her smile started to fade when I rolled my eyes and turned away, waiting to leave with my squad mates.
I remembered Oriana talking about being a daddy’s princess. But it felt odd. If she was so loved by her father, why was she sent here? Or was she not really an alpha’s daughter, but a beta’s? I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t remember if I had ever asked her. It was confusing.
We lived together, but none of us truly knew much about each other’s backstory unless it came up one way or another.
We walked silently to our dorm room. It had become so awkward because of what happened back in the hall.
"So, I remember you said your father passed and your uncle took over the pack. Is your uncle coming to see you?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Maybe. When my father died, we hid it for a long time because the pack was in shambles. My uncle was trying to take control. He’s not very trusting." He fell silent, like he was still holding back parts of the truth, so I didn’t press him. I started to walk ahead of them.
"So, he must be coming or else it would have been mentioned. If things are not good between you and your uncle, will you be spending time alone in your room?" I asked as we entered the room.
"Yeah, I guess I’ll have the most fun," Haiden joked, pulling his bag from under the bed. Ian didn’t speak, he rushed into the bathroom, probably to shower and get ready. We’d been told everyone would leave at different times and cars would pick them up.
"I wish I could take you with me, but you’d be uncomfortable. I can fight for you, Clementine, I can fight very well, but you know my family. They’d ruin your peace," Troy whispered, not saying outright that his family hated me especially his elder stepbrother.
"Clementine! If you can share your address—" Haiden’s words cut off when the door opened and a lurker appeared. He was probably just checking to make sure we weren’t sharing information, especially about the envelopes.
"Great." Haiden scoffed.
"It’s all right. I don’t want to know either, and I don’t want you to know. I want you guys to go to the guest rooms, and spend time with your loved ones. I honestly enjoy being alone," I reassured them.
But I could tell the three of them were upset. Still, there was nothing they could do. Their families would fucking lose it, and I didn’t have the strength to fight another battle after the North.
Time finally came. Within minutes, Ian stepped out and Haiden rushed into the shower. Nobody was talking to Ian anymore. But I didn’t want things to be too serious. I refused to let his actions affect me any longer.
Enough was enough.
He’d shown me over and over that I meant little to nothing to him. So I decided I’d go back to being completely ignorant of my feelings for him.
"Ian, you didn’t tell us about those things. The books, the novels." I spoke in code, glancing at the lurker. My words seemed to shock him. He lifted his head and stared at me, like he had to make sure he’d heard me right, like he couldn’t believe I was speaking to him after he’d refused to take me to the guest room with him.
"I think we still have time to discuss them. I’ll let you know," Ian replied in a soft, guilty tone. I could tell he wanted to hold eye contact with me, but I quickly looked away and turned to Troy.
"Do you need help with packing?" I asked. Troy had all his stuff scattered around the room. I didn’t know why.
"Yeah, can you please?" Troy insisted.
As I got up, I noticed Ian staring at me, his fists clenched and his jaw grinding. Was he upset that I was spending time with Troy, helping him pack, after he had rejected introducing me to his parents, even just as a crusader?