VERA
"Fuck!" I hissed, shoving my face into the pillow and screaming until my throat burned.
My plan to get Xander back on my side had failed spectacularly.
Last night, I'd drunk cup after cup of bitter coffee just to keep myself awake, hoping the shadows under my eyes and my pale, hollow face would sell the illusion of illness this morning. I wanted him to see me fragile, weak, broken. Pathetic enough to pity.
It hadn't worked.
He hadn't even cared enough to stay and look after me.
I was sure he'd already run off to see his precious bitch, Emma.
The thought made something hot and ugly twist in my chest, but that wasn't even the worst part.
The worst part was knowing Xander hadn't fully believed a damn word I'd said. The faked note, the staged trembling, the forced tears… I wasn't sure I'd convinced him at all.
Frustration clawed through me, sharp and relentless. I yanked at my own hair until tears of pain sprang to my eyes.
