The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 464

The next day at Riverdale University.

Josh paced alone outside the economics and management classroom for a long time.

The dismissal bell finally rang. The classroom doors opened, and students filed out in twos and threes. The last to emerge was the professor, clutching a stack of lecture notes. Seeing Josh lingering in the doorway, he offered a friendly greeting. "Professor Jace? Are you looking for someone?"

"Did Sloane Sutton come to class today?"

The professor flipped through his attendance sheet and shook his head. "She took a sick day."

Josh thanked him and stood frozen in place, staring down the empty corridor.

The image of Garrison carrying her away the night before was stubbornly lodged in his mind, refusing to be erased.

Sick leave—was she at the hospital, or at his house? Was her phone turned off, or did she simply not want to reply to his messages? His fingers tightened unconsciously around his phone, the metal edge digging painfully into his knuckles.

He turned and walked back. His pace wasn't fast, but every step carried a suffocating, unvented wave of frustration. As he reached the top of the stairs, a crisp voice called out from behind him.

"Professor Jace!"

He turned around.

Piper jogged over from the other end of the hallway, clutching a bulging paper bag. She had run so fast that her hair clip was skewed behind her ear. She skidded to a halt in front of him, bending over to catch her breath before shoving the bag into his hands.

"Professor Jace, these are some Honey-Glazed Shortbread my housekeeper made, and some Lavender Biscuits my dad brought back from The Carolinas. They're all for you—well, mostly for you, but I saved two pieces for Sloane."

She straightened up, brushed invisible dust off the paper bag, and then wrung her hands together. Looking up at him with a pout, she stammered, "I-I'm so sorry, Professor Jace... Please forgive me."

Josh stood there holding the paper bag, looking down at her.

Her hair was still a mess, her clip was barely hanging on, and the tip of her nose was red from the cold wind.

"Come on, Professor Jace! Sloane was totally snatched away by him yesterday. We're in the same boat now! We're allies! You might as well share some intel so we can join forces and formulate a meticulous, foolproof, all-encompassing plan to win her back—"

"Piper."

Josh stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath.

Piper quickly skidded to a halt, tilting her face up and switching into her best "attentive student" mode.

"I just want some peace and quiet," Josh said.

*

By the time Garrison returned to his apartment, the sky had already grown dark.