From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 219

Back in the infirmary, only Foley was left. Laurinda glanced around and asked, “Did those two leave?”

Foley nodded. “Yeah, they left after Adolphus. Edison and Orville wanted me to apologize to you for them. They’ll come say sorry in person if you’re ever up for it.”

Laurinda shrugged. “That’s not necessary. Just let them know I accept the apology, but I’m not forgiving them.”

As Laurinda turned away, Foley watched her and thought she and Adolphus really were a perfect match. They both had that stubborn streak.

Later, Laurinda was stretched out with her head on Adolphus’s lap, reading a foreign novel while he fed her blueberries, one by one.

He asked, “Are you really planning to come in last again? I heard the finals this time are tied to early admissions. Don’t you want to try for that?”

Laurinda put her book down and sat up, her face serious. “Do you realize how much trouble I’d be in if I actually did well? I’ve been at the bottom of the class since middle school. If I suddenly got an amazing score, what do you think people would say?”

She paused, then went on. “People would get suspicious. They’d investigate, ask me to prove my grades are real. Like you said, these results matter for early admissions, so people all over the country would notice. I don’t want that kind of attention. It’s just trouble I don’t need. Honestly, being a slacker isn’t so bad.”

She meant it, too. Laurinda had plenty of ways to get into college. She didn’t need to be the center of attention. She’d known from the first time she purposely failed what the future would hold, and she’d already prepared herself for it.

Besides, there were already people watching her. Standing out would only make things harder. Until she caught whoever hurt her parents, she wasn’t about to show her real abilities.

Adolphus tried a different angle. “Have you ever thought about studying abroad? You know, Frostfrod?”

He was hoping he could convince Laurinda to go there, so he wouldn’t have to worry about her when his own life got busy.

She shook her head. “No plans. Right now, I just want to get through these next six months. I’ll think about the future when it comes.”

Laurinda leaned back into him, closing her eyes. She loved how warm he was. With him around, winter didn’t feel so cold.

***

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